“I'm just saying that it's not natural.”

Carter visibly cringed at the words he had heard from random strangers ever since he had come out at the tender age of fourteen. Some of them were family and former friends. Most had been his school classmates although just as many, if not more, were surprisingly supportive.

But it was still vastly disappointing and hurtful when you would hear a stranger offering an opinion on not just the fact on whom you shared a bed with, but also how this supposedly affected the ability in how you performed your craft. Something that you had been doing relatively successfully for over six years, and only recently surpassed your own dreams by climbing to the upper echelon of the business.

But sure, let’s forget about all of that.

Carter had been content to spend a portion of the day alone while Miles busied himself at the gym, getting in one of his (in)famous workouts. Carter usually loved going to the gym as an open excuse to ogle his “hot husband” but found neither man got a lot accomplished during the session. Well, as far as actual working out goes. So this time Miles opted to go alone and he’d return to pick Carter up so the two of them could go shopping for a birthday present for their nephew in London. Riley’s parents had made them swear an oath not to go overboard like they had in their last visit to England, but despite crossing their hearts, they made no ‘real’ promises.

So here Carter remained at their home, watching a podcast he had been told about only moments ago by his best friend, Ariana Angelos. She had texted him to let him know that “Beyond the Squared Circle” - one of theory mutually favorite wrestling-related podcasts was going to be dedicating this episode to not just Carter, but also his reign atop the mountain of Sin City Wrestling. And even better? The host Ava Garner was to be joined by some “wrestling expert” by the name of Tobias Holloway. Whoever that was. Carter figured it to be some guy who never set foot in the actual business side of the sport, let alone an actual wrestling ring, but still somehow believed being a fan made him an expert on everything wrestling-related.

Ava always took her own craft seriously, treating each and every guest of her show with the utmost of respect, even when some of those old school boys treated her less so all because she possessed a uterus. Her studio was brightly lit from overhead stage lights and the set itself was two chairs in the center of a stage made up to resemble a wrestling ring on three sides. That was it. She felt no need for anything more glamorous because she was here not to impress anyone but to have fun and pay her respects to the men and women who put their bodies on the line, day in and day out, and all in the name of our bloodlust infused amusement.

"And welcome back to Beyond the Squared Circle!"

Ava Garner said with a perpetual smile on her face, a woman in her late twenties with olive tone skin. "Today my guest Tobias Holloway and I have been discussing something that has been making waves in recent weeks, and that is the fact that Helluva Bottom Carter has become the brand new World Heavyweight Champion of Sin City Wrestling, having defeated the legendary Alex Jones for the gold this past May in Paris, France.”

Tobias, a man who was pushing fifty if we are being generous, and possessed the countenance of a right-wing politician, sat in the chair next to her and looked every bit the part of his belonging there. For a man like this, it was not about the entertainment or the fun aspect of discussing different opinions on any topic. It was about control and convincing the world why he was right and everyone else who disagreed with him was not.

Tobias, or Mister Holloway as he preferred to be addressed as, cleared his throat and shook his head with a faux sense of dismay. He spoke up, all but interrupting his host to say, “We are, to put it mildly, in a regrettable era of the sport that we all love. Helluva Bottom Carter, World Champion.”

He shook his head in disgust, “It simply defies the natural order of things, on a business that was built on the backs of men. Real men who bled for the sport, only to have others enter their world and turn it into a complete mockery."

“Well I think you’re using the term ‘mockery’ a little loosely.” Ava countered, shaking her head. “And I have to say, that is not the first time that you so freely used the phrase ‘natural’ or ‘unnatural’ where Carter is concerned. I mean, are you implying that a wrestler's sexual orientation has any bearing on their ability to perform in the ring, or their worthiness of holding a championship?”

It looked like Tobias was about to speak over her or interrupt, but Ava literally did the same to him, talking over him as she pointed out, “Helluva Bottom Carter has consistently delivered incredible matches, displayed so much charisma, and clearly has the support of the fans."

Carter could not help but smile as he took a drink of the water he had infused with strawberries and kiwi. His and Miles’s “little girl” aka Ms. Thang hopped up onto the couch at his side, demanding tribute and he idly obliged, stretching an arm over to stroke her scalp lovingly as the close-eyed purring commenced. Carter felt grateful for people in the business like Ava who did not support sexual orientation per se, but more so anyone who wanted to make a living in this sport no matter who they shared their bed with. But he was also smart enough to know this exchange was far from over.

And the close-minded nature of Tobias was put on full display for the world to see as he finally got his chance to speak and said, “Talent is one thing, but the championship is about presenting an ideal. It's about aspirations, about what young boys see as the pinnacle of power and prestige. And yes, young boys are some of the top demographic targets for the business.”

“Ignoring of course the fact that the audience is heavily flavored with young girls as well, considering how female wrestlers are just as big in many areas - if not bigger.” Ava pointed out.

“Score.” Carter murmured as he took another drink, watching.

But it was as if Ava had not even spoken, given the way Tobias all but glossed over everything she had just said. Instead, he played the role of “peacemaker” by stating, “With all due respect to Mr. Carter’s personal life, his being the current champion, diminishes the title as well as its lineage. Now, I’m not denying Helluva Bottom Carter is talented in the ring!”

Carter all but rolled his eyes even though there was nobody present to see the fact.

Tobias continued, “It’s like you said. He’s got athleticism, charisma, and can cut a promo with the best of them. But let’s not pretend like this isn’t a calculated move to disrupt the traditional legacy of the World Heavyweight Championship.”

Ava’s face found the frown for the first time since this program started and she questioned, “How do you figure?”

To which Tobias, excuse me, Mister Holloway, gleefully answered, “Wrestling has always had its share of characters, but the champion has historically been a symbol of dominance and authenticity. This current title run? It feels like a publicity stunt. Carter’s overt flamboyance, his sexually charged persona? Especially given it’s ‘Pride Month…’ (And yes indeed, he did do the air quotes!) … It's not what the SCW World Heavyweight Championship was built on! You can call it progress all you like but the simple fact is that his title reign is woke and is diminishing the legacy of almost thirteen years and names like Gabriel Stevens, Austin James Mercer, Fenris and Michael Harris to name a few! Until Carter came along, there has not been a single homosexual World Heavyweight Champion…”

“Not true.” Ava interrupted, and the stricken expression on Tobias’s face would scream that he was unsure of which was the greater sin. Being interrupted or being told that he was wrong. Ava continued, “You mentioned names such as Fenris but Fenris was openly gay, and Kris Ryans himself - a two-time champion in his own right, was a member of the LGBTQ community. As a matter of fact, as I recall, Fenris and Kris Ryans had a brief personal relationship between the two of them.”

Tobias stared at her, at a temporary loss for words but he recovered quickly enough. He again cleared his throat and spoke up, “Be that as it may, Fenris is a perfect example. One would look at him and never know he was a member of that lifestyle. You look at him and see a rugged fighter. Kris Ryans too - to a degree! Neither of them flaunted who they were behind closed doors but men like Carter make their entire personae all about being gay!”

Ava sighed, “You see Carter winning the championship as some kind of joke or a publicity stunt but I see it as a reclamation of a spot that has long shut out performers like him or made jokes out of them. The crowd reactions are real. The merchandise sales are real. The impact he brings to the business is real!”

“But that’s exactly what I’m talking about, Ava!” Tobias countered. “The timing of Carter’s push was too convenient. Do you seriously not find it suspicious that Alex Jones, one of the most technically sound champions in SCW history, loses clean to someone like Carter? Come on.” He sat back, rolling his eyes. “That wasn’t a title change! It was a social experiment…!”

But whatever else was going to be said between the two was silenced as Carter quickly slammed the laptop shut. Carter fell back against the back of the sofa and closed his eyes. After languishing in the SCW midcard territory and being unable to capitalize on numerous chances at the championship, to finally succeeding and having his success story reduced to nothing more than bigoted propaganda and claims of social experiments did more than turn his stomach!

It broke his heart. It shouldn’t, but it did. Carter had been dealing with people like Tobias Holloway most of his life, let alone his career. Many would not know this, but when Carter first entered the business, he was personally concerned about how he would be accepted in the locker rooms when he signed to both SCU as well as SCW. A fear that turned out to be unfounded because he had been supported from day one. Strongly so. Many of the men he shared a locker room with? Names like Austin James Mercer and Mac Babe among others. They had no problems sharing a dressing room with him. In fact, men like that were more prone to have a problem with anybody who complained about sharing a dressing room with Carter.

Still, it never felt good to know that someone did not accept you. Arrogant pricks like Tobias? They weren't worth the time or effort to care about them or their little feelings and opinions. Carter was willing to bet anything that this jerk off was a Trump supporter. And he wasn't about to let this asshole ruin his day.

If anything could pick up his mood…


… It was sitting back and watching Miles do squats.

Carter stepped into the shadows of the parking garage beneath the Turnberry Towers, the sound of his hard soled shoes against the concrete the only noise breaking the stillness, but it might as well have been a thunderstorm. The track lighting overhead cast ominous shadows over the rows of parked cars and for a moment, his old fears came back. Not just from the memories of the time he had been attacked in this very garage at night by a hired assailant, but also that deep rooted phobia he had always had about a break in and what would come of it. The hum of distant traffic was barely audible as Carter struggled past his irrational fears to reach his car, the lime green VW Beetle that he had inherited from his Grandfather. Miles had once questioned why he held onto such an old fashioned car, but once the connection between his Grandfather and the car was explained, Miles more than understood. He helped Carter take the utmost care of the memorial keepsake.

As he approached his car, keys in hand, something made him slow his steps. The air felt heavier all of a sudden. He glanced around but nothing seemed out of place. Rows of empty cars, a trash bin in the corner, a flickering light above the stairwell that really needed replacing. Still, his instincts whispered that something wasn’t right. He paused at the driver’s side door, hand hovering just above the handle, eyes scanning the shadows between pillars and parked cars.

A prickle was felt across the back of his neck. Carter turned abruptly, heart thudding now, scanning the rows behind him. Was that movement near the support beam? No. But feeling like a spotlight had settled on him refused to fade. His jaw tightened and he almost jumped when another car turned into the garage and headed his way. And only when Carter recognized it as being Miles’s very own blue Jeep Renegade

Carter watched with a subdued sense of relief as the car pulled around the rows and came to a crawl until it finally stopped parallel to where he was standing. The driver’s side window rolled down and Miles shifted his shades down over the bridge of his nose and said, “`Ey you pretty thing, you looking for a good time?”

Carter snorted back a laugh, all past trepidation all but forgotten in favor of Miles attempting to pick his husband up. And by ‘attempted,’ we of course mean Carter would have given it up for him had Miles simply said, “Yo bitch, backseat!” But he was far too much of a gentleman.

“What are you doing back from the gym so soon?” Carter asked, leaning against his car. “You’re usually there for another hour at least.”

“Eh, it’s just not the same when I don’t have your eyes glued to my arse.” Miles quipped, then with a lilt of the head, beckoned his husband to the passenger side. “C’mon an’ get in. Let’s grab dinner and then make my sister regret limiting what we can send Riley for his birthday.”


Carter just smirked gratefully as he walked around the now open passenger door and hopped it. And mere moments later, the Jeep Renegade vanished from the garage and into the famed “City of Sin.”

And it was inside of the Turnberry Towers security office when a gross sense of bad timing, and the guard having taken a quick break from the monitors, did not see the figure step back from around the pillar to watch as the vehicle pulled away.

---

“Living the dream.”

“That is the saying, isn’t it? When you either fulfill a life’s goal or you’re at least trying to give the illusion that everything in life is alright and couldn’t be better. But here’s the thing. I do happen to be living the dream. Not just now but I have for some time. Too many people these days are just skating by in life, barely making a living in jobs that they can’t honestly say that they love, let alone are loyal too. Hell, you even see people that have incredibly successful careers that pays well and gives them a life that would be the envy of many, but they can’t always say that they themselves are happy because they can’t say they love what they do. Doctors, lawyers, politicians… many of them begin these careers out of family desires and obligations rather than doing what they really want and later on in life, they look back with regret in their hearts and a single, painful question on their mind;”

“What if?”

“Me? I can honestly say that I am one of the lucky few. I might not have had a lot of family support in my chosen career, but I had plenty in the aspect that I was living a dream that I’ve had since I was a kid. To step inside of the ring. To travel the world. To meet fans of all ages who ask to have their picture taken with me? I’ll be honest, I get just as much a charge out of posing with people at shows or on the streets now as I did when I first got involved in wrestling. It’s these little things that bring me such joy and get me past the threshold of the injuries and frustrations. And I’ve had my fair share of those. But all of that pales by comparison when I can look at myself in the mirror and finally realize that I am the best.”

Carter lifts the SCW World Championship belt into the cradle of his arms against his upper body as if it were a small child.

“When all is said and done, that is what this particular accomplishment is all about, isn’t it? To win the top championship, to beat the best offered to you - that makes you the best.”

Carter paused and held up a hand.

“In most cases, at least. I was taught from the earliest stages of my training that a champion is only as good as the challengers that he or she faces, and that’s why when I first won this, the first thing I told everyone. Fans and the SCW bosses - that I wanted to make an example. I wanted to be a defending champion. And I’d like to think for the most part that I’ve fulfilled my side of that particular bargain without slowing down. I know Guy thought he was being funny when he booked me against Artie but he wasn’t. Neither Artie nor I treated our match like it was going to be anything less than a championship match to bring the house down. And we did just that – right up until the part where J2H and Kevin Carter just had to go and get involved. But I won. Artie gave one hell of a performance and an even better fight, but I am still the champion. Which brings me to the next step on my path toward J2H, and that’s the man that I beat for the championship in Paris.”

“Alex Jones.”

“I’ll be open and honest with everyone that’s watching right now. This match with Alex Jones? It should be for the championship. No questions or doubts about that. I know a lot of people aren’t big on impromptu title matches or big matches like this ahead of even bigger matches like what I’ve got at Summer XXXTreme, but you can not deny the fact that Alex Jones is in line for a championship match. He’s the freaking former champion for God’s sake! He hasn’t had a rematch yet and if he doesn’t deserve the opportunity to take this title and face J2H then tell me; who the hell does!?”

“How can anyone out there look at the history between us? The fights. The threats. I mean, literally EVERYTHING … and then book a non-title match between us like it’s nothing more than just some exhibition? Granted, it’s right where it belongs as the Main Event of the show but you know what would make it even better? If the championship was at stake!”

Carter nods toward the camera, and thus toward whomever might be watching.

“So Alex, if you’re watching and I suspect that you are, despite everything that happened between us in the past, I can say with sincerity that I am sorry for this happening. You not being given a rematch is disrespectful to the weight of what you and I’ve been through, and frankly, it’s a disservice to the SCW Universe who knows exactly how high the stakes should be! I wanted this to be the defining moment. You and I each hold one win over the other and this could have been our big time, the rubber match to decide it all. And technically it still can be but I just felt like it could be … more.”

“I wanted the lights brighter and the pressure more intense. Because if Alex really thinks he’s ready to climb back to the top, if I want to send a message to J2H, then we should have been allowed to prove it with everything at stake. Let him walk that same path I did and try to take what matters most. Instead, we’ve got the inevitable repeat of a fight with no crown to claim, and to me that just feels hollow. I want the title on the line, not to protect it, but because I believe in proving myself every time I step in that ring. Just like every single champion should do! That’s what a champion does. And if Alex wants a shot at redemption, I say put some damn gold on the table and let’s make it mean something!”

“And you and I are fully capable of doing just that. We brought the house down at Into the Void IX, we can do so again and make Climax Control seem like the Supercard to end all Supercards! Just … do me one favor.”

“I’m getting a little sick and tired of people poking their nose in my business. Either to cost me the championship or to give themselves a leg up on the inevitable. Your little friend Aaron Asphyxia tried to get involved and would have cost me were it not for my own bestie, Ariana. Ad Ari - and other ladies backstage - both told me that they were ready to have my back if Aaron tried to get involved again. And you saw that J2H and Kevin almost cost me everything just two weeks ago. I’m just done with people interfering and tarnishing everything that could be!”

“So please … leave Aaron in the back. Let’s just make things you and me - man to man. That way when you lose a second time around, you won’t have anyone to blame but yourself.”

It was less than a week ago when all hell broke loose following the Main Event to Climax Control, and much of the controversy surrounded none other than the World Heavyweight Champion, Alex Jones. Alex had issued an ominous threat against his number one contender, Carter McKinney - promising that Carter’s loved ones would bear the burden of his “sins” against the champion. And Alex is nothing if not a man of his word.

Carter’s brother-in-law, Lyle Kasey Junior, fell in defeat to the veteran wrestler - and it was Carter that saved him from a post-match beat down. It was also Carter that suffered for his efforts, thanks in part to the timely interference of Aaron Asphyxia and a curb stomp right into the very same chair he had used against Alex mere seconds ago. Which was where we picked up mere minutes later, following the arrival of Carter’s husband and LJ’s half-brother Miles…

“Careful, luv.” Miles said as the curtains to the famed “gorilla position” were thrown open wide and he and a now alert LJ, helped Carter through - his arms draped over the shoulders of both Kasey brothers. They took one step at a time, carefully, as they led Carter down the small flight until Carter's feet met solid ground once again.

“Miles…” Carter said, his bell clearly been rung, but still as stubborn and as feisty as ever. “I’m fi-”

“You’re NOT fine.” But it was LJ who had spoken up in place of his own brother. He and Carter had issues between the two of them at one point but that was ancient history. Carter was his family now, and Carter had proven that by coming to his aid when he needed it. The least LJ could do was the very same. “I was RIGHT there and felt that fecking stomp! If I wasn’t so damn out of it…”

“Stop, the both of you.” Miles all but commanded as they set foot on the floor and were converged upon by some of their close friends such as a concerned Alexandra Calaway, not to mention Bella Madison and her own husband, Malachi. But it was the sudden presence of Christian Underwood, flanked by two of the backstage paramedics that were hired primarily for just such occasions.

“Follow me.” Was the simple but direct command of the SCW’s boss man as he did an about face and headed back up the aisle with Miles and LJ helping Carter along the path…

***

“Do you feel nauseated?” One paramedic asked Carter, as the young grappler sat on the bench in the room set aside for first aid. LJ had taken his leave momentarily alongside Alexandra, but Miles remained, hovering as close as allowed while the two paramedics did their work. Christian had taken his leave with the specific request that he and Mark Ward be updated as soon as possible on Carter’s condition.

The second paramedic made note of this on the tablet in his hand, while her peer shone a small light in Carter’s eyes, murmuring solidly, “So you just have the headache?” To which Carter nodded in the affirmative.

“I just had my head stomped into a steel chair.” Carter retorted with a trace of sarcasm in his tone. “I’d be surprised if I didn’t.”

“Babe…” Miles all but warned Carter, knowing his husband’s saucy nature and even more acidic tongue. But these professionals were only doing their jobs and Carter’s personality quirks could hinder that.

The older man that was kneeling in front of Carter for the examination glanced back at Miles over his shoulder and smiled appreciatively. He turned back to the ‘patient’ and addressed him, “No dizziness? No sensitivity to the light in this room?” Both of which Carter shook his head no to in answer. The paramedic then said, “Okay, up.”

Carter did as instructed, and the paramedic stepped back and said, “Walk across the room and back.” As in testing him for any signs of imbalance or sudden waves of dizziness that might arise. Carter did as told, walking across the room and passing Miles who watched his progress intently. Carter arrived at the far wall, then turned back but it was as he passed Miles again that Miles jumped, almost making a squeaking noise.

“Oop!” Miles quipped. “I think he’s good.”

“Why do you say that?” The female paramedic asked, shaking her head as Carter returned to sitting on the bench at their direction.

Miles answered, “He grabbed me arse.”

All heads turned to Carter who just wore that smoldering grin on his face. The male paramedic exhaled gently, shaking his head. He took his place beside his coworker and said for both Carter and Miles to hear, “I don’t think he has a concussion since he just has the headache, so I don’t think a trip to the hospital is necessary.”

“Thank fuck…” Carter whispered, but the paramedic continued, “Just take some over the counter aspirin for the headache for the time being. But I would suggest not leaving for Copenhagen tomorrow as scheduled. I would wait an extra day, just to be on the safe side.”

“Is that really necessary?” Carter asked, but before either paramedic could say anything, it was Miles who answered with a firm, “Yes it is!” prompting Carter to turn his head aside with an almost comical expression that silently said “Sorry I spoke!” Miles then looked to the two as he opened the door and he gave a genuine smile of appreciation for the care shown to his husband, “Thank you. Both of you.”

They both smiled and nodded as Carter slowly stood up, still feeling it, and Miles was quick to lend him a helping hand and he escorted him through the door as it shut behind them. Miles started to walk down the hall, heading in the direction of the locker rooms with his arm snugly wrapped around the waist of his husband.

Miles said, “I’ll drop you off for a moment to get your things and let LJ and Ally know we’ll meet them for a late dinner. I have to go talk to Christian.”

“About what?” Carter asked, his brow knitting into a frown as if he had some slight inkling on the direction Miles’s mind was headed. And he was right.

“Protective hubby mode has been activated.” Miles stated matter-of-factly, a statement that sounded silly but was anything but intended. “So I’m going to have a little chat with Christian and…”

But whatever else Miles was going to say was interrupted by a forceful, “no.” emanating from Carter himself who stopped, forcing Miles to come to a halt as well. Carter turned to face Miles directly and shook his head, a most uncharacteristic expression of stern authority on his own face. “Just… no.”

“No, what?” Miles questioned, to which Carter answered, “No going to Christian and wanting a match against Alex.”

“After what that fuck did to you!?” Miles asked, clearly caught off guard by this stark refusal on Carter’s behalf. “Why shouldn’t I go out there and kick his…?”

“Because I am asking you not to!” Carter’s voice rose before he could check himself. The two men stared into one another’s eyes, as if searching for something. A lingering silence was kept between them until Carter broke it with no small sense of discomfort. He asked, “Do you believe I can beat Alex?”

Miles frowned, as if he couldn’t believe Carter was questioning his faith in him. “Luv, you know I do!”

“Then you need to step aside and let me handle this.” Carter stated, his words strong. His tone was even stronger. “Because even if I do win the title from Alex, how seriously will anyone take me with you handling all my fights for me? Or softening up Alex for me two weeks before our match?”

Miles stared hard at him, but his facial expressions softened as he took in his words and the meaning behind them. If Miles went to Underwood now and demanded a match against Alex, it would be little to no better than what happened when Vincent Lyons interfered in the Elimination Chamber, costing Jayden Harris and leaving Carter questioning to this very day if he truly deserved that victory and the title opportunity against Alex Jones in Paris.

“You know I don’t like this?” Miles asked with more of a statement than a question. Carter just smiled and he answered back, “And you know how much I love it when protective hubby mode is activated but there are just sometimes when I have to do this on my own. Like now. Vincent already took away the credibility for my win in the Chamber. Please don’t do the same with Alex.”

Miles drew in a deep breath and gently exhaled through his nose, his eyes never leaving those beautiful blue orbs that he often found himself lost in. He felt the familiar warmth of love swell in his chest. Though he had his own thoughts, his own wishes melted in the light of Carter’s persistence. With a small smile he wrapped both arms around him and drew Carter into one of those famously talented hugs.

“If it matters to you, then it matters to me,” Miles said, his voice low and yielding, not out of defeat, but out of devotion.


Standing in an empty wrestling arena, the silence feels almost surreal, a stark contrast to the roar that usually fills the space. Rows of vacant seats stretch into the shadows, their stillness echoing with memories of cheers, chants, and the clash of bodies in the ring. The faint scent of sweat and adrenaline lingers in the air, mixing with the sterile smell of disinfectant. Overhead, spotlights cast long, sharp beams onto the vacant ring, now just a silent stage awaiting its next battle. The emptiness carries a strange weight, as if the ghosts of past matches still linger, watching, waiting for the bell to ring again. And it was inside of that ring where the “Pride of SCW” - Helluva Bottom Carter, stood.

The camera panned a surrounding shot, showcasing each side of both this young grappler as well as the arena where in two days, the latest stop on the Viking Era tour would take place. More to the point, it would be where Carter would put the proverbial foot down on an issue that had arisen in recent weeks.

“Let me put this as gently as I can, and this goes out to the so-called ‘loose cannon’ of the Lyons Den. My opponent in just a matter of days. Vincent Lyons … Junior. Vincent, I won’t pretend any sort of good will between your family and myself - save for perhaps Eddie and that’s only because in a family of black sheep, Eddie is solid gold. But with his present company excluded, please allow me to say that the Lyons family is about as stable as a game of Jenga during an earthquake!”

“And yes, this all started when the Queen Bee herself, Little Ms Victoria, decided to play sex therapist between Miles and myself and show us that pain is supposedly pleasure or something to that degree. Really, who the hell knows what goes through that woman’s head? I mean I could say she’s the more shallow basket case between the two of you when the truth is just that much more simple; Victoria Lyons is like a family heirloom that nobody wants to inherit. Cluttered, outdated, and just a constant reminder of how bad taste can run in the same bloodline. I never really had any issues with the woman, up until she decided to play off some perverse pleasure of watching Miles and myself beat one another bloody. I mean, she and I even bonded somewhat over our mutual affection for Patti Lupone.”

Carter snapped his finger as if to proclaim, “Yes Queen!”

“But after your actions in the Chamber, and her being almost as dismissive as you were in what you cost me? The gloves are off and the filter is non-existent. But this isn’t about her, not really. This is about you and why I went to the brass and asked for this match specifically. This is why I wanted to stand inside of the ring against a man so many are calling one of the more physically and psychologically dangerous Superstars in all of Sin City Wrestling. And that is to deliver one very simple message…”

“Stay out of my business!”

Carter raised his brow, his eyes glaring right into the camera.

“I blame you, Vincent. For everything! SCW was making history and seven men went into that Elimination Chamber and we put on the grandest show, one that I am certain will have its place as a Match of the Year candidate. We didn’t leave a single fan in their seat that night, but you just couldn’t handle that, could you? You just had to be a part of things, even if literally nobody wanted you out there! I had Jayden! I knew it then, just as I know it now! But you took that away from me. For whatever reason you have it out for the Brat, you took away all credibility of that one career defining win! Now, for the remainder of my career, I am going to be left wondering those two most painful words – ‘what if?’! And that’s why I wanted this match! That is why I called you out!”

“You  and that Queen cousin of yours, you both told me to just accept the win and move on.”

Carter shook his head.

“Sorry Junior, but I don’t work that way. Do you honestly think for a second I haven’t come across men like you before? The kind of man who walks into a room and makes the air feel charged, like a storm about to break? Unpredictable and explosive, a man that plays by no one’s rules. Not because he wants to be thought of as a rebel, but because rules simply didn’t exist in your world! A man who’s temper flares without warning, your maniacal laughter too loud, and who’s silence is often more dangerous than your words.”

“I’ve known men like you my whole life, Vincent. People around you watch with a mix of awe and fear, never sure if you’re about to start a fight or crack a joke. A loose cannon, volatile and magnetic, the kind of man you can’t trust but also you can’t ignore.”

“But here’s the thing; do you know what happens when you turn your back on so-called ‘loose cannons’ and ignore their reputations? They disappear. All of your words - which I’m certain Victoria thinks of as sharp and commanding - are going to fall flat on deaf ears. And you are going to fall flat beneath the uncomfortable weight of your own failure. You and Victoria think of you as some powerful figure to be in awe of, but in truth the world sees you as you are. Small. Insignificant. Grasping at some ghost of control that you never really had in the first place outside of your own family tree, if even there!”

Carter approached the side of the ring where he leaned against the ropes, resting his forearms on the top rope and he looked down into the camera below.

“The sad, simple truth of this entire ordeal between us Vincent is that I don’t care. I don’t care about you, or whatever the hell you have going against Jayden Harris. Jayden made his thoughts about me all too evident last week and I can respond to everything he said about me with two very simple words - ‘suck it!’. But you, this is about you. Literally everyone around the world watched you get involved in the Chamber, but at the time nobody was angry at you. They just felt pity. Because interfering in that match was like seeing a raccoon try to join a ballet recital. Completely out of place and embarrassing for everyone involved. Especially your own flesh and blood.”

“She’d never admit it but I can’t imagine Victoria feeling anything but shame where you’re concerned. She’s become the most dominant Bombshell Roulette Champion in recent memory so kudos to her! And no matter where he stands, no matter what Victoria says to the contrary, Eddie is a success story and his star is just going to burn hotter and shine brighter the longer he’s in the spotlight! But you?”

“If you were any more of a failure to your family, you’d have to apply for a part-time job as a cautionary tale! I mean, people talk down on me about not being able to extend my reach and grab that brass ring, but you serve as something of an inspiration for all the wrong reasons. It’s impressive how you’ve achieved absolutely nothing with all the time in the world to be somebody other than Victoria’s toady!”

Carter gave the ring ropes a hard tug - as if testing them - but he used them as a means to stand upright. Tall and proud. The number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. 

“I also admit that this match is going to serve another purpose, so I hope you don’t mind my use of you as something akin to a guinea pig. Men like you… Men like Alex Jones. You question me. Question whether or not I have the killer instinct to do what must be done in order to take that one, final step up the mountain. Well, after Sunday? Nobody is going to be questioning just how far I can go in order to get things done - and to make things right. The days of people questioning how far I can go in this business are going to come to an end, and I can only pray to god that Alex Jones will be watching - because while you’re first? He’s next.”

Carter then stepped through the ropes and dropped to the ringside floor, one last thing to say to the Lyons whom he knew would be watching.

“Oh, and Queen Victoria? Do let me know where to send flowers in lieu of Vincent digging his own grave.”

He puckered his lips and walked into the shadows of the arena’s darkness.

A familiar enough site for anyone with a knowledgeable history where some of Sin City Wrestling's resident Superstars were concerned. The Towers, located a mere block away from the famed Vegas Strip, was where not only Carter and Miles called home, but of course, Fenris - his husband David Shepherd and his brother Aron as well. It was centrally located on ten acres right in the heart of Vegas and everywhere around the Towers was something for the residents to take hearty advantage of.

But in this particular condominium on the fifth floor, there were two faces most familiar with the SCW Universe on the scene...

"Mal and I really appreciate you and Miles letting us crash here for a few days." Bella Madison said amicably as she and Carter Kasey-McKinney emerged from the hallway of the luxury condo in which Carter and his husband Miles called home. Having helped Bella get her things settled in the guest room, Carter paused and gave Bella a funny look at her use of the phrase 'and Mal' to which she sighed with a smile and a slight shake of her head.

"Okay," She admitted. "I appreciate it. Mal was kind of pushing for us to stay at a hotel."

"Why?" Carter frowned. "Hotels are just an unnecessary expense. Why would someone rather stay in a hotel than with friends..." Carter trailed off, looking into Bella's teasing eyes and he looked aside and exhaled gently.

"He was afraid he would overhear Miles and I going at it." Carter reasoned, to which Bella betrayed the truth with a laugh as she admitted, "Yeah. I believe his exact words were 'I don't want to hear those two making barnyard noises all night!'" In the best impression of Malachi's husky Irish accent that she was able to muster.

"Uh huh..." Carter mused. "Well not that I'm making any promises, but how did you manage to convince him to stay over while you were in town?"

"I told him that you guys had the bedroom sound proofed." Bella answered all too casually as she had a seat on their sofa in the front room. Carter remained standing at the foot of the sofa and he folded his arms over his upper body and frowned, "And he bought that?"

"By the time he finds out the truth, it'll be too late." Bella answered, to which Carter just shook his head and turned around, stating, "We'll try to control ourselves."

"Where are they, anyway?" Bella then asked, sitting upright and having a look around. "The movie is going to start soon." A movie. In the City of Sin and playing hosts, Miles and Carter would have taken their guests to anywhere they wanted to go for a nice evening out. A dinner, nightclub - anything. But all Malachi and Bella wanted (for this particular evening) was a movie and a nice home cooked meal.

Carter just directed her attention toward the sliding patio doors where indeed Miles and Malachi could be seen standing in the cool, Las Vegas air and hovering over Miles's most cherished possession - his grill.  "I think they're still debating over the proper way to stack charcoal briquettes." Carter said, turning to give Bella an exasperated look.

To which she replied, "You know you'd avoid silly debates like that if Miles would just get a gas grill." Carter just stared at her and visibly shuddered before he said with much faux seriousness in his voice, "Oh I just dare you to suggest that to Miles!"

Bella just smiled and held her hands up in surrender but just in time as the patio door slid open, letting in a gust of cool wind to blow across the foyer. Ms. Thang, perched on her royal throne aka the coffee table, looked up from her royal nap and twitched her whiskers in annoyance before hopping down and moved about the condo to continue her leisure.

"It's about time!" Carter greeted the two men as Miles and Malachi entered the condo, Mal sliding the patio door closed behind the pair. "Who won the big debate?"

"It's my grill." Miles stated matter-of-factly, giving his husband a quick smooch. "I won." And behind Miles, Malachi mimicked his friend by making a face and mouthing the exact same words Miles had just spoken.

"Well fascinating as the Great Briquette debates are, I'm sure..." Bella all but announced, standing up from where she was sitting. "That scintillating wit could have waited. We need to get to the movies."

"Yeah," Miles stole a glance at the clock on the wall. "I checked and the next showing for Captain America isn't too far from now."

"Captain America?" Carter frowned. "I was hoping we could go see Flow."

"Oo!" Bella turned around from grabbing hers and Malachi's jackets, eyes wide with a reflection of excitement in her baby blues. "I thought Flow was out of theaters! I haven't seen it yet!"

Carter stated with a smile, "I found a theater that keeps those indie films longer than most others!" At about the same time Malachi said, "You can see that on Max any time!"

But Bella was not someone to just not accept a random gauntlet being tossed down at her feet and she helpfully pointed out, "Considering how fast those Marvel films go to streaming these days, you could say the same for Captain America."

"Besides," Carter added. "The MCU has went downhill ever since Endgame! I mean, just look at Kraven!"

"Kraven isn't a part of the MCU!" Malachi barked, but Carter debated, "Close enough!"

"And besides..." Carter then walked around the edge of the sofa, joining Bella at her side for what was fast becoming a "wives versus husbands" debate, even if one of the wives was, in fact, a man. "The only good thing they've done since is Agatha."

Malachi audibly scoffed to which Carter spun around and held out a finger, pointed directly at him, "Ohhh NO!" Malachi blinked back with widened eyes and looked to Miles who just shrugged with a smirk, stating, "Thou shalt not speak Agatha's name in vain in this house." Causing his male guest to roll his eyes quite noticeably.

"So what are we going to do?" Bella asked, passing her husband his jacket to stave off the bitter chill that Vegas was still seeing at this early time of the year. "We clearly don't agree on what movie to see?"

"Well," Miles offered. "You two..." he pointed at Bella and Carter. "Could go see Flow while Mal and I watch Captain America. They've got to be playing at the same theater."

"They are." Carter answered with a nod. "But Captain America starts thirty minutes later and is almost an hour longer. So Bella and I would be left sitting and waiting for over an hour for you two."

"And...?" Mal shrugged his shoulders, earning him a swat in the upper body from his wife. Malachi cleared his throat and looked innocently toward first his wife and then to a smiling Miles. Malachi nodded toward Miles and then to Carter, half jokingly saying, "You two could just arm wrestle for it as the hosts."

Miles smiled and Carter just looked between them and shrugged, slipping off his feathered wool/denim jacket, "Sure, I'm game!"

Carter passed his jacket over to Bella and Malachi just smiled confidently, knowing full well that his friend Miles was clearly the physically stronger of the two. Miles just went along with it, always a good sport no matter the circumstance. He too removed his jacket and flung it over the back of the sofa and followed Carter toward the bar counter that separated the kitchen from the rest of their home. Bella and Malachi watched closely as both of their hosts took their positions and placed their elbows on the bar counter.

Bella stepped up to play the role of referee as her boys locked their hands together, their fingers interwoven.

"You ready?" Bella asked each, and both Carter and Miles nodded. "Okay... go!"

And no sooner did she call out for the contest to begin, than did Carter reach up and with a deft flick of his hand, pop open the upper half of his button up shirt, flashing Miles his developed left pectoral. Miles stared and Carter swiftly put his arm down for the win. Miles remained slack jawed and his lustful gaze followed his husband as he walked back around to the foyer, buttoning his shirt back up as a very pleased Bella announced to a startled Malachi, "Flow it is!"

Malachi watched as Carter and his wife headed for the front door and he called out, "Two out of three!"

"Not a chance!" Bella shouted back.

Malachi just turned and huffed at Miles who continued to stare, "Nice going lust bucket!"

---

A video feed proceeded to showcase the violent intricacies of the upcoming Elimination Chamber. The images of the monolith of steel, eighteen feet in height and thirty-six feet in diameter. At a staggering fourteen short tons, it is an imposing structure where in mere weeks, the Superstars and Bombshells of Sin City Wrestling would be putting it all on the line for this one shot at potential glory.

The camera then drew back, the shot widening and it is revealed that the viewer of this footage is none other than former Internet Champion, Helluva Bottom Carter. His dazzling eyes are foreboding and stern in a most uncharacteristic way, never leaving the flickering images on the screen until the footage finally draws to a close. Only then did Carter nod and slowly turn around, his back against the wall both literally as well as figuratively.

He clapped the palms of both hands together.

"Okay! So, now we come to our favorite part of the day. That part where all of you fine people tune in to hear whatever it is that I have to say about my opponent. Now I know some of you out there are going to support the other guy, while others have my back and will be cheering me on. And bless you for that - but first, before we get that far, there's another fork in the road that I want to take a little detour down. Same destination, different path if you will."

"When Mark Ward and Christian Underwood first announced the Elimination Chamber matches at Inception VII, I think you could hear the collective roofs over both locker rooms - men and women's - blow clear off the building. Not in anger mind you but in excitement because after twelve plus years, there was very little that we haven't done in Sin City Wrestling. Since 2011 when SCW first manifested and I myself was just eleven years old, the fans who watched from around the world saw everything from Hell In A Cell matches to the classic All In Bombshell Championship match! Exploding Barbed Wire Death matches to that bad ass Candy versus Sin Cinematic match! I mean, the sheer level of imagination from the bookers and match makers has been nothing short of phenomenal! And now, we are getting the Elimination Chamber! Both the Superstars and the Bombshells! But..."

Carter held up a forefinger and frowned.

"And trust me when I tell you that there is always a but... there seems to be a key difference in these matches between the men and the women and it seems to have caused a certain level of confusion. For the Bombshells, the Elimination Chamber is for the World Bombshell Championship. For us guys? It's for the Number One Contender spot for the World Heavyweight title."

Carter bit at his bottom lip and casually glanced in mock confusion from left to right. he held out his arms and shrugged his slim shoulders.

"Can you spot the difference? Do you see where I might be a bit confused? -Whereas the new World Champion Andrea Hernandez and Kayla Richards - who have unfinished business obvs, get automatic spots in their respective Chamber match, the unfinished business between the Heavyweight Champion Finn Whelan and Alex Jones is going to be settled seemingly in a one-on-one rematch. Just the two of them. My question is ... why? Is the fact that Finn - as of now - is only thirty days away from breaking J2H's record as the longest reigning champion in SCW history? So he likely is starting to have J2H-level stroke with the powers that be? Or do the match makers just think there's more money to be made with a rematch between Finn and Alex after the way their first match broke down?"

"Well, even if that is how they feel, I can't say as whether or not I agree or disagree. Because their first match for the gold at Inception VII was, to put it mildly, on fire! But we are talking about history being made here and the participants who have earned their way into the Chamber so far? We're talking about Eddie Lyons and, of course, my husband Miles Kasey?"

Carter cast a quick glance into the camera and winked.

"Love ya, Miles!"

Before he resumed his shoot.

"And this week things are no different, with more to come! I just think this match would mean even more if it were actually for the championship rather than just to see who is next in line. But that's just me, and Lord knows I'm not the passive aggressive type. So...! Let's just move on to the heart of the matter here tonight, shall we? And delve into the next step of my career. You see, I just so happened to lose my Internet Championship to Kevin Carter at Inception and as much as I would like to go out and tell the world that he stole it from me...?"

Carter clenched his teeth with a tight fist.

"I just can't! Because he didn't steal it. He won it, he earned it. And as bad a taste as this leaves in my mouth to admit, Kevin carter was the better man. But, did anyone else notice that his first title defense of the Internet Championship was not a rematch against the former champion? No, the former champion - me - was left standing on the sidelines while he put his title on the line against the Bulldog. I guess I can see the logic behind it. Barnhart gave Kevin such a fight in that match that had he given me my rematch, I probably would have walked away a two-time champion and most likely would have forfeited my spot in the Chamber. So perhaps Kevin Carter ducking me was his way of being... charitable?"

Carter wandered over and had a seat on the edge of an upright table and pondered this and then shook his head with a silent "Nah!".

"In a small way, this is almost better, as this gives me the chance to get my career back on the track. For months now I've had people asking me things like why am I not going after the World Championship more often? Accusing me of wasting all of the momentum that I had built for myself - especially after I got that upset win over Michael Harris. I've had some armchair experts tell me I wasted everything by not trying, or not trying harder. But the simple fact is that I did try. I did, and I bided my time and made my moves when I was ready. But the champions like Finn Whelan at the time, they were more ready than I was. Plus others were vying for the gold and I wasn't going to find myself in the legendary Jessie Salco mold where I made demands and challenges for championships at every turn. I had a great run as the Internet Champion and sooner or later, I'll get that belt back home where it belongs. But for now, the World title is in my sights and to get there, I have to get to that Elimination Chamber! And that means, I have to get past Connor Murphy."

Carter placed both hands on his knees and sat up straight, his gaze wide as he leaned back and breathed deeply.

"Connor Murphy. Not to crack age old jokes but I almost didn't recognize you when you returned to us. And not to be crass or anything, but when Mark and Christian announced a former Superstar was returning, I will be the first to admit that I got my hopes up. Maybe a little too high. Because when they said someone was coming back, my immediate hopes were for names like Ben Jordan, Fenris ... maybe even Austin James Mercer. But no, when the lights died down and the music hit ... it was you, Connor. And I have to admit that at that given moment, I felt a giant swell of... oh, what's the word I'm looking for? Disappointment, I guess. And I am not saying that to anger or belittle you, but it's just that they built this idea up to be something - or someone - major and you just... aren't. Not really."

"I mean, don't get me wrong. There was still a certain level of enthusiasm when you showed back up. Especially with Despayre at the GO Gym. He kept referring to you as the Gummy Bear Savior... whatever that means. But it's Despy so it obviously means something meaningful."

"But let's be honest for a second here, Connor. Before your big return, the last time you set foot inside of the ring was against J2H back in March of 2020. Almost a full five years ago. And before that? It was September of 2016 - against Dmitri. I could go on but do you see where I'm going with this? Even back then when I was just a know-it-all teenager, I knew well enough to know what my hopes and dreams were. I knew I wanted to be right where I am now, and I didn't let anything come between me and realizing those dreams. Not even the objections of my own loving family. But as a know-it-all teen, from the outside looking in? All I could think of when I turned in and watched you was that you wasted every chance the bosses gave you. It felt like you had virtually no commitment to this business. You would come back, have a match or two to make sure your name was still heard and remembered, and then would just go and piss off until you got bored enough to make another go of it. And Connor...? That just isn't cool."

"And it's not like you didn't have all the tools it took to be a success inside of the ring! I mean, you came from out of literally nowhere to tea, with Tim Staggs and beat the Guns For Hire for the World Tag titles! And you held them for almost two months. Kudos, bitches! But, for all the potential that you hold, that's still the pinnacle of your SCW career. A title reign that you had to share with a second generation star that used his daddy's name to get his foot in the door. You deserved better, Connor. You deserved more, but the simple fact of the matter is that you just never showed the initiative nor the interest. You would just come and go as you pleased and not show any interest in actually furthering not just your career but the careers of your peers! And really, what is the point of even being in this profession if you're not willing to give it your all, and be the very best?"

"And to be the very best, means you have to beat the very best! Which, as you might have guessed, means actually making the effort in becoming the best - the World Heavyweight Champion. That is why we are here, Connor, you and I. Now I don't know how these Qualifying matches were even determined. Whether they were luck of the draw or if there's a method to the madness. Maybe at some point my lack of enthusiasm for your return got back to the bosses and they decided to have some fun at my expense and put us up against one another. "

"Well, that's fine. I don't want you getting the wrong idea and thinking that I don't like you. I don't know you well enough to say whether or not I like you. I just find your lack of commitment to this business to be infuriating. And being put into this position to earn your way into the Chamber - insulting."

"Or am I wrong? And if so, prove it to me. I've broken bones, Connor. I've been hospitalized for injuries I suffered inside (and outside) of the ring. And all to prove my commitment to this business that I love and respect - and you profess to."

Carter stood up from the table and looked hard into the camera.

"I know compared to you, I am a relative rookie Connor. But I have been more true to this business in the past five years than you have your entire career. So before you decide to prove anything to the fans or to yourself...?"

He tapped a finger into his own chest.

"Prove it to me. And then we'll talk."

“The More Things Change…”

What a year 2024 has been, a literal emotional roller coaster. And here it was drawing to a dramatic close with Christmas closing in. The Yuletide holiday had always been the favorite of Carter’s, like the vast majority of the world. Fun fact; Christmas was the number one ranked holiday that people around the world celebrated, followed closely by Hannukah, Thanksgiving, Saint Patrick’s Day, New Year’s, Eid al-Fitr, Valentine’s Day, Diwali, Halloween and Chinese New Year rounding out the Top Ten.

Surprisingly Easter did not make the Top 10 Cut but that’s a topic for another time.

But it was Christmas that held that special place in Carter’s heart from his earliest memories, right up to the here and now. From his time as a child to now being an adult, there was just something magical in the air when Christmas time rolled around. The decorations. The lights and tree with colorfully wrapped packages lying beneath. But it extended far beyond that. Carter held a deep respect for family for someone of such a young age, and he loved the time together with his family and loved ones on holidays such as this. But this year, Christmas was going to prove to be something even more special than usual.

This would be the third Christmas that Carter had spent with the man that had become such a vital part of his life. The first time, Miles Kasey had accepted an invitation to spend Christmas with Carter and his family, acknowledging later that it was one of the best Christmases either man had ever enjoyed. It was also the holiday where the bond between the two men’s hearts truly started to form between them.

The second Christmas was when Carter and Miles had acknowledged the love between them and officially became a couple. And what better way to celebrate than by bringing their families together at the most joyous time of the year to celebrate with them? Miles had flown his mother, sister and brother-in-law in from the UK, while Carter brought his mother and grandmother to truly make it a unique family celebrated holiday.

Carter had never thought Christmas could get any more magical but 2024 proved him wrong when he and Miles joined together in marriage and would be celebrating with their families for the first time as husbands. Only… Miles was not entirely in on that particular little nugget of information. This was something that Carter had discovered about Miles over the past three years, and that was the fact Miles was as big a kid as any other adult when it came to Christmas and birthdays. The smile, that sparkle in his eyes… Just watch that video of Miles dancing in his chair with his eyes never leaving his birthday cake… Christmas was no different.

And Carter had learned he would have to work overtime to keep that husband of his from finding out what his presents were before that most magical of mornings.

With those thoughts in mind, that would be where we pick up with our hero of the hour. The condo in the Turnberry Towers had been transformed into one more fitting of the season. Miles had surprisingly put his foot down with his husband, not allowing Carter to put up any Christmas decorations until Thanksgiving had come and gone. And that meant the day after, Carter was turned loose and their home had been gloriously transformed into a winter wonderland. The highlight being the six foot Stitch themed Christmas tree that Miles had surprised him with the previous year.

And Carter Kasey-McKinney was seated at the desk in the little work nook that he had put together for Miles and himself when he had done the condo’s makeover many months ago. When visiting, Bella had referred to it as a “book nook” due to the fact that it had two full, hanging bookshelves lined with ivy against the wall above the ‘love seat’ and lounge chair, with a small, decorative end table in the corner between the two. But it was between the end of the love seat and the picturesque window that overlooked the city five floors below that Carter had set up a ‘workstation,’ complete with desk and a state of the art laptop.

It was where Carter was seated at the moment, carrying on a casual conversation over Whatsapp with his Mother all the way in Seattle. While this was not an unusual occurrence by any means, as Carter was on the phone almost daily with his Mom and Grams, and they video chatted two or three times a week, this time things were different as secrets were being kept and Carter was taking some precautions against a certain someone.

“So everything is arranged?” Joanna McKinney, Carter’s mother, asked from her side of the call. “Airline tickets? What about Ms. Thang?”

“Everything is taken care of on all fronts.” Carter answered. “My only concern was bringing Ms. Thang with us this time. We’ve never taken her on a trip before, let alone flown with her. I’m not sure how she’s going to handle it.”

“There’s nobody who can watch her?” Joanna asked, to which Carter shook his head in answer.

“I didn’t ask.” He said. “I’m pretty sure Aron and Kristjan would have been willing, considering their family is coming in from Iceland like usual. But we’ve spent so much time away from our girl this year with the touring and all. I just wanted…”

“I think I understand, sweetie.” Joanna nodded. Ms. Thang was Carter and Miles’s little fur baby, constantly referring to her as “their little girl” - whose little girl usually depended on what she did and who caught her in the act. “What about the ho-?”

But before she could finish the statement, Carter quickly held a hand up to keep her from finishing the question aloud. Carter cast a glance over his shoulder and in the direction of the kitchen where he saw Miles last.

Carter wore a devilish smile on his face as he said aloud, “I’ll have all the packages sent to Seattle after this weekend is over and we get back home. For now, I hid them up at Kristjan’s place.”

Carter then gazed upward and counted down on his fingers, “Three… two… one…” Before he heard the sound of the front door being quickly shut. Carter just chuckled and shook his head as his mom looked thoroughly confused.

“What was that all about?” She asked.

“Miles has been trying to find out what his Christmas presents were since we went Black Friday shopping.” Carter laughed. “Trust me, nothing has been too sacred for him to find out what I got for him!”

“Is that why he insisted on carrying everyone’s bags on Black Friday?” Joanna asked. “So he could snoop?”

“That’s the only reason he even went with us!” Carter laughed. “Miles doesn’t take to shopping the way I do.”

“And here I thought he was doing it to be a gentleman.” Joanna sighed, to which Carter smiled, “Well, that too. But to answer your question, we’re not doing a hotel. Miles’s sister doesn’t have the room for overnight guests in their house, so I got a vacation rental house for our stay. We’ll just spend the actual holiday with the family at their house.”

“And he still thinks you’re coming to Seattle for Christmas?” Joanna asked with a wisp of a smile, shaking her head at the level of deception her son has engaged in just so he could pull off the surprise of the year for his husband.

“Mm.” Carter nodded. “I’ve been planning this for the last six months. Miles gets proper homesick sometimes, so I thought this would be the best present I could muster up for him. He hasn’t spent Christmas in England for a fair few years.”

“It’ll be a lovely holiday for everyone.” Joanna smiled. “Your Grams and I have never been. We’re both thrilled you thought to include us.”

“Of course I included you two!” Carter acted almost affronted at the idea he might not have. “I know most married couples take turns on which side of the family to spend Christmas with, but I thought to myself… why not just take turns with which side of the pond to spend with everyone together?”

“That’s lovely.” Joanna smiled from her side of the call. “I raised a good kid.”

“Oh do I have a brother or sister you never told me about?” Carter teased when he heard the door to the condo swing open and shut a little harder than normal. “Uh oh…” He quipped but with a knowing smile.

“What’s wrong…?” Joanna started to ask when her son-in-law’s face leaned into the camera, his attention directed at her son and his husband.

“Think you’re funny, hm?” Miles accused, to which Carter turned his bright smile to his husband with a silent nod. Miles nodded, then said, “It wouldn’t have been so awkward if the first thing out of my mouth wasn’t ‘You have something up here that I want!’”

Prompting Carter to practically fall out of the camera shot and his chair in a laughing fit!

---

Night fell earlier at this time of year and blessedly so in the usual hot weather of Las Vegas transitioning to a surprisingly cold temperature. It was not even six and the sun had descended into the skyline, only to be replaced by the moon and stars. Just another reason why Carter loved the later months of the year. And on this evening, Miles had made a special request of Carter for dinner, that being chili - one of the few dishes Carter could cook successfully. And it was winter so that made it official chili weather.

Pun intended.

So Carter bundled up and headed to the store and on a whim, Miles had surprised him by tagging along under the impression of wanting to get out of the house for a bit. Miles had even hammed it up by patting the grocery cart, daring that husband of his to climb in the basket while he pushed him around to gather the required ingredients. And being the boyish devil that he was, Carter had eagerly agreed with a smile and climbed in.

And for the next thirty minutes, Miles casually pushed his husband around the grocery store with one hand, while Carter checked off every necessary ingredient for his hubby’s dinner. Both men remaining oblivious to the perplexed expressions on the part of both the grocery store employees as well as their fellow shoppers.

Miles took it all in stride, and with good reason. You know what they say about payback… With the groceries paid for and Miles pushing the cart around toward the exit, he casually observed, “So let me guess. The presents were in Seattle the entire time?”

“Haha…” Carter chuckled, his eyes not leaving the screen of his phone. “Yeah.”

The automatic doors slid open and Miles pushed the cart to the outside, saying, “And let me guess. You have no intention of even giving me a hint?”

“Nope!” Was all Carter had to say in answer. Miles just nodded along with him and shrugged his beefy shoulders, “Alright.” And he turned the cart sideways and Carter looked up just in time..

“Miles!” Just in time for Miles to push the cart - Carter included - back into the cart return and lock the safety harness - effectively trapping that husband of his inside with his feet sticking up in the air between cart handles!

MIles just leaned down, his forearm resting on the cart’s handle and he smiled inside at the wide-eyed shock of Carter from between the cart’s mesh bars! Those gorgeous eyes were almost as wide as surprise and shock as his mouth was!

“Miles!” Carter half laughed, half choked. “Miles, cut it out! Let me out!”

“Not so funny now, are you?” Miles laughed at the predicament his husband was found to be in. “What do you have to say now?”

Trapped in a fetal position in the cart, Carter looked around and found himself saying, “Well… I won’t lie and say it’s not a bit of a turn on….”

Miles stood up straight, staring down at the trapped Carter. He turned to this little old woman who was making her way into the store but paused at the comedic site, to which Miles quipped, “I married a pervert!”

To which the sweet, grandmotherly type casually absorbed the trapped Carter, then looked up and shook her finger at miles in a reprimanding way, saying, “ You shouldn't kink shame your husband!” Before she walked through the automatic doors, a surprised and bewildered Miles watched after her.

---

The camera turned on and the first thing to be seen by the viewership of the SCW Universe was a close up shot of the reigning SCW Internet Champion, Helluva Bottom Carter. But contrary to the norm of the average SCW Superstar (or Bombshell), Carter was not directly facing the camera, ready to proceed with cutting his promo against his most recent challenger. Instead, he was staring vacantly off-camera, a blank expression on his face. Several long moments pass until someone off-camera clears their throat, startling the champion from out of his daze.

Carter does a double take and for the first time, takes note of the camera aimed in his direction.

“I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to give me a minute to process this. When the head honchos over at the SCW offices contacted me and told me that I was going to be defending my Internet Championship on the first Climax Control after High Stakes XIV. I thought to myself, ‘Great! Terrific! Maybe they're finally taking me seriously as champion and letting me defend the title more than just once a cycle against some quality, stiff competition!’. And then….”

He looked aside again and shook his forefinger for emphasis.

“Then they told me who I was up against. They told me who was going to challenge me for the Internet championship. I thought maybe I would get to defend against somebody like Aidan Reynolds, or maybe even Kevin Carter. This might be wishful thinking, but a rematch against LJ or even Kris would have been something! But no.”

He shook his head, seemingly unable to comprehend where he was in the grand scheme of things.

“I am actually defending my championship against a man who named himself after a 100 plus year old animated cat?”

He side-eyed the camera and his eyebrows Rose almost to his hairline.

“I mean, seriously? I thought they were joking! I thought it was some colossal prank on the part of Mark and Christian and that my legit Challenger would be announced in due time! But then the lineup was announced officially, and there it was! Right before the main event with the Mixed Tag Team titles up for grabs, I'm stepping inside of the Ring against a glorified jobber. Again!”

He closed his eyes and held up a hand to forestall any responses or protests on the part of the viewers, or more specifically, his opponent.

“No, I know! I am well aware that unlike Justin Smith, Felix has actually managed to walk away with a couple of wins under his belt. Dubious as they are. But still! After everything I've said publicly, after all of my wishes and demands to bring this championship up to a level that it actually deserved to be, do I get a Kevin Carter or J2H? Do I get Eddie Lyons? No! Seemingly everything I stated and asked for went right in one ear and out the other without even acknowledgment on the part of the powers that be! I am actually being made to defend my championship, the title that I busted my ass for to not only earn a shot at but to finally walk away in possession of, against Phoenix the Cat Hernandez!”

Carter shook his head and looked away, his mouth hanging slightly open.

“It's just unbelievable. I look on the other side of the talent pool with the Bombshells and I see Juliana getting to defend her title against top-ranked contenders every time. Maybe they think I can't accomplish the same as she, but how the hell else are we going to find out unless they give me the opportunity to do so! I and the one who is able to defeat Peter Vaughn! I defended against and beat the Hall of Famer Kris Ryans! I even had to bust up my own brother-in-law and perhaps my most physically demanding title match today, and Lyle Kasey Jr! I don't know!”

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, blowing out a breath of air from pursed lips.

“I'm not a promoter or a businessman. Maybe Mark and Christian see something in Felix that I don't. Maybe I'm just thinking too much into this and I'm being a sensitive little diva? Let's find out!”

That being said, Carter stood up from where he was sitting on the patio deck of his condominium home in Las Vegas. He walked casually over to the wall where he had an easel set up. And on the easel was a stack of poster board with names and dates. Carter positioned himself to the left of the easel and with the wave of his hand, directed the viewer's attention toward the content on the poster board.

“June 23rd, Felix the Cat Hernandez made his in-ring debut for Sin City Wrestling in Denver, Colorado. He faced another newcomer to our little family, Jack Daniels.”

Carter closed his eyes and sighed.

“I know, but bear with me. A guy named after an animated cat against a guy named after cheap liquor. And guess what? The first of Felix's nine lives was used up in a loss to Jack Daniels on that day!”

With a flip of the wrist, Carter cast the first poster board aside for the next.

“Now after a debut like that, I can't fathom what got into the heads of the Bookers but Felix return to the ring in a triple threat match against Aidan Reynolds and Justin Smith. July 14th, Ontario California in a match that would decide the next entrant for Summer XXXTreme XII’s traditional Ultimate X match for the roulette championship. And this may come as no great shock to you, but it was not Felix who walked away with his arm raised and a title opportunity on the horizon! That distinction went to good old Aiden Reynolds!”

That poster board was sent flying to the floor.

“But to his credit, and I have to give it to where it's due, Felix still made the lineup at Summer XXXTreme XII against Justin Smith. And I don't think anybody was ready to see Felix kick up his first official victory at the hands of that hardcore badass. I was in the ring with Justin in my first title defense. He may not have the greatest record on paper but we don't wrestle on paper, now do we? Justin is seen in the locker rooms at something of a jobber, so when you get right down to it, Felix didn't really accomplish anything that everybody else in the locker room hadn't. Myself included.”vvvv

Carter than found himself frowning at his own expense.

“Which now that I think about it, doesn't really speak very highly for that first defense of mine. Does it? Oh well”

That card is sent flying, and next up…!

“Now is when things get interesting because on August 25th in Bangkok, Thailand, our resident century old Felix went up against one of the very best that has ever set foot inside of the six-sided ring, that being a Grand Slam Champion and Hall of Famer, Kris Ryans. I almost groaned when this match was announced because you could see the outcome a mile away and my prediction came true, and another of Felix's nine lives was used up with Kris walking away the winner! Big shocker!”

With a flick of his thumb and forefinger, that card is sent fluttering to the floor below.

“Next up, things got a little personal from my perspective because on October 13th right here in Las Vegas, Felix was matched up against my very own brother-in-law, LJ Kasey. Now around that point in time, Lyle and I weren't exactly what you would call the closest? But I'm not going to lie and say watching him walk away the winner at Felix's expense wasn't oddly satisfying.”

Another card gone, another one up front.

“Now is when we have our first of two back to back rematches for our favorite pussy…. Cat! Pussycat! Felix and Justin smith, 111 once again on October 20th in reno! And to nobody's surprise, Felix got his second straight win against Justin. Now in this business, a win is a win. All I'm saying is it would have been nice to see Felix gain a victory over someone who isn't basically seen as locker room cannon fodder. Which brings us to probably the biggest shocker of the year…”

That card is dropped and finally the last one is revealed.

“A rematch against Kris Ryans on November 3rd in Phoenix, Arizona. And I don't mind telling you that the vast majority of the locker room thought the end was inevitable. I mean, why wouldn't we? At that point in time Kris was officially my number one Challenger and my scheduled opponent for High Stakes XIV! So of course Kris what's going to steamroll Felix and walk into his title match against me with some momentum on his side! Only.. “

Carter closed his eyes and held up a finger.

“That isn't what happened, now is it? And probably the biggest upset that I can ever remember having taken place in SCW, Felix got the win. Not Kris. Felix the Cat! I want you all watching now to take a moment and let that sink in. The guy named after a cat that debuted in 1919 picked up a win over one of the greatest superstars to ever grace this promotion! Of course.. “

He closed his eyes with a smile and held up both hands.

“There were extenuating circumstances behind that victory, now wasn't there Felix? I mean we could go on and on about your manager Bea Barnhart once again showing her true colors and distracting the referee, but doing so would also admit the fault in both the official and Kris and allowing the both of them to be distracted. You saw an opening, and you took it. With that magical boombox or whatever the hell it is that you call it, and after clobbering Kris upside of the head with the official none the wiser, the wind was yours! Congratulations! Tainted or not, you defeated my number one Challenger!”

Carter clapped his hands together, but it was painfully clear that the applause was as sarcastic as could be.

“I can only assume it was that one single win that sealed the deal for you to go up against me for the championship. I mean, you pinned the shoulders of Kris Ryans to the map. No matter the circumstances behind it, how could they not justify using that as an excuse to put you up against whomever walked away with the Internet Championship following High Stakes? Well, if that's how it's got to be, I'm going to take a strange sense of satisfaction away from this match, putting you down for the count and using up your remaining lives in the process.”

“So let me make one thing very clear to you, Felix. I am not Justin Smith. I am not even Kris Ryans. I in the reigning and defending Internet Champions of Sin City Wrestling and I will be DAMNED if I am going to lose my championship to you of all people! If you want to fight dirty, well bitch! Bring it! That briefcase of yours isn't so magical that it's going to let you walk away with a championship at my expense! Try to play the same games with me that you did with Kris? And I will shove that briefcase so far up your ass that you'll be able to pick the lock with your teeth! Oh! Speaking of..  that reminds me of something and someone.”

Carter takes a step forward, past the easel and his eyes are directly boring into the camera.

“Beatrice dear. I know that as Felix's manager, you're watching this. So let me tell you right here and now, don't try to play me for the fool. Every time Felix or Bill is in a match, you play the innocent party and try to project your own guilt wanted the opposing side. Everything that you're guilty of doing or bound to do? You accuse the other side of! Then you just play the victim card as if the world were filled with idiots! Well if that's the route you want to go, bring it on! Climb up onto that apron to try to distract the referee! Try to do something to take my attention away from Felix and give him the advantage!”

The patio door of the condominium slid open and out onto the deck stepped none other than Alexandra Calaway. Carter rested his forearm on her shoulder while her own arm draped around his waist. The two friends shared a knowing smile and both looked into the camera.

“I dare you!”

While there was truth behind the old saying of “there’s no place like home,” there was always a certain charm and excitement when traveling to new places - especially when out of the country you called your home. It was a much added benefit behind being a Superstar for Sin City Wrestling during these special tours when working what Mark Ward and Christian Underwood would call a “working holiday”. That was not just reserved for such events as Summer XXXTreme on the cruise liners, but the two tours reserved each and every year. There were, of course, the obligatory events such as interviews, television appearances and - of course - fan meet n greets. Aside from that, the men and women employed by SCW were given free reign to come and go as they pleased while on tour, taking in the sites and experiencing that which they might not be given the chance otherwise.

And funny thing – where it concerns the new Internet Champion – Helluva Bottom Carter – he could get just as excited with the hotel as any sites. (Quiet you! No adult humor!) Which was why before they even set foot on the jet to bring them to Belgium, Carter’s husband Miles took charge in doing his research on hotels and which one his husband might prefer; resulting in where we found ourselves right now - the Warwick Brussels. From the exterior, this hotel and resort resembled the average high-rise hotel you would find in any major city. While inside, it was modern decor everywhere that the eye would roam.

It had its own elegant restaurant that Miles tried to treat Carter to for every meal and Carter, time and again, would drag his husband outside of the hotel’s walls to try something local and perhaps not as extravagant.

But now at Carter’s insistence, Miles was off doing his own thing alongside his tag team partner for the weekend, Alexandra Calaway, Carter was busying himself taking care of something before setting off to do his own thing as well. Miles wanted his husband to indulge himself so when he asked him what he planned to do for the day, Carter answered, “Probably hit the shopping district!”

One could hear the pin drop in the room as Miles realized he had turned his shop-a-holic husband loose in Brussels.

To Miles’s credit, he had succeeded in getting he and his husband a premiere room. Call it the newlywed treatment if you prefer, but it was a treatment Miles did not intend to tire of. The room was spacious with a king-sized bed for him and Carter to share. The plush carpet was a tiled blue pattern and the surrounding room was done up in shades of beige sand brown paneling with accents of red. To Carter, it was pure luxury and another example of how Miles took such good care of him in the simplest of ways.

Speaking of, that is where we found Carter at this point in time, freshly showered and dressed for a day out in Brussels just going with the flow and hitting the stores, buying Miles and himself some mementos and his loved ones back home. In fact, it was one of those loved ones he was currently speaking to his mother Joanna McKinney from back home in Seattle. The time difference of ten plus hours was evident on his mother’s face, as she was clearly exhausted but felt the need to speak with her son about something important.

“I can’t believe you called me, Mom.” Carter said from where he sat at the desk that was stationed against the wall in his and Miles’s room. “I mean it has to be…”

“Just after one in the morning, dear.” Joanna rubbed at her eyes, her fingers snaking behind the frames of her glasses to gently massage the sleep out of her system just long enough to have this conversation. She continued, “Trust me, I did the math. And I’m sorry for disturbing your time in Belgium…”

“Mom..” Carter interrupted with a note of worry. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong… exactly.” Joanna answered, picking up a cup of tea from off the side of her end of the screen. “I just had something I needed to ask you and I wasn’t sure I’d have the chance anytime soon given this tour that you’re on.”

“Okay…” Carter shrugged his shoulders, trying to work the reason for this call out of her before it did his nerves any damage. “What is it?”

“That man that you know from that Gym you train at.” She said more of a statement than a question. “The one that works in real estate?”

It took Carter a moment to process this question and run the names of some of the men at the GO Gym that might have anything to do with real estate before one name was narrowed down. He had heard in passing that Synn was heavily involved in real estate and that was the primary source of his income in how he took care of his son, Despayre.

“Synn is in real estate, I’m pretty sure.” Carter answered, to which Joanna asked, “Does he know of any agencies that would handle an apartment complex?”

“I don’t know. I … Mom, are you selling Dad’s building?” he asked, referring to the luxury apartment complex that his father owned and bequeathed to his mom after his untimely passing. “You know he left you that because…”

“I know why, Carter.” She interrupted. “And no, I don’t plan to sell it. I just want someone new to manage the property for me.”

“What’s wrong with the company that Dad had running it?”

Joanna sighed and set her tea down before she ever took a taste of it. She answered, “I found out that with the end of the year approaching, they renew all leases in January.”

“So?”

“So…” She continued. “The head of the real estate agency that’s been taking care of things wants to raise the rent by an average of three hundred dollars per unit.”

“Three HUN–” Carter closed his eyes and held up a hand. “I know it’s common to raise rent every renewal but three hundred??? Is that even legal?”

“Apparently.” Joanna sighed. “And I know these are luxury apartments but the rent is high enough as is. All this company is looking for is to widen their profit margin.”

“Technically your profit margin.” Carter playfully corrected his mother.

“I’m not worried about getting rich, Carter.” She shot back. “I’m not that materialistic, and I don’t plan on quitting my job any time soon. I just see no point in gouging these people when the housing market is already as bad as it is. I did my research and the profit margin is already pretty high. So raising it even more is just pointless.”

“I’m guessing they didn’t take it so well when you expressed this?” Carter questioned with a raised brow.

“They did not.” Joanna answered. “The man I spoke to actually talked down to me like I was his secretary and told me this is how they were going to do things so long as they were running things.”

Oooo! If there was one thing the women in his family were known for - especially his Mother and Grams – it was the fact they were fiercely independent and modern women. And speaking down to them for the sin of being a woman was unforgivable.

Carter asked, “They did know they were speaking to the new owner? As in their boss?”

“They will once I find a new company to take over as landlord.” Was her simply and strong answer.

“Well…” Carter sighed. “I don’t know if he handles rentals or knows anyone that does. I just know he has a thing for house flipping and sales. But I can call and ask if he’ll talk to you and help you out?”

“I’d appreciate that dear.”

“Just do me one favor before I do?”

“What’s that?”

“Be careful.” Carter stressed. “Synn will put the moves on anyone.”

Despite the late hour on her end of the world, Joanna started laughing to herself, shaking her head at her son’s wit and sense of humor. Carter just watched her with deadpan eyes and he said, “I was being serious.”

A few more chuckles before his words rang true and she lowered her hand, “Excuse me?”

---

The Belgian capital of Brussels boasts countless attractions for visitors, both first-time as well as seasoned travelers. It is famous for its delicious chocolate, different types of beer and Belgian comics. Many comic aficionados might not be aware of the fact that Brussels was at the very top of the European Union, which was why the city was known as the comics capital, where you could find authors of classic comics, manga or modern science fiction and futuristic books. The average visitor had the city at their respective fingertips. There was absolutely anything and everything to do and to experience. Museums such as the Fin-de-Siècle Museum and Oldmasters Museum or Atomium in Design Museum Brussels were famous the world over and Carter had practically dragged Miles along with a few SCW compatriots for a visit throughout the week.

There were cultural events, festivals and the markets that Miles so feared Carter’s shopping addiction might wreak havoc with – and did! But it was somewhere else - something else - that Carter had decided to take time off while Miles was off with Alexandra. He chose to partake in the famous two plus hour secret food tour of Brussels.

Alongside others who were visiting Brussels, Carter started the day off at a famous bakery, enjoying the softest brioche and purest hot chocolate while walking the cobbled streets alongside the historical Grand Place.

“Justin Smith.”

He sighed, shaking his head.

“I honestly thought Pussy Willow was ribbing me when she told me that you were going to be the first person to get a shot at the Internet title. I figured she was making a funny or pulling my leg, you know. Bullshitting me in other words. Well imagine my surprise when the card’s lineup was made official and I saw that… yes indeed! I was going to be defending here in Brussels and it would be against a man that, thus far, has not walked away with a single win under his name.”

“It left me stunned, if I’m going to be honest. And no small part disappointed. I spent the better part of the week wondering why they decided that you, of all people, were going to get a shot at such a prestigious title when you’d done absolutely nothing of note to warrant the chance. Time and again I busted my balls to work my way up to get a title shot. Whether it was a chance at the Roulette or World or the title I hold right now… I didn’t care. I just wanted opportunities and more importantly, I wanted to earn them. It took me long enough but I finally did it and I could not wait to prove to the world that I could and would be a fighting champion who would defend against the best!”

He scoffed.

“Boy do I have egg on my face!”

A couple sitting near said something to Carter, drawing his attention and he quickly waved them off, shaking his head.

“No, no! Not literally! I don’t actually have egg on my face!”

It was soon time for a light lunch, hitting the iconic Brasserie for the famous home cooked beer and beef stew with Belgians fries. Carter sat at a small table all by his lonesome, feeling the pangs of missing not just his husband but close friends such as Ariana Angelos and Dawn Warren who neither were involved in Sin City Wrestling at this point in time.

Carter scooped up a spoonful of the stew and ate it heartily, washing it down with the beer and he scrunched up, making a face.

“I have to admit, beer is not my thing. So I don’t know how this guy I’m up against can drink it like water. But there’s a lot of things about Justin Smith I don’t get. The guy is violent. The guy can be absolutely brutal when he’s taking the fight to someone. So how is it that every time he gets inside of the ring, he ends up falling flat on his face? You’d think that a man with this kind of rough and hardcore personae and reputation would strike fear in the hearts of anyone he goes up against but lately all the talk in the locker room is that the guys feel like they’re in for an easy night when they find out that it’s Justin they’re going up against.”

The tour arrived at the Queen’s Gallery where Carter would have been the envy of the entire men's and women's rosters, indulging in samples of some of the most decadent chocolates.

“I want you to put yourself in my shoes for a moment, Justin. I mean, if you’re even capable. I’m hazarding a guess but you don’t strike me as the type of man that washes his feet regularly so placing your feet in clean shoes might cause you some discomfort. Maybe even a rash. I don’t want you to worry, however. That’s just the clean.”

Carter shook his head.

“Try to imagine yourself back when you were a little boy and Christmas morning was looming closer and closer. How you hoped beyond hope for those GI Joe figures or Transformers or whatever other toys old dudes like you asked Santa for. You sat on Santa’s lap and lied to the Jolly Old Elf and said that you have been a good boy and you wanted the latest Masters of the Universe play set or action figure, or if we really want to go old school, maybe even thought the Man might be able to swing by your trailer at the trailer park and drop off an Atari 2600.”

Carter clasped his hands together with the most euphoric of smiles on his face.

“Then Christmas morning comes and you dive into those colorfully wrapped packages and you find Santa brought you…”

His face suddenly saddens and his shoulders slump.

“Socks and underwear.”

“You know that disappointment, Justin? Can you feel it buried deep inside? Yeah. That’s how I felt when I saw your name as my first challenger.”

And of course, what visit would be complete without trying the city’s absolute best waffles. After all, waffles were one of the treats that Belgium was best known for and the ones in Brussels? Second to none and Carter had absolutely no qualms in indulging in these sugary and savory treats!

A close up shot of a fork stabbing at one last piece of waffle that was covered in brown sugar and bacon. It was lifted up and deposited into the mouth of a very grateful and content Carter. He sighed, satisfied and sat back in his chair with his eyes closed and a smile on his face.

“So do you get why I’m disappointed, Justin? I was expecting a name like Kevin Carter or Eddie Lyons, men who have actually accomplished many a great thing in SCW and deserve a lot of recognition. But you…?”

He opened his eyes and stared into the camera.

“Gabriel Stevens told me a long time ago that a champion is only as good as his or her challengers. You’re my first in SCW, Justin.”

He shook his head.

“Don’t disappoint me!”

There is a common and misguided notion that just because you share the same blood as another, that the fact alone marks you as ‘family’. And because of that, you are obligated toward them. It does not matter whether that person is estranged from you or that they wronged you in any way. You had it drilled into you that “family is everything” and you must let bygones be bygones. If they wronged you by stealing from you or insulted or betrayed you, then it is simply in the past and - if anything - YOU should apologize to THEM in order to keep the peace. As the person who wronged you is always somehow the victim.

If you are one of those who have been taught the above? Shake your head like an Etch-A-Sketch until all of that nonsense is erased. And once you’re in the clear, take into account the words uttered by Hector Xtravaganza;


If there was one thing that the state of Washington was well known for, and before you say anything, I am not referencing it being the birthplace of Starbucks, it is the fair weather they experience almost the year around. While much of the country is seemingly baking in triple digits under the hot sun with little to no room for relief outside of either the miracles of AC or simply biding your time and waiting for those glorious Autumn months, in Washington the weather was in cooler temperatures with skies that were overcast. In the summer months, the temperatures rarely rose above the 79° range.

A much welcome relief compared to the searing temperatures of Las Vegas which had been currently nearing 110° as the sleek, jet black Ford Mustang weaved its way around the familiar territory of Lake St. Claire, its top down so the wind could whip through the hair and across the exposed, tanned flesh of both men within.

“You know if we were in Vegas doing this down the Strip,” Miles said as he drove behind the wheel, sneaking a glance at his fiance who was leaning back in the passenger seat, eyes closed and arms stretched behind his head. The epitome of relaxation. “The top would be up and the AC would be cranked up to ‘freezing me arse off’.”

“One of the many added benefits aside from visiting family in Washington.” Carter withdrew his arms and sat up straight as the Mustang [proceeded down the asphalt path that led to the grand house that he had inherited from his deceased father, and in only a matter of weeks, would be the location of his and Miles’s impending nuptials. And until then, it also served as where Carter’s mother and Grams, and Miles’s own Mom Mora were staying until the wedding. Carter had finally yielded complete control over everything regarding the wedding ceremony and gave his favorite ladies the green light to be in charge of the decor. This simple act thrilled all three women as Carter had been a self-proclaimed control freak from day one and all three women had wanted to help in any way possible. This one compromise meant the world to all three women who would soon become family by marriage through their boys.

“You know,” Carter spoke idly. “Even after these months processing, I still have no ideas what I’m going to do with this house. I refuse to sell it.”

Miles shrugged in thought as he pulled up behind the cars that were jointly his mother’s as well as Joan and Joanna’s shared one. He said, “Well what we’re doing could be an idea. Use it as a wedding site? Or maybe a vacation rental?”

“Maybe.” Carter said. “I’m just not sure how I feel about strangers staying here when I haven’t even bothered to stay the night.”

Once the car had slowed to a crawl and ultimately, a stop, both men climbed out and headed inside. And once they had set foot across the threshold, they looked around for any changes the women might have made for the upcoming wedding but found few, which was altogether surprising considering the ceremony was only weeks away and last they had heard, the three were well into the planning stages.

“Mom?” Carter called out, still looking around. “Grams?”

And soon enough, his call was answered as Joan, affectionately coined by Carter and now Miles as “Grams” hurried around the corner. She said, “You’re early!”

“Not by much.” Miles said as he turned at the waist the jet a thumb at the foyer and spoke, “I thought you were going to…”

“If it’s about the decorations, hush.” Grams all but commanded. “Most of the interior decor are floral arrangements and what goes with it and that comes the morning of the set up. We have a few things to bring in before then but we’ve been more focused on the dining and outside.”

Grams proceeded to weave herself behind both young men and with a hand on each of their backs, she gently prodded them forward and along a very deliberate path. Carter raised a brow, “Outside?”

“Well you did say to your mother and me that you would like an outdoor ceremony.” Grams stated matter-of-factly.

“No, I know but what if the weather doesn’t agree with our plans?” Carter asked with obvious concern and Grams waved away his worries and stated simply, “Then Mother Nature will just have to deal with your Mother.”

As they were led through the house, Carter and Miles were impressed to see that indeed the three ladies had been kept busy as they had transformed the dining room and surrounding rooms into where the reception would be taking place; with all furnishings having been moved temporarily and replaced by elegant dining tables and chairs, covered in lavender, lace tablecloths. The settings were already in place, complete with textured plates and utensils, wine and water glasses and each setting had a name card already in place.

“Wow…” Miles half muttered and that was high praise enough for Grams as she cast her soon-to-be grandson-in-law a fond look from over her shoulder.

Grams then pointed out, “Miles dear, your mother has wonderful taste and I dare say has been a tremendous help. I don’t know how she got orchids and violets for the wedding but somehow she pulled it off.”

“She’s a miracle worker when it comes to her kids.” Miles stated the obvious, considering neither flower - both which were Carter’s favorites - were in season and his Mom wasn’t even a U.S. citizen.

Carter asked, “Did the caterer get back to you?”

“Oh yes “ She answered. “Everything is finalized and scheduled my darling. Don't you have a worried thought in your head.”

“Oh Miles!” Mora’s voice came from out of nowhere and Miles’s own mum appeared and wrapped her son in a fierce, motherly embrace. “I am so glad to see you!”

“I am too.” Miles responded, reluctant to let go of the hug that only a son and mother would understand. “We meant to come here more often but the SCW scheduling has been kicking our butts!”

“Not to mention an impending hospital stay?” Carter's Mom, Joanna, said as more of a statement than it was a question. Miles stared between all three women like a deer in headlights and Mora spoke up, “Yes dear, we saw what you did in that match against that Vaughn boy.”

Miles had the good grace to look sheepish and scratched at a blind spot in the back of his head while Carter just mused, “Busted!”

It was then as Miles sought to mollify his Mom and Grams that Joanna slipped in and took Carter by the arm and whispered, “We need to talk.” Before escorting him into the kitchen. Joanna walked to the fridge while Carter leaned against the island counter and watched as she removed a pitcher of freshly brewed sun tea, a favorite of herself and Grams. She turned to Carter and held the pitcher up in a silent offer to which he nodded.

“Please.” He stated. “Now what’s going on?”

Only after pouring two small glasses of the tea did Joanna return the pitcher to the fridge and turn to her son, answering with a resigned sigh, “I tried to phone you before your flight but couldn’t get through to warn you. Your Grandmother called.”

“My Grandmother is standing right there in the other room.” Carter answered back. “Laying classic Grandma Guilt on my fiance.”

“You know who I mean, Carter.” Joanna said. “Your ‘other’ Grandmother.” To which Carter’s face immediately fell from the euphoria he had been feeling since his arrival and was quickly clouded over by emotional bleakness.

“She’s on her way over.” Joanna finished, and Carter rolled his eyes and exclaimed, “Mom…wh-why!?”

“I don’t know, Carter.” Joanna shrugged her shoulders. “I can only think it has to do with the will and your father’s belongings.”

“Unbelievable!” Carter sighed with a shake of his head, taking a drink from the glass in hand as if it would cool off the roaring fires he felt within. “It’s been two months and she still wants more…”

Joanna interrupted, “Carter, this is the first time she called me to speak since the arbitration happened in March.” And this particular revelation caught her son unaware as he slowly withdrew the glass from his lips and blinked.

“She hasn’t come to you about Dad’s things yet?” He asked, to which Joanna shook her head. Carter’s face, a mask of frozen perplexing, simply asked, “...Why?”

“I have no idea.” Joanna answered with all honesty. “Considering how she and her sons were acting up until then, I expected her to contact me the same day. Only, she didn’t.”

“Wow.” Carter came unfroze to drain his glass and he set it down on the counter, but felt his mom’s judgmental eyes fall on both him as well as the glass. He immediately felt like a child again and picked it up and carried it over to the kitchen sink and rinsed it out. Setting it upside down to dry, he turned around to his Mom and asked, “When is she getting here?”

And as fate would have it, the doorbell rang and Carter just looked off in the distance before staring a hole in his Mom. “Seriously?”

“I did say I tried to call and warn you.” Joanna answered back, and the two stared at one another until Joanna prodded him. “Well?”

“Well, what?” Carter frowned and she replied, “Dear, this is your house now. Answer the door.”

Carter huffed and left the kitchen, followed closely by his Mom. They walked past the others and Carter quickly caught Miles’s eye and ever the protector, Miles followed while the three ladies waited behind.

“What’s going on?” Miles asked as they arrived at the front door. “Babe?” But Carter just gave Miles an exasperated look before he opened the door and there stood Fiona Macguire, Carter’s other Grandmother. Conspicuous by their absence, were Carter’s uncles and her ever-present sons, Conor and Liam.”

“Carter…” Fiona had started to say, but Carter just interrupted her as if she hadn’t said a word, “Fiona.” And if Miles had not been paying such close attention to the brewing situation, he would have sworn he saw a stricken look in the old woman’s eyes when his fiance referred to her by her given name and not Grandma.

Carter stepped aside in a silent invitation, his only words being, “Mom is inside.”

“Thank you.” Fiona said as she set foot inside, Miles noting a surprised look on Carter’s face at being greeted with a politeness rather than the open scorn the two seemingly flung at one another each chance they crossed paths.

As Carter led the way to the house’s interior, Fiona broke the uncomfortable silence, stating, “You look well.”

“Please!” Carter exclaimed as they headed further inside. “Can we spare one another these senseless platitudes and just get this business done and over with so we can finish planning our wedding?”

“Wedding?” Fiona asked. “Who’s…”

“Miles and I!” Carter spun around to confront her as they arrived in the living room where Joan, Joanna and Mora waited. “Disappointed? Disgusted…?”

“Carter…” Miles interrupted his tirade, knowing full well that if he allowed Carter to build up too much a head of steam, there’d be nothing left of Fiona by the time this business was concluded.

Fiona looked around and most present were surprised by the smile on her face and she nodded, “It does look lovely. I’m sure it’ll be a wonderful ceremony…”

“You’re not angling for an invitation, are you?” Carter scoffed, the bitterness he felt inside remaining deep. He followed up by saying, “Because I’d sooner invite Donald Trump than…”

“Carter, that's enough.” Joanna stepped forward to put a stop to this. Carter yielded, albeit with much reluctance, as Joanna turned to her former mother-in-law and observed, “Where are your sons?”

“Yeah, don’t you usually bring them to do your dirty work?” Carter started to fire back but one look shot from his mom quickly silenced him. Fiona just nodded and said, “I came alone. Liam and Conor don’t know that I’m here.”

It was only poor Mora who seemed completely out of place and if truthful, surprised at Carter’s behavior as to date, he had acted anything but this way when around her.

“We can talk here.” Joanna said as she took a seat on the sofa, and a silent invitation prompted Fiona to do the same in a chair opposite her.

“Come dear.” Grams said as she escorted Mora outside, saying, “I’ll explain later…” And behind them, Carter started to take a seat beside his mother until Joanna surprised him by saying, “Alone, Carter.”

“What?”

“I need to speak with Fiona. Alone.” She stressed.

“Mom…” Carter argued. “It’s my house…”

“Carter…” Miles placed a hand on Carter’s shoulder. Carter looked up at him sand Miles jerked a head toward the kitchen. “C’mon…” Carters frowned but found himself allowing Miles to bring him to his feet and walk him toward the kitchen. Only once the room was cleared did Joanna turn to Fiona with a hard stare and she asked, “What’s this about?”

The elderly woman looked so fragile, clutching her beaded purse in her lap and the simple fact was; she was not that good of an actress. Fiona waited seemingly endlessly before she looked up to Joanna with watery eyes, and she asked, “Could you tell me about my son’s last days?”

“Miles…” Carter pulled his arm free and turned on the spot to confront his fiance. “Why did you take me out of there!? I wanted…”

“To be there for your mom and find out what’s going on.” Miles nodded, finishing his thoughts for him. “I know. But I had to get you away before you said something you might regret.”

“Regret?” Carter wrinkled his brow. “You think I could regret anything I’d say to that harpy?”

Miles sighed and asked, “Love, would you consider me a good judge of character?”

Carter blinked and answered, “You asked me to marry you so…”

“Be that as it may…” Miles jested to which Carter’s mouth fell open and he exclaimed, “You ass!”

Miles just paused and smiled, but walked around the counter to stand before his man. He placed his hands on Carter’s slim shoulders and said, “I was looking into your other grandmother's eyes while she was talking to you. And do you know what I saw?”

Carter responded dryly, “Eyes that would scare Medusa?”

But Miles simply said, “Regret.” The one word was met by a stony silence as Carter stared at Miles in complete disbelief. He shook his head and asked, “Are you actually standing there, defending my grandmother? After everything she and my Dad’s brothers did? After what she wanted to have done to me!?”

“No, babe… of course not…” Miles tried to explain but Carter was not hearing it. True emotional pain caused by family ran deep as Carter exclaimed, “Because I can't just see her as some lonely old woman looking back on the mistakes of her life and wanting to make amends!”

This was when Miles was at his most sympathetic, and daring as his strong hands rubbed Carter’s shoulders as he responded, “At the obvious risks of repercussion for what I'm about to say, why not?” Carter frowned and Miles reiterated, “Because babe? That's exactly what happened with your dad.”

Carter’s lovely blue eyes seemed frozen as he stared straight into Miles’s own and he stepped back, thus removing himself from his fiance’s comforting grasp. Carter just silently shook his head and turned around, leaving the kitchen and Miles behind him. Miles closed his eyes and sighed, “...hit…”

And Carter stepped through the pantry and was about to push the swinging door to walk back into the living room when he was stopped by what he overheard. The voice familiar, but the words alien.

“I was foolish to let family pride and prejudices ruin my family. I acknowledge that I wasn’t strong enough to break the mold my own mother had set for me. Her and our church’s expectations. My son gave up on me a very long time ago. Before the two of you ever got engaged, I suspect. Not that I blame him. But everything that I've done lately... To both him as well as what I tried to have done to Carter, brought me to one conclusion that I wish I had never been forced to learn.”

Joanna’s voice was heard asking, “And that is?”

“Parents... Should never outlive their children.”

Carter could do little more than close his eyes.

---

The view was from high above the six-sided ring in the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs. From way up here, one could see the stands and rows of floor seating where thousands of fans would soon be crowded within and cheering on the Superstars and Bombshells of Sin City Wrestling. And drawing back only slightly, it would come to be revealed that Carter McKinney aka Helluva Bottom Carter, was perched up on the very top of a twelve foot tall ladder.

He surveyed everything around him as he quietly observed…

“When you’re in the heat of the moment, you just don’t have the chance to take a pause and reflect on everything and everyone that’s out there. Especially when you’re trying to both climb a ladder like the one that I’m on right now, while keeping both eyes in the back of your head so someone doesn’t either drag you off or throws the ladder over and takes you with it! At best you’ll hit the ropes and bounce back into the reign, your bell rung but none the worse for wear. At worst, you’ll hit the ropes and just keep going! Needless to say, I'm not exactly the biggest fan of ladder matches. Too much risk and potential for injury, but the fact is, I've been through worse. And at the very least? This time, this match isn't for an SCW championship. Those I believe should be decided in straight up matches. No gimmicks. But this one? This one is different, and I can't help but approve.”

“You see, we have our good King Guy to thank for this because he's put us in a situation that has never happened in all the years SCW has held the Golden Briefcase matches. This time, it's not a championship on the line but the Golden Briefcase itself! I think under most circumstances, it's never happened before because the winners of those briefcases never gave the powers that be the opportunity to force them to defend it! The briefcase winners have always taken almost immediate advantage of their prize and cashed in soon after, most of the time becoming a champion in the process!”

Carter shook his head with a subdued expression of disappointment.

“Not so much this time around, and I have to admit, I'm disappointed. It's been years since there has been a Golden Briefcase winner. The last time I can remember one being held was down in SCU before I ever even signed! But I had hoped that it would be a sign of things to come when we crowned two new winners this past year and….”

He shrugged.

“It was anything but. Neither winner, not Georgie Robertson or Rodrigo Afonso, did anything to showcase what they had won. Of course they both had a full year, but when did you ever actually hear either winner say anything? Bring up a championship or Champion that was in their sights? Anything at all! The only time Georgie did was when she laid out the three women's singles champions and made her threat clear. And Rodrigo? He hasn't even done that. When he conducts a rare interview, you wouldn't even know he was the holder of the men's Golden Briefcase!”

“That backed alone has had some of our peers openly accusing Rodrigo of being unworthy of being the holder of the Golden Briefcase. It might even be why good King Guy booked this match in the first place and became the first to make a winner defend the Briefcase. Maybe somewhere in that Looney Tune mind of his, he doesn't think Rodrigo deserves to be the holder of the Briefcase.”

Carter points towards himself.

“I am not one of those people. I am not one of those who is going around bellyaching that Rodrigo does not deserve to be where he is right now. Reason being, if he didn't deserve to be the holder of the Briefcase, then he never would have won it in the first place! I am saying it now, and I want everyone else in this match to hear me! Rodrigo holds it because he earned it! The only bad thing I might have to say about the man himself is the fact that he did nothing to follow up with it. And yes, that's on him. That's why he's been put in this spot against five other men to defend his Briefcase! To defend his opportunity at possibly once again becoming a champion! Rodrigo? I have nothing against you. You won some, and you've lost some. But the situation you're in right now? You have only yourself to blame.”

“I may sound bitter in this observation but I honestly don't understand why King Guy put Peter Vaughn in this match. The whole point of the golden briefcase is to allow somebody to challenge a champion at their discretion. But Peter Vaughn is already a champion, now isn't he? Granted, he's a bit of a tainted champion…”

Carter paused in thought, his bottom lip jetted out and he shrugged.

“Okay let's be honest, he's a fraud. The only reason he won the championship he currently has right now is because he had to cheat in order to put Miles's shoulders on the mat for the three count! And the rematch between them? Anyone out there saw he only won because of pure, dumb luck. He practically passed out on top of miles! Now granted I know what that's for well like, but under different circumstances! My point is, he has a championship and the Golden Briefcase is for people who do not! And that only leads me to believe that man is just standing backstage practically salivating at the chance of grabbing that briefcase and using it to cash into bigger and better things.”

“Well Peter? I remember how you managed to steal the Internet Championship from Miles. I remember how you used chloroform to knock my ass out so you could get the win over me in that tag team match! Anything it takes to win, right? Well I hope you understand that it works both ways, champ! Because this isn't the type of match you can just freely bend the rules with when they're really are no rules to bend! And come hell or high water, I am going to do every damn thing I can't make sure you're not the one holding that Briefcase at the end!”

“And when it comes to Enigma, it's almost like visiting an old friend, isn't it? Because I can remember him and I having our little go around inside the ring a few months back. He came into that match practically salivating at what he was going to do to me, all but ignoring what I had already accomplished in the past. Ignoring the fact that I was the last man to pin the shoulders of Michael Harris, then the World Heavyweight champion, to the mat! I was a grand slam champion in SCU! I beat some pretty impressive names there and here, some of them being former world champions and Hall of Fame inductees!”

Carter held his arms out in amazement, his face and obvious replica of what he was feeling inside.

“And yet you thought you were just going to run over me like a Zamboni over the ice at a hockey game! And yet it didn't quite turn out the way that you expected, now did it? You came in all ‘Grr!’ and ‘Snarl!’ and snapping at me like some psychotic, bloodthirsty dog! And by the time our mattress over, it was my arm that was being raised and you were walking to the back with your tail tucked between your legs! That's where we are now, Enigma. Only now the world is starting to see you as you truly are while that mask slips. You're not the mystery you want us to believe that you are. And you are not going to walk away with that briefcase!”

A smile surprisingly crossed over Carter's face as he prepared to talk about the next opponent.

“I suppose I have a bit of an apology to make where Artie is concerned.”

Carter chuckled but quickly composed himself.

“I honest to God don't know where it came from, and I don't know why I chose to do it. Especially to you, Artie. But it apologies are to be made for the Donut Puncher, then by all means please allow me to make them! I am sorry, and I do promise I won't use that move in this match… against you at least. And I know I've tried to help you get ready for the ring when you were in Blast From the Past, but whatever help I offered is out the window buddy. I'm actually surprised that you're even still getting in the ring All things considered but you want to prove yourself, and for that I can actually relate. Respect! You don't want help?”

Carter shook his head.

“But here's the good news. You're not going to get it. This is a match where it's every man for himself, and if I have to knock you off the ladder to make sure that I'm the one grabbing that briefcase at the end of the night? Well I guess I'm going to have to have more apologies to make to Bobbie and yourself because this is the big wind that I've been looking for.”

“No I suppose you noticed that I have left one name off of this list so far, but it's not because I forgot about him. It's because it's only polite that you save the best for last. And J2H is nothing if not the best. This is the guy that literally scratched and clawed his way from the bottom up, going from a jobber to the Stars that everyone thought was a joke, to being the very best that SCW had to offer!”

“There may have been a time where this guy was overlooked and belittled, but this is not the time. That was years ago, literally! And if anybody out there thinks that J2H was overlooked after shocking the world with that very first world title win, you know, the one that broke records when he held it for over a year? The longest rain ever! Well then, those armchair critics just haven't been paying very close attention.”

“J2H is the best at what he does for a reason. But strangely enough, this isn't his environment. This isn't an ordinary match where he excels against opponents bigger and more experienced than he is. This is a ladder match where anything can happen, and that puts him at just as much of a disadvantage as the rest of us are in.”

Carter nodded eagerly.

“I'm excited for this opportunity to get inside of the Ring against you, J2H, and I hope you and I get a little one-on-one time before all hell breaks loose! You gave me mad props more than once which is almost unheard of, and I appreciate that more than you can imagine. But you've been there. You've been at the top.”

He jetted a thumb at himself.

“I haven't. Not yet. And this is my opportunity to prove to you why, when you chose me as one of the Elite Eight, it was only a sign of things to come.”

Carter stood up from the perch on the ladder, his eyes boring down into the camera.

“I'm looking forward to this gentleman. I can only hope that you are as well!”

That being said, Carter jumped off from where he was standing on the ladder, and dropped out of sight.

“Carter, you’re being safe, yes?” It was the voice of Joanna McKinney that voiced her concerns for her only son and by extension, her future son-in-law, Miles Kasey who was currently in the shower following a grueling morning jog. Even in this city, Miles was not one to forgo a chance to work out, and even managed to get Carter to join him in his early morning run habit that Carter fully blamed the Baltasarsson brothers for kick starting.

And it was from inside his and Miles’s suite at the Kas Kekik Apart hotel where Carter was currently engaging in a video chat with his mother via Face Time, despite the extensive difference in hours between Turkey and Seattle, Washington. True, Carter was known for keeping regular contact with his Mom and Grams no matter where he was touring in the world; it had become daily ever since his and Miles’s arrival in Turkey. Joanna had done her research on the country of Turkey and their outlook toward the LGBTQ community and discovered it was less than favorable compared to so many other nations in the world.

“Mom…” Carter sat back in the chair that was positioned in front of the desk against the far wall of the suite. “You ask me that every time I call you ever since we arrived in Turkey. We’re fine.”

“Well you can't fault a mother for being concerned for the safety of her only son.” Joanna pointed out, and it was far more of a statement than it was a question. She raised her eyebrows over the rim of her glasses. “Can you?” She asked.

“No,” Carter smiled, despite himself. He knew well enough the risks as a gay man traveling in nations such as this. “I guess I can’t. How’s Grams?”

“Concerned, just like me.” Joanna spoke openly, adding, “Although you know your grandmother. She hides those feelings behind sass and humor.”

“Oh is that who I got it from?” Carter jested to which Joanna mocked his smirk with a brazenly fake laugh of her own. “Must be.” She answered, adding, “I know I’ve been driving you crazy but this is the first time you’ve gone to a country that didn’t favor your lifestyle.”

“Yeah because America has been overly progressive these past eight years towards the gays.” Carter jested but it was one of sarcasm for how backward things seemed to have gone for the LGBTQ community since 2016. Only recently have things even begun to recover.

Joanna stressed, “Limited as America has been lately, it’s still a world above many other countries for men and women like you sweety.”

“I know.” Carter smiled. “But I just want you to know we’re safe. Nothing bad has happened.”

Although Carter’s assurances were not accurate. Not entirely. For the most part, the citizens of Turkey were wary but welcoming, starving for the excitement that the Superstars and Bombshells of SCW were bringing to them this coming weekend. But unfortunately, there was always the possibility for there to be at least one rotten apple in the bushel filled with ripe and enticing fruit. And Carter had experienced that evidence firsthand just yesterday when he and Ariana had taken some time to go out for a bit of shopping for souvenirs for their friends and loved ones back home. Carter had tried to entice (IE drag) Miles along but shopping wasn’t Miles’s favorite of pastimes so while his fiance kicked back with Francisco and Malachi at the hotel, Ariana and Carter, along with Bella Madison, hit the waterfront shops for a simple, relaxing day of shopping and coffee, planning to meet the boys later for dinner.

And it was in an open shop called Kusadasi Leather, where everything from bags to jackets and beyond crafted of the finest leather materials was sold - that Carter came to a startling discovery. Celebrity did not always matter in the face of bigotry.

While Bella and Ariana were inspecting a display of some of the finest made leather boots they had ever had the pleasure of laying eyes upon, Carter had gone in search of a clerk. He had found a leather jacket that he wanted to buy for Miles as a surprise but there were none in Miles’s size, so Carter sought an employee that could perhaps help locate one.

And Carter did indeed find a middle aged male working behind the counter, but every time Carter tried to attract his attention, the man all but blatantly ignored his very presence. Carter, his head in the clouds, did not understand yet what he was facing until he tried for a third time to get the man to assist him and the man spun to face him with the ugliest expressions on his face.

It was a good thing Bella and Ariana were so far from the counter as they could not hear the words the clerk was saying, but it was clear by the pained shock on Carter’s face that the words were vile indeed. The clerk looked him up and down in disgust while pointing toward the open door and the streets beyond, and only then did Carter finally understand and his heart broke just a little.

Satisfied, the clerk turned away from him once again to resume his “work” and a heartbroken Carter quietly walked over to where Bella and Ariana were choosing their boots. Bella looked up first and asked, “Did they have one in Miles’s size?”

Carter just shook his head in a silent answer, trying to keep a straight face to ward off any suspicion or concern on the part of his shopping buddies.

“No.” he said weakly. “I’m just going to wait outside.” He smiled and turned and left the store without giving either young woman a chance to say anything, theory only response being a shared glance between one another.


Two kilometers South of the modern village of Yeniköy in the Ezine district of Çanakkale Province, Turkey, lies Besika Burnu. And only a short distance inland at a tumulus known as Besiktepe is what some historians and many enthusiasts of tales of the ancient world would tell you to be the location of the Tomb of Achilles. Achilles - the central character in Homer’s Iliad, Achilles was known to be the son of the sea goddess Thetis and thought of as history’s greatest warrior. The hero of the Trojan War. But if it was his lust and expertise in warfare that made him well known, it was his undying love for his close friend and as some historians believe - lover - Patroclus, that made him world renown for well over two thousand years.

And while few, if any, believe the demigod Achilles was real, many believe that there indeed was a powerful warrior and his loyal lover and friend who both died on the battlefields of the Trojan War, sparking the tales we now know and revere. Thought to have lived in the time of 400-350 B.C. Achilles was one of the few warriors in history to be openly respected and even revered by the man who became known as Alexander the Great. Alexander thought so highly of Achilles that he considered him both a hero as well as his greatest rival, longing to outdo the legacy of the famed Greek warrior. And in the year 334 B.C., Alexander paid reverence to the Tomb of Achilles, running naked to the Tomb itself where he laid a wreath upon his grave. And mimicking the love Achilles and Patroclus had for one another, Alexander's close friend and love Hephaistion did the same at the mound that was thought to be the grave of Patroclus.

Since then, many have tried and failed to follow the footsteps of Alexander to locate the lost Tomb of Achilles, but the one place that is most agreed upon to be the exact location was where we found ourselves to be now. The bus had slowed to a crawl on the country road, the doors sliding open and the first to emerge was a Turkish male of middle years wearing a tanned, collar shirt and white slacks with moccasins on his feet. He surveyed his surroundings and once satisfied, he beckoned those inside and soon to be followed was a respectable large group of tourists and history buffs who could not resist the chance to visit such a location. Of course, given the distance between the mountain and Yenikoy was just over a mile, it could have easily been walked in roughly thirty minutes' time, but the experience of the bus ride was just an additional part of the touristy package.

There were men and women both, young and old. But perhaps most prominent was a contingent of stars from Sin City Wrestling; notably Miles Kasey and his fiance Carter McKinney. Harper Mason. Bella Madison and her husband, and self-professed history buff - Malachi. All present looked around until their eyes fell upon the fabled mountain of Besiktepe. The scope of the mountain was easy to attract the attention of everyone present as it stood an impressive 5200 feet above sea level.

The heavens above the mountain were cloudy, a gray overcast with the lightest of rains sprinkling down from so very high above their heads. Still, the less than perfect weather was no detriment for those that traveled here from nearby Yeniköy where in a matter of days, the latest edition of SCW Climax Control would be held. And while the weather was wet, there was still a humid warmth behind it which allowed those present to don comfortable clothes of loose shirts and shorts if so desired. However a protective Miles Kasey had insisted that Carter wear something a touch more … substantial, all the better to prevent a relapse from his previous bout of bronchitis from a couple months previous. And while Carter complained and protested, ultimately he yielded to his future husband’s demands with the compromise of wearing jeans rather than shorts and a long sleeved albeit loose shirt. It would be warmer but safer because Miles was well aware that once someone experienced bronchitis, it was all but guaranteed to remain with them throughout the remaining years.

That being said, the tour guide called to the group and beckoned them to follow him and the hike began toward the base of Besiktepe. Of course they were not going to attempt to reach the summit, as there was not enough time in the day nor were any of them prepared. And besides, it was not the reason behind this group’s scheduled tour to be fair. That reason became all too clear within the hour as the group hiked diligently over stream and moor until they reached the approximate base of the mountain. And while the winds had been blowing harder than average for this time of year, here? The winds had strangely calmed down at this exact location, as if the gods did not want to disturb this final resting place of one of their greatest of demigods.

And while there was a well worn path that would lead to a trail further up the mountainside, it was the arrangement of rocks as if fashioning a precise monument that drew them near, where flowers had grown despite the rocky outcrop, a further testament toward whom they believed to be laying here. A tribute from the gods themselves? Yet not all of the flowers were grown naturally; some had been left here as gifts and offerings for the Greek warrior Achilles and his soulmate Patroclus.

Many of the tourists had spread out, looking to their heart’s leisure, including those of our own SCW crew. Malachi was strongly desiring to travel further up the mountain and explore, perhaps hoping to be the one to catch a glimpse of history and where exactly Achilles had been laid to rest but Bella had held fast to his arm to keep him from wandering off too far from her. Harper had walked closer toward the base of the mountain to afford herself a closer glimpse at the various flowers and offerings left by tourists and nature alike.

And Carter and Miles? The two lovebirds had stood back, perhaps wanting to stay somewhat discreet given Turkey’s views on the LGBTQ community but that did nothing to dissuade Miles from wrapping his muscled arm around Carter’s shoulder to hold him close.

“Thank you.” Carter spoke softly as he laid his head for a brief moment on Miles’s shoulder.

Miles asked, “For …?” To which Carter just shrugged and smiled, “For just being here with me.”

This only drew a broader smile from Miles as he snuggled his man in even more so against his upper body.

But while the majority of tourists continued to look around or take pictures - the younger majority taking those ridiculous selfies complete with “duck lips,” Carter took a step forward and reached into the large canvas bag he was carrying over his shoulder. His touring companions noticed this but it was Malachi whose curiosity got the better of him and he nodded his head in Carter’s general direction.

“What are you up to?” Malachi asked, his eyes rising from the bag to meet Carter’s own. “What is that?”

To which Carter answered - not with words but by a simple action as he took out a wreath, fashioned in classic style from combinations of ivy, laurel and myrtle. All eyes were curious but it seemed it was Malachi who understood enough and nodded, saying simply, “Understood.”

“What?” Harper asked, eyeing the wreath before looking between Malachi and Carter. “What is it?”

“This mountain is considered to be the Tomb of Achilles and burial site of Patroclus.” Carter said simply, his cheeks taking on a charming flush as if he was trying to prepare himself should any present make light of his proposed actions. He shrugged his slim shoulders and said, “Would seem a shame to visit and not leave an offering.”

Malachi’s expression was unreadable - big surprise. But Bella and Harper both smiled genuinely at his thought process. But it was Miles who stepped forward and he opened the canvas bag on his man’s shoulder wider and peered inside, saying, “There had better be a second one in there for me.”

And Carter did not even have to answer as Miles reached in and indeed took out a second wreath. Inspecting it closely, Miles then casually smiled and looked at his fiance and said, “I guess this makes me Achilles and you Patroclus, hm?”

“Actually,” Carter said. “If historians are to be believed, it would be the other way around. I’d be Achilles and you would be Patroclus.”

“What?” Miles asked, caught only remotely off guard by this outlook. “Why?”

“Well,” Carter began to explain. “If they parallel our lives? Patroclus was the older of the two so according to ancient Greek custom, Achilles was the receiver and Patroclus was the…” It was then Carter realized what he had just said in front of everyone and their eyes stared at him and he blushed an even darker shade of pink and said, “I know, I know! TMI!”

And he moved forward to lay the wreath at the base of the mountain, Miles snorting back a laugh to do the same while Malachi just looked heavenward and rolled his eyes.

---

By now, the sky had cleared as had the weather. The rain had long since passed and the sun had managed to fight its way through the overcast sky, but it had occurred late enough within the day that the transition between day and night had passed by quicker than rain and sunny skies. And it was here at the entrance to the location of Troy in Turkey where a perfectly reconstructed Trojan Horse. The tale of the Trojan Horse was as famous as the stories about the Trojan War itself. After a seemingly endless war that lasted for over ten years, the Greeks built a huge wooden horse with a contingent of men hidden inside. The Trojans, thinking of keeping it as a victory trophy, pulled the horse inside the city. At night, those inside crept out and opened the gate for the rest of the Greek forces, allowing for the siege of Troy to be a foregone conclusion.

And now here stood the replica of the famed Trojan Horse, standing twenty five feet tall and illuminated by the laps stationed around the black, wrought-iron fence. Some tourists still lingered in the vicinity, none wishing for their evening to end, but there was one person in particular who sat on a bench, his eyes staring straight ahead at the courtyard, and the famed Horse itself. None other than Carter McKinney, aka Helluva Bottom Carter.

“Miles was right. There are perks to being an SCW Superstar that others don’t get to enjoy that we do, and sometimes maybe even take for granted. This…”

Carter nodded toward the Horse and the ruins of Troy that could still be seen beyond.

“...Is one of them. The Iliad was always one of my favorite stories, the tale of the Trojan War always fascinated me. I was always the opinionated sort, even as far back as my school days and I can remember the time my history teacher assigned us to do a report on any historical event, fact or fiction, and I chose the Trojan War. I admit I think I caught my teacher off guard by how unforgiving I was in my report. So many people that had read the Iliad seem to think of Hector of Troy as the true hero but I gave so many differing opinions to those of even the teacher that he had almost failed me were it not for my presentation that swayed him and a few classmates to my way of thinking.”

“Hector was no hero. I mean, what kind of hero is on the field of battle and turns tale and runs when the Greeks’ greatest warrior is seen running toward him, ready to kill him for killing his love? Of course that warrior was Achilles and he was out for blood for killing Achilles’s friend and lover, Patroclus. And who wouldn’t have turned tail and ran like a bitch if an enraged Achilles was coming for you? But it wasn’t just that. I reported everything from Paris being a cowardly little weasel and Helen was a cheating whore. In fact, I blamed the entire war and every death suffered at the feet of those two in particular. Because were it not for Paris having an affair with Helen and spiriting her away to Troy, none of it would have happened.”

“But more so than the story of the war itself, it was the story of Achilles and Patroclus that had always captured my heart and soul. What can you say about a love between two friends and lovers that has remained an epic tale for over two millennia? That is what I call relationship goals! Of course, my bestie Ariana would tell everyone it was Brad Pitt as Achilles that made me love the stories so much, but that is a secret I will take with me to my grave.”

Carter smiled as he leaned back on the bench, his eyes briefly scanning the sky overhead before gazing back to the Trojan Horse.

“But I didn’t come to give everyone a history lesson or talk about a gay romance that historians still debate between fact and fiction. The stories of Troy and Achilles that I have loved all these years are the reason I practically begged Mark Ward and Christian Underwood to find me a match, any match, and let me compete on the same battlefields that fascinated me since childhood. And they came through in a way that I never expected. I would have been happy being in the opener against anyone, but what did they give me instead? They gave me an early Christmas and birthday gift combined because for the first time ever, I get to team with my man, my love and future husband - Miles Kasey.”

“And as if the fact alone wasn’t thrilling enough, then we find out our opponents are two men who are as familiar with one another as Miles and I. And I am speaking of the last remaining remnants of probably the biggest threats as far as wrestling stables go in SCW - the Saviors. Goth and Peter Vaughn.”

Carter blinked, seemingly perplexed with his hands held out.

“I mean, what can you really say about either Goth or Peter Vaughn  when it comes to their records and reputations inside of the ring, both here in SCW and elsewhere? I don’t mean to make Goth feel old by any means but when I was a kid, I was watching that man fight the likes of ‘Bulldog’ Bill Barnhart and Chris Shipman in some of the most epic and bloody clashes down in the AWA, Asylum Wrestling Alliance! In fact, I think it was the respectful rivalries between those three men and the clashes between them that were the first spark of a shining beacon that guided me to follow my path, my dream.”

“Goth is a former champion everywhere he has gone. World title, regional or tag, it didn’t seem to matter. When he set his sights on a championship, you had to feel sorry for whoever the poor sap was that was defending that championship because you knew it was on borrowed time. When Goth wanted to be a champion, he became one. That is his legacy in the sport! That is why he is a multi-time inductee in the Hall of Fame in SCW, AWA and probably a number of other places I don’t even know. He is THAT damn good! He is THE living legend and I am proud to say that I have been inside the ring against him more than once, and I am DAMN lucky to have walked away with a win under my belt at his expense! Not everyone can say that, especially if you’re like me and still in the relatively early stages of your in-ring career.”

“So Goth, please allow me to say this. Let me get the sappy part of this promo out of the way so that we can step inside of the ring one last time and kick it in the ass! I know this is just the lead up to your retirement match at Into the Void XIII, and I find no shame in admitting that I was heartbroken to hear about your impending retirement. But man, if anyone has earned the right for a rest, it’s you. And I believe I speak for everyone that the world of professional wrestling will be lesser without you in it.”

Carter then looked up and there was a somewhat more serious expression on his face as he stared hard into the camera.

“Which brings us to the other half of the Saviors, and Goth’s tag team partner, Peter Vaughn. The raining Internet champion, well… at least until we arrive at Pearl Harbor for Into the Void XIII and Miles writes a wrong and becomes a two-time Internet Champion.”

Carter shakes his head.

“Peter, I never really had anything against you. I mean aside from this in ring rivalry that you had with my fiance, absolutely nothing. I mean realistically speaking, you picked up some of the biggest wins against some of the best talent since you've arrived in Sin City Wrestling. Including myself! And while I'd like to think that I gave as good as I got, the fact remains that it was your arm that got raised when I challenged you for your Roulette Championship. Saying anything otherwise would be both a lie as well as hypocritical. I want respect inside of the ring, so who am I to deny it to somebody else who has more than earned it?”

“Which leaves me to ask the most obvious question, what happened to you? That last championship match that you had when you challenged Miles for the Internet Championship, damn man! That match is the stuff of legends! You know damn well that when it comes time to vote for Match of the Year, that one is going to be right up there high on the list of finalists! At least until you went and ruined it with how you picked up the win.”

Carter snorts back in disgust.

“Seriously Petey, you and Miles had that entire crowd in the palm of your hands! Everyone watching from the arena and on the webcast were leaning on their chairs, white knuckled on the armrests, captivated one hundred percent! So that begs the question, why did you do it? Why did you throw out all of that to get such a cheap win?”

“I suppose in true savior's fashion, it becomes the logic of a win is a win, especially when a championship is at stake. But from the way that match was going from start to finish, I expected more. I expected better, and so did everyone else! Miles deserved better! Is that why you did it? Is that why you took such a shortcut to end his Internet title reign? Because it looked like for the first time between the two of you, that he was about to end things in his favor? You just couldn't handle that thought, could you? The idea of not having a clean sweep over the man was too much and you decided to end it at a desperation, by any means necessary.”

“Well that's what this matches all about this coming weekend. Not just a chance for us to say our final goodbyes to your tag team partner, but also a chance to address and write a wrong that you committed. Oh don't get me wrong, peter! The respect is still there except for that one action. I don't like what you did, I like what you've become even less. And this weekend?”

Carter slowly stood up from the bench, now looking down into the camera.

“I'm going to make damn sure miles picks up that win against you, the one win that you've been dreading since the two of you first locked up.”

That being said, Carter tucked his hands into his jacket pockets and slowly started to walk away, the sound of his heels on the pavement echoing into the night until the camera slowly faded out.

Chionophile. From the Greek word khion, which means snow, this term better describes people who tend to favor colder weather. These people find the coldest months with snowfall to be their favorite times of the year. A person who is extremely fond of dark cloudy and rainy sky is commonly known as a pluviophile. This term is derived from the Latin word pluvia, which means rain. Pluviophiles find comfort and joy in the sound of raindrops, the smell of wet earth and the sight of dark clouds. Both of these nature related “philes” is a perfect description of Carter McKinney aka Sin City Wrestling’s young star; Helluva Bottom Carter.

Growing up in his home state of Washington, Carter was indulged since birth in both forms of the weather that he had grown to love and prefer over the years. Due to its coastal location, Washington state might see an annual rainfall of seven to nine inches and the winter months ranged as far cooler than any other time of the year with fifty to seventy-five inches in snowfall. The state was the perfect fit for someone who had such preferences where the weather was concerned. And those preferences carried over even when Carter left his home state for the wonders of Nevada and the desert oasis known as Las Vegas in order to live out his dream and become a professional wrestler.

One might assume that having grown up under such circumstances would make his new surroundings something of a discomfort - and you would be correct. By his own admission, Carter found the summer months in Las Vegas to be damn near unbearable, running the AC practically 24/7. He lived for those wonderful fall months where the temperatures started to dip and how the winter months would just slowly arrive without you even realizing. You just so happened to notice how the sun was setting earlier and rising later. How the temperatures slowly dropped and the chilly winds blew across your bare skin, sending those delightful shivers coursing through your body. When he first came to Nevada, he was surprised by just how cold it could get in a virtual desert during the fall and winter months. It was something of a blessing but there were things he had to learn to do without in Nevada that he took for granted in Washington for so many years. During the fall, there was always that array of color everywhere you looked, when the leaves of every tree turned to shades of reds, yellows and oranges before falling to the ground below. And during the winter? The snowfall was something many complained about often, but never Carter. He missed it terribly.

Needless to say, it was always this time of year that left Carter feeling somewhat melancholy. It’s those times when you notice it getting lighter earlier in the morning and the sun was still out when just a few weeks ago, it was dark out at this time. Oh, and the fact that the weather was noticeably warmer than before. But there was still a chill to the air for the time being and Carter almost routinely took advantage of the fact, keeping the screened windows open in the morning and night - and as you might have guessed, things took something of a rougher turn when Carter's preferences toward colder weather bit him in the butt - figuratively of course.

Under most circumstances, Carter was healthy as a horse throughout the year, always taking very good care of himself with regular exercise and diet. But the cold had taken hold of his upper respiratory and developed into a very nasty bout of bronchitis, worrying his loved ones to the point his mother almost took time off of her job to travel to Las Vegas to help Miles take care of her baby boy. However, Miles assured her that he was more than capable of nursing his fiance back to health and Joanna relented, albeit reluctantly. However she obviously knew something about her son that Miles grew to discover himself over the past week and a half, and that was that Carter made for a terrible patient. Not that he was one of those men who made any small illness into something epic while demanding to be waited on hand and foot. Far from it! It was more to the fact that Carter was so used to doing things for himself, that he drove Miles nuts chasing him back to bed when he tried to get up and get his own soup or hot tea rather than let Miles do it himself. It didn’t matter that he was on breathing treatments and antibiotics. Carter was just used to taking care of himself.

But – Miles won out in the end. He finally convinced (sort of) his love that he had to rest and let him take care of him. It was simply a new experience for Carter, but considering the fact the two would be married, it was something that he was just going to have to get used to. By nature, Miles has proven himself to be a very formidable protector. He had faced down threats to the man he loved with all of his heart but never was he more frightened than when he had to take Carter to Urgent Care when the coughing and shortness of breath became unbearable.

And that was where we were now, in the shared condo that Carter and Miles called home. Carter had recovered almost completely and was almost a hundred percent save for that damn coughing that seemed to take forever to recover from completely. Miles was still insisting Carter rest up but no longer fighting him on wanting to leave the bedroom so long as he took it easy. The hour was just after six and the sun was just starting to go down, and Miles had just left to go pick up dinner for the two of them to enjoy along with a movie. Their first such evening since Carter had fallen sick, and this Carter’s first actual meal since.

Carter was curled up on the sofa in the living room, a comforter draped over his lap with his laptop resting against his thighs, the screen illuminated against the darkened room. He had decided to use this time wisely, doing some research that he had been unable to undertake while sick. He had grown too tired, too easily to be able to do much other than sleep but now that he was on the road to recovery, he wanted to get some things accomplished.

That was when the pop up alerted him to an incoming request for a video call. He saw who was on the other end and his face lit up with the name of his best friend, Ariana Angelos. He immediately clicked ‘accept’ and in less than an instant, the face of Ariana filled the screen. The bond between them was strong, but neither was used to not spending much time together, all too used to random trips to each other's homes, coffee shops, restaurants and yes - shopping. But it had been two weeks since they had really spoken, as Miles had laid down the law that Carter needed to get as much rest as possible. They had very short chats on the phone, but it just wasn't the same.

“Hi bestie!” The ever-cheerful voice of his closest friend called out, the smile on her lovely face all but matching her friendliest of tones. “You’re looking sooo much better!”

“Thanks.” Carter replied, his voice still hoarse from the constant coughing that he was yet enduring. “I’m finally feeling better. Good enough that Miles is out picking up actual food so we can have a nice night in. It’s been forever since I’ve had an actual meal.”

“Well I offered to bring you some homemade soup.” Ariana pointed out, to which Carter smiled despite himself and he said back, “I know Ari, and I love you for it but your famous bacon and dill pickle soup probably wouldn’t have been the best thing for my bronchitis.”

Ari just bit at her bottom lip and shrugged her slim shoulders while Carter paused, trying to refrain from the coughing that he felt building up but you know how that works. The harder you try not to cough, the more you need to. Until ultimately Carter started a small coughing fit while all Ariana could do was watch with concern from her end until he recovered and righted himself.

“Poor Carter.” Ari shook her head with honest concern. “Are you going to be okay for our title match this weekend?”

“I’m not letting it get postponed again and letting you down again.” Carter said, but Ariana was not so easily fooled and she just tilted her head down just en9ugh to gift her best friend with that look you get when you know you’ve caught someone with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar.

“That didn’t answer my question, Carter.” Her brows rose. “You know that, right?”

“I’ll be fine, Ari.” Carter relented. “I’ll be ready.”

Ariana just watched him from her end, not satisfied completely as to whether or not he was being one hundred percent up front and honest with her. But before she could say anything further to the subject at hand, Carter spoke up, “I’m glad you called though because I needed to talk to you about something wedding related.”

To which Ariana practically squealed, her excitement for Carter and Miles’s impending nuptials almost eclipsing their own. “I can’t believe my bestie is getting married!” She was almost shaking from the sheer excitement. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Well,” he sighed. “I have some good news and bad news. Which would you like first?”

“Bad news, definitely.” Ari answered. “I never understood why people ask for the good news first when the bad is just going to bring them down. I’d much rather go the opposite.”

“Okay then,” Carter drew in a deep breath. “Here goes. Ari, Miles and I decided to hire a caterer for the wedding.”

Ariana stared at the screen for a moment as if she wasn’t certain that she heard correctly, before ultimately her face fell to one of disappointment before she could even try to hide it away. From the moment she had learned Carter and Miles would be getting married, she had just assumed she would cater the wedding given her love for cooking. So much so she had started planning the menu weeks ago! And for Carter – and Miles – to decide to go with a virtual stranger to provide everything instead, she couldn’t help but feel both disappointed as well as hurt.

She shook her head and asked, “But – why?”

“Don’t look so hurt, Ari. I know you were looking forward to it but that’s where the good news comes in.” Carter assured her. “The simple truth is that you won’t have time to do both.”

“Both?” Ariana frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean…” Carter answered. “... I want you to be my Best Woman.”

Ari paused, then her fingers covered her mouth but her eyes grew wide. She held this pose for seemingly forever but her eyes gave everything she felt away. They were misty – joyful. She lowered her hands and the smile was all the answer he needed.

“Really?”

“Really.” Carter stressed. “I can’t think of anyone more that I’d want by my side when I get married. And the truth is that and catering a wedding would be just too much work for one person.” Ariana started to protest to the contrary but Carter held a hand up and smiled, “Ari, please? Will you be my Best Woman?”

What could she possibly say, but yes. Ari smiled, her eyes now wet with raw emotion as she nodded. And that was the precise moment when the “Lady of the house” aka Ms. Thang decided to make her own presence known, or to perhaps let Carter know that he’d been online too long rather than pay her proper attention. The black and white short hair feline hopped up onto the end of the sofa and casually walked the length until she arrived to greet one of her two boys with a demanding meow.

“Uh oh!” Ari teased. “I think someone wants attention!”

“Oh when does she not?” Carter smiled as he extended a hand to gently stroke along the back of her neck, her favorite scratching spot. That was all the invitation needed as Ms. Thang walked right up onto the laptop’s keyboard, her rear paws sending Ariana a lengthy text of numbers, symbols and letters while sticking her butt hole right in the camera.

“Um, Carter?”

“Ms. Thang says hi!”

“So long as it’s not that end that speaks up, I’m fine.” Ariana teased. “I’m going to let you go! I have to start planning … whatever it is that a Best Woman does! Thank you for thinking of me bestie!”

Carter finished another brief coughing fit before he smiled around his demanding cat and said, “Anytime, Ari.” And the call was promptly ended. This allowed him to give his full and undivided attention to Ms. Thang who just plopped her rear end on the keyboard and her eyes were closed with a soft contentment whole Carter gave her all the rubs and scratches she desired. And minutes later, the front door opened and in walked Miles, his arms overloaded with bags from a local Indian place the two had grown fond of.

After locking the door behind him and dropping his keys in the ceramic dish on the accent table to the door’s side, Miles carried the bags through the condo’s foyer, pausing at the sight on the sofa and he shook his head, “I see the queen is receiving her due reverence.”

“Yes, she interrupted a call with Ari to get it. Stuck her bunghole right in the camera until Ari ended the call.” Carter mused and looked up at Miles. “But I think she knew what she was doing.”

“`Course she did.” Miles declared, turning back to deliver the food to the dining room table, but rather than unpack it right away, he simply set it down before rejoining his fiance in the living room. He took a seat on the armrest of the sofa, right by Carter’s head and reached over to giving Ms. Thang some additional stroking.

Carter asked, “Have you decided on a best man?”

“I have a couple names at the top of my list.” Miles admitted. “But nothing finalized. We have plenty of time.”

“Do we?” Carter pointed out. “We haven't even set a date yet.”

Miles replied, “So let's set a date. When do you want to get married?”

Carter answered, “I don't know. When do you want to get married?”

Miles said, “I don't know.” Leaving the two men staring into each other’s eyes until Carter broke the amused silence and he said, “We suck at this, don’t we?” Eliciting a bark of laughter from his man.

“So you asked Ari to be your best Woman?” Miles finally asked, to which Carter nodded and said, “Yeah. I broke the news to her that she wouldn’t be able to handle that and the catering.” He glanced up over his shoulder to the man that had captured his heart so effortlessly. He added, “I think she was happy with the consolation prize.”

“So I suppose that means no Spam and marshmallow Hors D'oeuvres.” Miles teased, all too familiar with Ariana’s rather … unique outlook on cooking. “Or candied giraffe.”

“Dare to dream.” Carter jested, and something on the screen of Carter’s laptop attracted his attention and he cast a brief glance before looking at his fiance, asking, “You’re looking up locations for the wedding? I thought I told you to rest.”

“I was resting, Miles. It doesn’t take any effort to scroll through websites.” Carter answered before he finally closed the laptop, prompting Ms. Thang to hop off to the floor and to amuse herself.

Miles asked, “So what did you come up with?”

“Anything but at a show.” Carter shook his head derisively. “After so many times it’s started to become a sociological cliche for wrestlers to get married at Pay-Per-Views or major events. I don’t want to go that same route. I really want this to be special.”

Carter drew in a heavy breath and he continued, “Besides, I stopped searching before Ari called. I think I know where I’d like the ceremony to take place, but I wanted to talk to you first.”

“Oh yeah?” Miles rested his hands on his knees. “Talk to me.”

“Well, Mom was pretty disappointed when we told her we didn’t want to get married in the church.” Carter then looked up at Miles and he said, “Oh and I’m still not over you handcuffing me to the desk so I couldn’t get away from that chat!”

But Miles just had that smug smile on his otherwise handsome face, the one coupled with such boyish charm that you couldn’t help but not stay annoyed or upset. He just shrugged his muscled shoulders with a faux sense of indifference and said, “I warned you, didn’t I? And besides…” He leaned in and whispered in his ear, his hot breath sending shivers through Carter’s body. “And don’t tell me you didn’t like it.”

Carter just gave him ‘that’ look and Miles swatted his shoulder playfully, saying, “Come on. What’s the idea?”

Carter answered, “I was just thinking … What if we got married in Olympia? At the house?”

“You want to have the ceremony at your Dad’s house?” Miles asked, having not expected this of all possible locations. Botanical gardens, maybe. Maybe even a public park with ponds and a fountain, perhaps. But the house he had inherited from his late father? Carter answered with a nod. “We agreed on a smaller ceremony, and we can’t deny the house has the space for an outdoor ceremony. Or indoors if the weather sucks.”

“It certainly has the ambience.” Miles agreed, to which Carter teased, “Oh look at you using those big words!” Getting a side eye from Miles in return. Miles then said, “Is this about your dad, babe?”

This gave Carter a moment’s pause to collect his thoughts until ultimately he had no other course but to yield with a nod. He said, “I guess so. It still hurts knowing he won’t be there. I guess this way, in a way, he will be. I figure Mom would approve given the church debacle, but I was more worried about how you’d feel.”

“Babe, I could marry you in the drive thru at McDonalds and be happy.” Miles looks deeply into those lovely eyes and finds himself smiling. He nodded, “But those are good enough reasons for me. That’s where we’ll get married.”

“Yeah?”

Miles stood up, taking Carter by the hand and pulling him up along with him, wrapping his arms tightly around him and simply holding him. Carter looked up and smiled, to which Miles reassured him, “Yeah.” Before kissing him.

---

“You ask the average person what brought them into the rough and tumble world of professional wrestling and you’ll get a wide variety of answers. Some will tell you that they want to travel the world while others will say that they want the chance to meet the fans. If you’re lucky, you’ll get signed to a major promotion and have the chance to earn a big paycheck which will go down as a pretty good reason to get involved, even though some critics will try and argue that the paycheck will be small compensation compared to the hell that you put your body through multiple times a week. But here’s the thing; every one of these different reasons ultimately boils down to the exact same thing; glory”

“World travel? Having fans ask you for autographs and photo ops? Big money? Glory. But once you’re a part of the business, every single person has one common goal, and not only does it lead to all of the above, but it is the very epitome of the term ‘glory’ and that is to be able to call yourself a champion.”

“Veterans of the sport will tell anyone willing to listen that if you’re not in the business to call yourself a champion, then you are clearly in the wrong business. I mean, everyone wants to be the very best and there’s no better way to rise to the occasion than by beating the best and winning for yourself a championship.”

“I should know. When I graduated from the GO Gym and was signed to Sin City Underground, I was that exact same cocky kid as everyone else. I mean, you have to be if you want to get anywhere in the sport. And I have to admit that I am proud to admit that I went the distance and then some while I was in SCU. Singles championships, tag team championships… I couldn’t have asked for any more. And when I came here to SCW, I just naturally assumed the same track record of success would follow me. But, not so much. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve run into my share of stumbling blocks during my quest to win my very first championship in the major leagues, and it is humbling to have to admit that thus far, I haven’t had much success. I’ve come close, and have beaten some of the best SCW has to offer, but the old saying goes that close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.”

“No, seriously, they really do say that!”

“And, after a while and enough unsuccessful attempts, you start to wonder if maybe you peaked too soon. You are left wondering after that latest loss in a championship match if this path was really meant for you. You love the business and everything that it encompasses, but the constant string of disappointments when it matters most does tend to drag you down. It leaves you in a dark cloud of self doubt over shadowing almost everything else in your professional career, and you just want to enjoy the highs without having to deal with those lows. That’s where I find myself at this stage of my wrestling career.”

“I’ve gone public and private both, and told everyone with two ears that I was finished with championship opportunities because I felt that they were wasted on me. I told everyone that I didn’t belong in the Main Events and was quite content with being mid-card for now and, for as far as I can say, the near future. So why then, might I ask, do I find myself in not just a Main Event, but yet another championship match? It’s almost as if everything that I’ve said these past several weeks have gone in one ear and out the other. I’ve had people say I’m crazy to give up on title matches but still want to remain in the business. I’ve had people closest to me tell me that I’m ungrateful at all of these opportunities being given to me when most people would give their right arm to be given the same chances that I’ve been blessed with.”

“And who knows? Maybe they’re right. Maybe I am crazy, but I know better than anyone that of all things, I am not ungrateful. I thank the bosses for each and every chance they’ve given me in the past and the faith that they have in me that I might have that something special that will take me that one step further to become the so-called King of the Mountain. J2H personally chose me as one of his Elite Eight and that speaks volumes because that man never has anything positive to say about anyone – ever! I really thought that that tournament was my big chance. That it was going to be the beginning of my defining moment … and I got completely screwed out of it. But I’ll get to that later.”

“I’m in the match that had to be shelved because I went and got sick, and even though I’m not completely one hundred percent, I am well enough to go in there and give it my very best. And why am I saying that when it pretty much contradicts everything that I’ve just said? Because unlike all the previous chances and attempts to win my first title, this time I have someone special depending on me. This time I look into the corner of the ring and I find the young woman who has been my best friend for the last several years, since before we ever graduated from the GO Gym. She’s been my roomie, my confidante, and my sister all rolled into one. That is why I’m going out there with every intent to win.”

“Because my Ari is depending on me.”

“There is no better incentive to haul my head out of this dark cloud and go out there to kick some ass. I’ve sat back long enough while Ari took the reigns of this opportunity so far and she’s done all the hyping on social media, having a few exchanges back and forth with our esteemed champions, but I can’t let her do that on her own any longer. She has me in her corner, she has me as her partner, and this is where I show her that the faith she’s had in me for all of this time is not misplaced.”

“I know going into this last defense, Kayla in particular is hoping to repeat the same chances of success that Finn had when he won the Elite Eight tournament and became a double champion. SCW’s ONLY double champion. And nothing, I repeat - nothing, is going to sting more than when Kayla has to go into Blaze of Glory XII without her tag team title around her waist and thus, unable to fulfill that particular goal. And don’t doubt for an instant that Ari can’t make that disappointment a reality because she’s had her share of championships. She’s beaten a number of top ranked women where titles mattered most. Names like Luna Pasilno and Melissa to name just a couple. ‘Dreamkiller’ Kayla Richards? Ariana has every chance and all the ability in the world to end the dreams of the Dreamkiller.”

“Now while Ari has Kayla, my business is with none other than our esteemed World Champion, Finn Whelan. You see, this is where I come in from before. This is where I say what is really on my mind, and why I left that tournament as angry - as pissed off - as I really was! And that’s the fact that Finn didn’t deserve to advance to the Semi-Finals over me! That’s right, I said it! Because the simple truth is that Finn Whelan did not beat me in Loveland, Colorado! Oh sure, the record books mark you as the winner but you didn’t beat me, not really. My leg was in the ropes Finn, that is a hard, cold truth and a blotch on your road to the championship! And had Drew worn his glasses, he would have seen it!”

“So you’ll excuse me my bitterness but anyone else would think things the same way! Anyone who has gotten screwed out of a big win through no fault of their own would feel my pain. I’ve gone through this same disappointment a time or two in the past down in SCU, because two times it took a cheap shot for some jack off interfering to walk away with a championship at my expense. Either a foreign object or they had help. Granted, you never sunk so low and these circumstances are different, but the end is still the same. And what I did after those cheap losses is going to be the same thing I do this Sunday. I corrected those mistakes. I moved on, and I won bigger and better! I went from the very bottom of the SCU ladder to the peak of the mountain, and the exact same thing will happen in a matter of days.”

“I see this as not only a chance to get Ari her next championship and win another title with my best friend, but this also serves as a means to an end for me, personally. This is the match where I deliver a very simple message to Finn ‘Two Belts’ Whelan.”

“I will never acknowledge you as the World Heavyweight Champion, until the day you pin my shoulders to the mat.”

Aristotle once said that a friend is one soul abiding in two bodies. Many in this world consider it an accomplishment to have as many friends as possible, almost as if quantity superseded quality in regards to the friendship. But most anyone will tell you that if you're able to make one true friend, the type of friend who is always there for you and it's more like family than friendship? Then you have truly found something special in this world to cherish.

Throughout history, there have been prime examples of such friendships that have solidified bonds between two souls. The friendship and love between Achilles and Patroclus in ancient Greece has lived on for millennia in the minds of scholars and romanticists. The bond between Alexander the Great and his closest friend, Hephaestion, was so profound that when  Hephaestion died, it tragically sent Alexander into a downward spiral of alcoholism and pancreatitis. Brought about by a broken heart.

In more modern society, there are other prime examples of strong friendships. Mark Twain and Helen Keller. Queen Victoria and Abdul Karim. Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were so close as friends that upon parties passing, Stan retired as he stated “It simply wouldn't be the same without Ollie.“ Famed comedians Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance remained as close as sisters until Vivian's passing in 1979.

Friendships in the sport of professional wrestling, tried and true friendships, are something of rarity to this day. This might seem unlikely given the close camaraderie we witness on camera week in and week out, but the fact remains that in the sport, it’s every man (or woman) for themselves and the glory of being at the top can be celebrated by only one. So more often than not we have seen these very friendships either tossed aside or at the very least, put at great risk all in the name of personal glory. That is why when you have the distinct honor of finding that one special person in your life that you can call a trusted friend, you hold onto them with all you have in your heart.

And where Carter McKinney is concerned, he has not one but two special people in his life that he can call exactly that. Carter, by his own admission, was not the most popular of kids when he was in school. Because of his own inner demons and hidden sexuality, he felt closed off and isolated. He was the student that always sat at the back of class and rarely If ever raised his hand to answer a question whether he knew it or not. And when it was discovered that Carter indeed was homosexual, that circle of what friends he had grew even scarcer. But by then, he was relatively unconcerned about making friends in the hostile environment known as the public school system. He was concerned only with surviving long enough to graduate and go against his family’s wishes by moving to Las Vegas to make a dream become a reality.

And that was where he met his closest friend, a young woman who he had come to love like a sister; Ariana Angelos. They say that in life, opposites tend to attract and such as indeed the case when Carter met Ariana at the famed GO Gym when they had joined the same class of students. Where Carter was outgoing and up front in how he dealt with life around him, Ariana was far more reserved and quiet in nature. Carter was always doing or saying something that made Ariana blush and want to duck beneath the nearest table, and if he was to be perfectly honest, such reactions only egged Carter on even more. But when they were on lunch and dinner breaks, the two talked about everything under the sun - from mutual likes and dislikes to their families and homes. It was then that Carter had learned Ariana had been disowned by her own family, simply because she had chosen to follow her own dreams rather than the ones her parents had chosen for her. She had confided in him that what little money she had was going to a hotel where she was staying - and no more need be said. Carter insisted that Ariana come to live with him in his little studio apartment in town. There was barely enough room for one person, let alone two, but Carter decided then and there that he would make room for the young woman who had fast become his best friend forever. Carter would do anything for Ariana, and she, him.

But as easily as opposites can attract, there are instances where people who have much in common can celebrate just as likely of bonds. From the moment they had met backstage in Sin City Wrestling, Carter and the young lady Dawn Warren had quickly become like two peas in the proverbial pod. Carter had discovered in Dawn a kindred spirit, a friend who could be just as loud and flamboyant as he himself was. Dawn was second only to Ariana when it came to Carter’s closest of friends.

Las Vegas

Any tourist in the famed City of Sin would readily admit that one of the highlights of visiting this city was the Las Vegas Strip and all that it had to offer. The dazzling lights of all the hotels, casinos and businesses were something to see during the day, but they were even more profound at night. And if you thought it was something from ground level, either walking along the Strip or driving down in on the street, it was nothing compared to witnessing it from high above in one of the famed helicopter tour rides – which was exactly what Carter had surprised Dawn and Ariana with following a sumptuous steak dinner at the famed Herbs and Rye restaurant.

He had presented both ladies at the very start of their “girls night out” with a late Christmas gift each; for Ariana, that studded leather jacket she had her eyes on since the previous year but never brought herself to buying it. And for Dawn, a pink feathered jacket, much like his own trademark garment.

And that was when we found this fun loving trio of friends casually walking down the famed Las Vegas Strip amongst the masses of tourists and locals alike. The hour had grown late and the weather was bitter cold, and that was quite enough reason for Carter to stop at one of those ‘famous’ food trucks to buy the three largest hot cocoas seen by man for he and his two close friends. Sipping at the hot drink and walking arm in arm, and doing little else but enjoying one another’s company.

“You know bestie,” Ariana said from Carter’s right, leaning into his body in both a gesture of support and to get some body heat to stave off the chilly air. “Dinner was enough. You didn’t have to take us on that helicopter ride.”

“Yes he did!” Dawn said from Carter’s left, her voice a touch boisterous but her smile making the humor behind her words all the more evident.

“I know, I just still feel bad over that little fuck up the other day when I was driving.” Carter sighed, shrugging his slim but muscled shoulders as he all but forgot his own hot drink. Less than a week ago while on a shopping excursion with his girls, Carter had been tailgated by the same car relentlessly until Carter slammed on the brakes, brake checking the man. Luckily the man’s brakes worked well but in the heat of the moment, Carter had forgotten about his passengers. Ariana was jerked forward in her seat but was wearing her seat belt. As was Dawn but the sudden movement threw her forward and she hit her head on the passenger seat behind Ari.  “Dawn here could have been hurt and I just need to work on my road rage problems.”

“Well, we can’t say that the jerk didn’t deserve it for tailgating you.” Dawn mused. “It's a pet peeve of mine too.”

“I think mine is when people wait until they’re halfway through turning their car before they turn on their car signals.” Ariana added to the conversation, prompting Carter and Dawn to look to one another and nod in agreement.

Carter then went on and admitted, “I told Miles what happened and he told me I need to get my act together when I’m behind the wheel. Especially when I have passengers.” He looked between the two young women on either side of him and said, “This was just my way of apologizing.”

“Well, apology accepted.” Dawn said as she gave him a friendly cuddle. To which Ariana wrapped an arm around his neck and drew him in for a friendly hug and a peck on the cheek. Ariana said, “You never have to apologize to me, bestie.”

“So, is everything okay with you and Miles?” Dawn asked out of the blue, turning both Cater and Ariana’s heads in her direction.

“Miles?” Carter replied. “Yeah,. Why?”

“How come he didn’t come with us?” Dawn found herself asking. To which Carter answered, “We’re not joined at the hip 24/7, Dawn!” Both Dawn and Ari gave their friend a knowing look and Carter laughed, “Okay, most of the time! But we just had different plans tonight. He wanted to hit a pub for a few beers and I wanted to spend the evening with my girls.”

He bumped his hip into first Ariana and then Dawn, drawing smiles and laughter from both ladies as they stopped at the famed Fountains of Bellagio, watching along with dozens of others as the colorful lights in the fountains worked their magics for all to appreciate. Making this night between friends even more special.

---

Turnberry Towers

And as much as the trio had enjoyed themselves and wished the evening could continue on, it sadly had to come to an end. Fun times were had by all and forgiveness for his driving gaffe given, they had gone their separate ways after an evening of enjoying each other’s company. Ariana had to get back home to Francisco, and while Carter had invited Dawn to stay the night at the condo, Dawn had already made other accommodations. And thus, that brought us to the familiar sight of the Turnberry Towers and the parking garage reserved for residents, where the lime green beetle drove into the quiet surroundings, its headlights illuminating the way ahead. It was well after ten PM by now, and Carter figured Miles was probably home by now as he drove the familiar path around the reserved parking spots until he pulled into the one reserved solely for him.

Upon a closer look, Carter saw that the car inherited by Miles from his own father was still in its spot, but Miles’s own car was nowhere to be seen. Figuring Miles was tying one on with some buddies and he himself might get a call to pick his boyfriend up, Carter put the car into park and turned the engine off. Stepping out of the ‘beetle’ and locking the door behind him, Carter suddenly felt a strange and yet sinister pang of isolation for some reason. You know, that sensation you get when you feel as if someone was watching you from afar but when you looked up, there was no one about? Well, that was what Carter experienced as he stopped walking toward the entrance to the lobby of the Towers and looked up from the light of his phone, but saw nobody.

He looked around full circle in every direction but saw nothing but empty vehicles of all of the Tower’s residents and their guests. Not another living soul to be seen and that fact alone turned Carter’s stomach into a sudden knot and made him feel that sense of isolation a hundred times over. An adult male of 24 years, this still gave him the feeling of being a small child that was afraid and his steps picked up in pace as he walked quickly through the garage, his eyes shifting back and forth to the phone in his hand when a chill down his back that he could not ignore alerted him to sudden movement from out of the corner of his eye.

Carter turned his head and just BARELY ducked out of the way of a crowbar, swung wildly by someone wearing a dark hoodie that kept his facial features cloaked in shadow! The weapon struck the concrete pillar, obviously where the attacker had been lying in wait! Carter stumbled back, wide eyed at what was suddenly happening around him and at his own home. He tripped over his own foot and fell back and just managed to roll out of the way before the crowbar came down where his head had been!

Survival instincts kicked into high gear for the young man and he realized that whoever this attacker was, he had cut him off from the lobby entrance, preventing a quick and easy escape route! He could try to get back to his car but that would only serve as a deterrent and not a solution! Carter rolled to his feet and just in time as the attacker threw an overhead swing of the crowbar right at him but this is where his training from the GO Gym and some self defense lessons from Fenris had come in handy enough as he used his right forearm to block the blow, using his left top grab at the weapon! But before Carter could attempt to wrest it free from his grasp, the attacker used his own free hand for a straight shot into Carter’s mouth, causing his lips to literally explode in a spray of blood!

Carter fell back against the nearest car and the assailant swung the crowbar with both hands but Carter again moved, the crowbar shattering the passenger side door of a black, 2020 Jeep Gladiator! This was enough of a distraction to give Carter the chance to kick the crowbar out of the attacker’s hand, sending it scattering across the cement pavement of the garage! This did not deter whoever this was, as the attacker swung a hard right into Carter’s face, striking just above the cheekbone! The man then bulled himself against Carter’s smaller frame, driving him back against another car!

If this was a simply mugging, the man would have come at him with a gun and demands for his wallet or whatever else was on his agenda! But no, this attacker was literally hiding and waiting for him and attacked him with a weapon! A set up? A gay bashing? Whatever it was, Carter’s survival instincts had kicked into high gear and the moment his body was struck back against a Nissan Versa, his adrenaline was coursing through his body to where he barely felt the pain of bone striking back against metal! He tasted the coppery flavor of his own blood in his mouth but he all but ignored that as he brought blow after blow down into the man’s back, trying to break free! The man retaliated quickly, swinging a hard fist into Carter’s stomach, doubling him over and sending him to his knees! This was all happening so suddenly and from out of the blue! They say that we are in the greatest danger the closer we are to home and Carter had been caught completely off guard by this ambush-like attack! Whoever this was, he was cold and calculating and had the advantage of surprise! But Carter had been trained by the best and perhaps more importantly, he was a self-professed survivalist! The attacker turned his head as if to see where the crowbar had fallen when Carter swung his fist right up between the man’s legs!

“YOU MOTHER FU…!!!!” The attacker did not have the option to finish as his mouth fell open in a silent scream, doubling over at the waist and clutching at himself! Grabbing the man by the head in an unorthodox but tight side headlock, Carter proceeded to ram the man straight forward into the nearest car, shattering the window with the attacker’s own skull! The man stopped fighting. He simply hung there in the frame of the shattered car window. Carter took a step back and away from the scene as the weight of the attacker’s body slowly pulled him from the car window and he hit the pavement. He continued to clutch his genitals but his hood had been thrown back in the chaos and Carter could now see that whoever this was, he could have been Miles’s own age.

That was the precise moment when the adrenaline had worn off, and Carter’s legs had given out from under him. He sank to the ground and fell to his backside, the emotional turmoil of this life or death situation now taking its toll on his emotional well being and he started to shake, his body convulsing. His eyes remaining on the body of his attacker, he reached blindly for his phone, grasping at it when he heard the sound of running feet…

“What is going on… oh my god!” It was the head of the Turnberry Tower’s HOA, Anne Thompson. Carter had only met her in passing but Miles spoke highly of her time and again, and she was followed by two other tenants whom he did not know. They had heard the sounds from the garage and came running, and Anne came rushing right up to where Carter sat in shock, his hand finally having found his phone.

“Carter? Carter!” Anne tried to rouse him from his shock. “What happened!? Are you alright!?”

Not answering her, his eyes misted over and he pressed the right call button on his phone…

“9-1-1, what is your emergency?”

Carter’s tremors grew worse as he choked out, “I’ve… been … attacked!”

---

“For as sporadic as your time with us in SCW has been, you’ve had quite the ride for yourself, haven’t you Finn?”

Carter said from where he stood on the patio outside of his and Miles’s bedroom, bearing the signs of what had happened to him earlier. A dark scab covering both lips and the mark from where he had been struck just below his eye. Carter had just returned from the hospital where Miles had taken no lip from him and forced him to get examined and file a police report all at the same time.

Still shaken up from the harrowing experience, Carter had stepped out onto the patio without a jacket, seemingly all but ignoring the frigid air that had to have dipped into the mid-forties by now. He stared over the railing into the darkened sky, his eyes focused solely on the lights of the Vegas Strip where mere hours ago he had been having the time of his life. How circumstances change.

“I have to admit that when J2H vacated the title and the tournament was announced, I was less than thrilled. Not about having another chance to become the World Heavyweight Champion, because – c’mon! Who in their right mind would bitch about that? No, this was more about J2H abdicating his throne. I really wanted to see if he’d be able to break his own record and who would be the one to eventually topple him. But there’s more to it than that. There has always been something exciting about a championship tournament, and when J2H named Miles as one of the participants, I was proud of my man. Then when my name was announced, a part of me felt a touch of dread, like right here.”

He patted himself on the midsection.

“Not for the fear of taking part and failing, or facing the pressure of a championship run. I’ve been there before a few times in Sin City Underground. No, I think the butterflies started hitting me at their hardest when I realized how likely the chances would be of Miles and I both advancing and ending up against each other at some point in this tournament.”

He shook his head, folding his arms and running his hands along his bare arms.

“I don’t know how couples in this business can do that and nothing changes. Keira and Roxi have done it a few times. Crystal and Seleana… Miles and I wrestled once before for the Roulette title way back when but that was then – this is now. And times have changed. But that’s just one of six other possibilities in the future. For the time being, I have someone else watching me from across that ring, wanting to accomplish the very same thing that I do; make it to the Quarter-Finals and eventually the championship round at My Bloody Valentine V. Finn Whelan. Probably one of the most enigmatic men on the entire roster.”

“You watch Finn Whelan and you literally don’t know what to make of him as far as personality, but that’s not what you’re dealing with inside of the ring. You know from many past experiences that you are dealing with a thug - and I mean that in the nicest sense of the word. Finn Whelan has been around these parts as far back as April of 2020 and while the man isn’t undefeated like I initially thought when I started my research on him, he still has one of the most impressive win-loss records in either division. In the middle of everything else that I have had going on around me this past week, I sat in the GO Gym for literal hours and watched every single match I could find of his. From his official debut in 2020, right up until his most current tag title defense at December 2 Dismember V. And while I can best describe Finn’s career path in SCW as Hobbit-like … There And Back Again … I can’t deny the fact that when he does grace us with his presence, he certainly makes the most out of each and every opportunity handed to him. It was Finn Whelan who ended the six month long Roulette title run of “Bulldog” Bill Barnhart. It was Finn Whelan who ended “Godly” Ken Davison’s first World heavyweight title run. And even though that World Championship[ reign didn’t last as long as I’m sure he would have wanted, the fact remains – he knows what it feels like to win the big one.”

“And of course, let’s not forget the fact that Finn – and Kayla – did the entire Mixed tag division a favor by stripping the titles away from Ollie and Eiley, and so far? Nobody has come close to ending their run. And that … that right there … is the reason why I think I have the edge going into this first round match against a man that many tend to overlook! Because while I’m sure he wants to become a two-time champion, in the back of his head he knows he has other commitments and that he has a tag team partner that is depending on him to fulfill them. Finn is splitting himself into two totally opposite directions and one can do that only for so long before you inevitably break in two.”

“I’m going into this match with the odds stacked against me, but when have I ever allowed that to stop me? The majority of my success stories have taken place elsewhere, down in SCU when it was still a thing in the sport. When I came up here to SCW where the stakes were even higher, I have to admit that I found myself to be a small fish in a HUGE ocean! And while my first taste of championship gold still eludes me in SCW, I still know the feeling. The taste. I’ve come close to winning the Internet and I am proud to say that I took J2H to the limit, earning respect from the man and that fact alone is almost as valuable as the championship itself! But now, I am being given another opportunity and I have to get past seven men in order to do so. And it all begins just between us, Finn.”

“See Finn, I admit fully that inside SCW and in outside territories, you have had one HELL of a run! And the scary thing is that your career is still in its infancy, much like my own. But this isn’t WWH or Union Battleground or anywhere else that you’ve set foot inside. This is Sin City Wrestling and I am not like any other man you’ve faced before. Because facing me is not going to be entirely unlike facing yourself. I noticed that when I was watching you, you know? How many similarities there are between us, despite our differences in age and experience. I know that you see yourself as something of an underdog.”

From behind, one can see the pearly whites of Carter’s smile shone through as he shakes his head.

“And that is a feeling I know all too well and can easily relate to. After I graduated from the GO Gym and signed with SCU, the Boy’s Club in the locker room didn’t look past me because they didn’t even see me. I went in there being myself and when the macho men of this sport see someone like me, they either have a hard time accepting the fact that I’ve made it this far or that they have to share a dressing room with me. There were times where I was made to feel so unwelcome that I had to get dressed either out in the hall or the bathrooms, but that’s fine. That’s alright. Going through all the hazing and the bullshit just made me ready for even more that came my way. I came to realize they didn’t resent me for who I was. They resented me because I was there to take their spot at the top. And they made the graven error in judgment thinking that  just because I looked soft, I did business inside of the ring the same way.”

“And that right there was where and when I proved them all wrong. That was when I started fighting and winning to earn the respect of the big dogs in the backyard. I was winning matches and tag titles with my bestie Ariana at my side but that wasn’t enough for them because I had a partner. I was depending on someone else. Nobody thought I stood a snowball’s chance in hell when I was entered into the Combat division because … look at me! But I went on to win that title and was fighting in everything from MMA battles to boxing matches and everything in between! That is when the boys started to wonder if they misjudged me. But from that point on when I was winning the TV title to the Underground Championship, right up until I came here, even my strongest supporters had their doubts when I would be booked against someone that was bigger and more experienced. And yes…”

He nodded with sincerity.

“I have lost my share of matches. We all have! It’s the nature of the game. But I’ve also won my share against some of the biggest and baddest they could put against me. Men like “Bulldog” Bill Barnhart! Senor Vinnie! Goth! We are talking about the best of the best and what did all of them have in common? They didn’t take me nearly as seriously as they should have. And I can admit there was a time when I ranted and raved about being overlooked like that but a wise man told me that in the end, it was a lot like being carded for buying alcohol. You’ll come to appreciate it in time. It only works to my advantage and the detriment of my opponents. And one day, and with this tournament I can only hope that it is soon, one day I’LL be joining that Boys Club!”

He poked himself in the chest with a forefinger.

“And the days of that indirect advantage will slowly erode away. And all of the doubters will look back once that World title belt is fitted around my waist and realize just how wrong they had been from the very beginning! And I sincerely hope that they choke on all of those doubts that they’ve had about me!”

Having been leaning against the railing, Carter stood upright.

“There’s a lot to be said for you and me going into this match, Finn. Similar styles. Similar outlooks. And neither one of us is going to take any bullshit from the other. And while it’s not going to be easy for either of us, it is going to be fun! And when you think about it, it’s appropriate that I’m going to go all the way to the first Supercard of the year to win my first championship in SCW. Because 2024 is going to be MY year. The year of Carter. And all due respect Finn, you’re going to be the first of many to get me to that point.”

Just then, the patio door opened and Miles Kasey stepped out onto the terrace with Carter’s feather jacket in hand. Having no need to say anything, Miles slipped the jacket over Carter’s shoulders and gently guided him back inside.

Seattle, Washington -
Wednesday; November 01

To say that the past few weeks have been a challenge for not only Carter McKinney, but also for his immediate family and those closest to him would be something of an understatement. The passing of his father Cillian Macguire, just as the wounds from the past ten years of mistreatment and neglect were beginning to heal and to mend. And when Carter was prepared to sacrifice a part of himself in the hopes of saving his father’s life, or at the very least, prolonging it for a few years more, the news of his passing had reached his ears. Carter privately blamed himself for waiting too long to make that all-important decision.

And here at the McKinney homestead in Seattle, the family was looking - hoping - to bring about the final touches of this heartbreaking loss to a conclusion. The last time we visited this impressive house was almost a full year ago, when Carter had brought those closest to him home to Seattle for what Miles Kasey called “one of the best Christmases he had ever had”. It was a memory cherished by all, as it was a time where Carter was healing emotionally from the ending of an abusive relationship, and Miles growing closer to the man he would one day soon come to genuinely love. However – unfortunately – the same could not be said of this visit in particular, as Miles and Carter were brought back to Seattle for what would be the final farewell to Cillian Macguire; the Reading of the Will.

Nothing had changed - truly, in any sense of the word. Joan aka “Grams” even put Miles and Carter ‘to work’ once they arrived that very morning, taking down all of the Halloween decorations that had been put up to celebrate the most ghoulish of holidays, as the previous evening was spent with Joanna and her mother dishing out bowls full of candy to the multitude of Trick or Treaters. A small consolation to what had to be done today. Carter and Miles had arrived from Las Vegas to Seattle earlier this morning after a short flight of less than three hours. It was now just past noon. The weather was relatively cool mid-day, mid-fifties while overcast, the sun nowhere to be seen from behind the walls of gray clouds overhead. Somehow it felt fitting given what they were here for, and what was to come.

*So, is this everyone?" The older gentleman, mid-fifties perhaps, said from the place he sat at the head of the dining room table.

"I suppose so." Joanna sighed, a soft feeling of defeat coursing through her. "I thought someone else was going to show but maybe they changed their minds."

"God willing." The stage whisper was spoken, from not just Carter but his Grams as well. Jinx! Carter sat on one side of the table, his loving and supporting boyfriend Miles at his side. Across from them, Joan and Joanna.

The man, as it turned out, was the attorney to Cillian, and Joanna brought him here for the official reading. Just in case. Mister Noah Bennett. Oh well respected attorney in the state of Washington for the past 25 years.

"Well," Mr. Bennett said, clasping his hands together on the surface of the table. "Shall we get started?"

"Yes, thank you." Joanna said. "I'm sure you're anxious to get back to Olympia."

Mr. Bennett smiled and adjusted his glasses, picking up the papers in front of him. He cleared his throat and was about to begin when the telltale sound at the doorbell was heard, followed by a loud rap of knuckles on the door frame.

"Oh what in gay hell?" Carter mumbled as both his mother and grandmother closed their eyes, their hopes that these extra guests when it comes suddenly dashed on the proverbial rocks.

"Were you expecting someone else?" Mr. Bennett asked. To which Grams answered, "Fearful would be a more appropriate word for it "

Grams then turned to Miles and exclaimed, "I swear it's like Beetlejuice." Eliciting a snort of laughter to escape from Miles.

"Carter?" Joanna spoke up. "Can you let them in?" Causing Carter to roll his eyes and he pushed himself up to his feet. His Mom added, "And be nice."

"I'm always nice!" Carter declared before he exited the dining room. The gathered group listened as his footsteps were heard heading towards the door, followed by the sound of the door being opened and ultimately…

"Oh what are you doing out!? The sun is up!"

Joanna groaned, holding her head in her hand. Miles looked first toward her and then to Joan, but there was an uncharacteristic expression of annoyance on her face, none of her usual humor at Carter’s display of sass. The voices in the house’s foyer continued…

“Crude. Typical.” Was the voice of a woman.

"Are you going to let us in or not??" Followed by the tones of a man.

"You need my permission to cross the threshold?” Carter was overheard saying. “I knew you were a...!"

“Carter!” Grams called out so as to be heard. “Let them in please so we can get this unpleasantness over with as quickly as possible!”

Joanna looked at Miles who had his head down, eyes closed and shoulders trembling and she said, “When you laugh, you only encourage him.”

Miles looked back up and was quite clearly struggling to compose himself, but had the good grace to acknowledge what Joanna said as fact with a nod of the head. Satisfied, Joanna turned and everyone watched as Carter escorted three people into the dining room - and Miles recognized them immediately from Cillian’s funeral. Carter’s ‘other’ grandma who had tried to upstage her own son’s corpse at the services, and her other two sons – Cillian’s brothers and Carter’s uncles – who had tried to help her do so.

The three made themselves quite at home, taking the first empty seats at the table that they laid eyes on, trying to remain together. One of the men tried to take the seat beside Miles who put a restraining hand on the back and Miles spoke up, “This seat is taken.” The man shot Miles a sour look, but he paid heed by walking around the table and took a seat on the other side of the attorney and to Joan’s right. The look on the matriarch’s face made Miles second guess himself at not letting the man sit beside him. Better Carter would have sat at his Grams’s side than this asshole.

Once everyone was seated, Carter’s “other” Grandma looked around at everyone until her gaze fell upon Miles himself. Her eyes narrowed and she gave him a filthy look just as she did at the services, and she asked, “And you are.”

“Miles Kasey.” Came the answer, and Carter added for mere emphasis, and perhaps a touch of pettiness, “My boyfriend.”

To which Joanna stated, “And invited personally as his name is mentioned in Cillian’s will.” A fact Miles was still finding a tough time accepting.  And that added statement had the desired effect, as the woman shared a look with both of her sons before she looked to Grams.

“Joan.” She acknowledged. “You look well.”

“And it’s lovely to see you too, dear.” Grams replied. “There. Now we’re both liars.”

“Miles?” Joanna spoke up. “This is Cillian’s mother, Fiona. And his brothers, Conor and Liam.”

“It’s nice to see some basic manners.” Fiona said with a haughty derision. “Can we begin?”

Joanna looked to Mr. Bennett who again cleared his throat and he started to read from an official capacity, “I, Cillian Quinn Macguire, resident in the City of Olympia, County of Thurston, State of Washington, being of sound mind, not acting under duress or undue influence…”

“I bet…” Liam mumbled, but loud enough to draw eyes toward him.

“Mr. Bennett continued, “...And fully understanding the nature and extent of all my property and of this disposition thereof, do hereby make, publish, and declare this document to be my Last Will and Testament, and hereby revoke any and all other wills and codicils heretofore made by me.”

“I direct that all my debts, and expenses of my last illness, funeral, and burial, be paid as soon after my death as may be reasonably convenient, and I hereby authorize my Personal Representative Joanna McKinney…”

“What!?” Fiona exclaimed, but it was as if she said nothing as the attorney continued, “Hereinafter appointed, to settle and discharge, in his or her absolute discretion, any claims made against my estate.”

“I further direct that my Personal Representative shall pay out of my estate any and all estate and inheritance taxes payable by reason of my death in respect of all items included in the computation of such taxes, whether passing under this Will or otherwise. Said taxes shall be paid by my Personal Representative as if such taxes were my debts without recovery of any part of such tax payments from anyone who receives any item included in such computation.”

“I devise and bequeath my property, both real and personal and wherever situated, as follows:”

“To Miles Kasey, currently of Las Vegas, Nevada. Miles, I am grateful for everything you have done for my son Carter when I was unable. Our talk did me more good than you realize and I appreciate the fact that we both hold an appreciation for cars. Therefore, I am leaving to you my cherished and restored 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 428 Cobra Jet.”

Miles blinked in complete disbelief at being willed such an unbelievable piece of automobile artwork! And Conor leapt to his feet and spoke up, “Hold on! No, no way! Cillian promised that car to me!”

“Oh he did not! Stop lying!” Carter retorted in defiance. “You haven’t spoken to Dad in years! You’d be the last person he’d leave that car…”

“Babe…” Miles placed a comforting hand on his boyfriend’s forearm, shaking his head “no” to calm him down before that wit and sharp tongue caused further trouble in the family home. Fuming, Carter’s Uncle Conor slowly sat back down, allowing Mr. Bennett to continue.

“To Joanna McKinney, currently of Seattle, as my ex-wife and in hopes of correcting my greatest mistake in disappointing you as both a husband and father to our son, I leave to you Harborview Cove…”

“What!?” Fiona all but shouted, clearly affronted, as both Uncles started to talk at once! “Absolutely not!” “No way!” “This isn’t right!” Miles leaned over to Carter to whisper, “Harborview Cove?”

“Dad owned an apartment complex in Olympia.” Carter whispered in answer. “A successful one, too. Doesn’t owe anything on it.”

Miles sat back, whistled softly as Joanna seemed transfixed at being left something such as that. Fiona and her two sons were still protesting, reaching for the will but Mr. Bennett had the good sense of timing to retract it away from their reach. He then went on to read, “To Joan McKinney, my dear Joanna’s mother and a woman I was proud to be allowed to call ‘Mom’.” This in particular earned a hard glare from Fiona toward Grams.

Mr. Bennett continued, “The best thing I can say about you is I was never able to tell a mother-in-law joke where you were concerned. I remember you expressed an interest in my art collection, and so I would like to leave you the entirety of my collection.”

Grams just looked down, his fingers over her eyes at such a generous gift.

“And finally, to my son Carter, the one to whom I consider my greatest failure as a father. Not because of who you are, or who you choose to love, but because I failed you as a father in not being able to accept it until it was too late.”

Carter closed his eyes, feeling the salty sting of tears slowly grow and felt the arm of Miles snake its way around his shoulders to offer him some semblance of comfort.

“I was not able to offer you the home that you deserved as a child, so as an adult, I am offering you my house in Olympia.”

“Furthermore, all monetary assets including savings and life insurance, after payments made are to be evenly divided between Joanna McKinney, Carter McKinney and Joan McKinney to the sum of…” Mr. Bennett looked more closely over the rim of his glasses to be certain he was reading correctly, before he finalized…”$852,434.”

Fiona fell back against the back of her chair, her mouth wide open in shock as Cillian’s two brothers gaped. Almost a full million – and it had just been left for Carter, his mother and grandmother! The house was filled with a shocked silence until ultimately, Fiona stood upright once again and snatched the Will from Mr. Bennett’s hands, this time before he could see fit to pull away.

“No! I refuse to believe this!” Fiona raged as Conor and Liam stood up to read over their mother’s shoulders as she said, “I refuse to believe Cillian would ignore his own… ah ha! See? I knew it!” And Fiona started to read from the Will, “And to my Mother, Fiona Macguire and my two brothers, Liam and Conor Macguire; I was not good enough for you three to have around as family when I was alive, I saw no reason you should feel any differently when I’m dead. However, I made a promise to Joanna that I would remember you in my Will so here it is.” Fiona choked on the next and final word… “‘Hi there. See? I remembered.’”

Fiona looked to her sons who grabbed at the Will but she pulled it away and she started to rifle through the papers, “No… there must be more to it…”

“There is not, Ms. Macguire.” Mr. Bennett stated with grim finality. “Your son made his intentions very clear with me when he dictated to me his wishes. And it’s all right there in your hands.”

“And you could have seen it as soon as Dad died and saved yourself a trip.” Carter stated. “I mean it is a Will and they are  considered public documents, after all.”

“Don’t get cocky.” Liam snarled. “And don’t get too comfortable with this. Soon as we get back to Olympia, we’re contesting!”

“Yes!” Fiona stated with a smug righteousness, her chin jetted out and nose practically in the air.

“On what grounds?” Mr. Bennett finally spoke up, growing weary of this display. “Ms. Macguire… gentlemen…” He acknowledged Conor and Liam. “This isn’t Hollywood. You can’t contest a Will simply because you don’t agree with it. You have to prove undue influence or forgery…”

Conor started to speak but the lawyer held up a hand, a gesture he perfected through his years of fighting cases in court. “And this Will was written well before Mister Macguire ever got back into contact with any present here today! It is ironclad!” He jammed a forefinger toward the papers in Fiona’s hands. “The only recent addition was the one given toward Mister Kasey here…”

“Well!” Fiona blurted out, “That explains it…”

“It explains nothing!” Mr. Bennett countered. “This addition was made over a month ago, and Mister Macguire was quite well aware of what he was doing. His illness played absolutely no role in his addition, whatsoever! And I am prepared to bring in his doctor to state as such!”

“This. Isn’t. Right!” Fiona threw the Will down onto the surface of the table, scattering the papers in every direction, “They don’t deserve any of this! We…!” She pointed toward her sons and herself. “... Are his family!”

“And what am I?” Carter countered.

“Oh we know what you are.” Conor sneered. “So save yourself some grief and keep quiet while the grown ups talk, Carter. You don’t know…”

“I know enough to know that it wasn’t Dad’s idea to suggest I be sent to that correctional facility.” Carter interrupted, silencing everyone present.

“What?” His Mom started to ask but Carter’s gaze burned straight toward his “other” Grandma and his two Uncles. He said, “I know you three were behind it all. You two…” he pointed between Conor and Liam. “Hounded my dad day and night over sending me away because I soiled the family name! And I know that you…” He pointed right at Fiona. “Threatened to cut him off from the family if he didn’t! The only reason he went along with it was because he didn’t want to be cut off from your money that he depended on to support Mom and me! Well guess what!? It didn't work anyway, because it made them get divorced! And even then that wasn’t enough for you because you disowned him anyway! So how DARE you walk into this house, acting like you’re owed anything from a man you had nothing to do with for the better part of a decade! Not even when he was sick!”

“Oh and you did?” Liam questioned.

“I spent weeks going to doctors to ensure my kidneys were healthy enough to donate to my dad and try and save him!” Carter declared, drawing the collective gazes of both his Mother and Grams who until now, had no idea. “Which is a hell of a lot more than even his own brothers did!”

“You can seriously sit there with a straight face and steal from a grieving mother!?” Fiona started her fake sobbing act, but Carter had dealt with far too much over the past several weeks and he was having none of it! He said, “I think you mispronounced ‘greedy’, not grieving!”

“How DARE…”

“Oh give it a rest!” Carter shouted over her. “I don’t doubt that MAYBE you’re feeling a small ping of grief over losing a son in that withered, black heart of yours, but enough with the act! It’s as bad as what you pulled at the funeral! I mean, my God! Amber Heard put on a better performance in court than you did at Dad’s services!”

Amazing how quickly Fiona stopped “crying” as she stared daggers at her grandson, saying, “If I wasn’t such a lady I would slap some respect into you!”

Which made Grams say, “And if I wasn’t such a lady, I’d say you put one finger on my grandson and your teeth would be back in Olympia before you are.” Prompting all heads to turn toward Joan as she was never known for saying something like that! But threaten her family – ESPECIALLY her grandson… and all bets were off!

“Ladies, please!” Mr. Bennett said, hands raised in an attempt to help cooler heads to prevail. Liam and Conor stood on either side of Fiona as Mr. Bennett stood up, gathering the scattered papers of his client’s will. Once he had them in hand, his eyes settled on the three. He said, “If you wish to follow through on this threat and contest, that is certainly your right. But I feel it only fair to warn you that you will lose. Because Mister Macguire saw this coming from a mile away and he set aside a settlement toward me to represent his family in court. Just in case.”

Fiona’s lips trembled as she stood fast, not wanting to admit defeat.

Mr. Bennett eyed Liam and Conor and followed up with, “So you had best think about how you want to look in the eyes of the court and society. Because not only do I have Mister Macguire’s doctor on standby, but also his therapist. And I can tell you here and now that they and I would just love to take all three of you apart in front of a judge.”

It was like a standoff in the Old West films of the 1950s, with Cillian’s family staring down the attorney but Mr. Bennett had been up against the best in court and he was not going to back down with these three. It continued until…

“Come on, boys.” Fiona turned around to take her leave.

“Mom..” Conor started to speak. “No…”

“Let’s go!” She said in a final tone that would brook no argument. Liam put a hand on Conor’s back and ushered him out of the dining room and moments later, they heard the closing of the front door. Joanna fell into the arms of Grams – and Carter was held tightly by Miles.

It was finally over.

---

“Well, looky here at where I am!”

“I know I've had a pretty rocky past few weeks happening in my life, both personally and professionally, but I’d like to think that I’ve made it out of the chaos with my head still relatively held up high. I know I got all butt hurt when I didn’t come out of High Stakes XIII as the new World Heavyweight Champion, but I’m counting my blessings. My man is still the Internet Champion and my BFF finally won a championship that has been a long time coming. Okay, sure that made me feel like the odd man out, being the only one out of our little trio to not pick up a win, but I thought surely after what I went through, something good would come my way.”

“Well, yes and no. On the plus side, I get to team with Ariana again and trust me when I say, that is something I never tire of. But on the down side, I saw the rest of the card and I see Goth going up against Austin James Mercer as a reward for their showing in the Six Pack match, and the winner goes on to face J2H for the title. Um… hello? The second runner up, standing right here! I outlasted both Austin and Goth – hell! I’M the one that eliminated Goth and yet I get completely passed over for the chance to challenge J2H, and I’m instead put into a match against two others who had no more luck at High Stakes XIII than I did! The now-former Mixed Tag Team Champions, Olly Zahn and Eiley! Well, I'll correct the oversight in due time. Right now I have a tag team partner and more importantly, a best friend, depending on me to make good in her first match as a champion -- and Carter does not look to disappoint.”

“First of all, allow me to congratulate Eiley for winning the 2023 Future Star award. I would be lying if I tried to tell the world that you didn’t deserve it, because you do. You came right into SCW and the first thing that you managed to do of any import was win a major World championship! If that didn’t qualify you for the award, nothing would! But you’re not the one that I have to go up against, are you? No, see you get to face off against someone who actually won a championship two weeks ago, and that’s my bestie Ariana Angelos! No, her Bombshell Internet title isn’t on the line from what I understand, although it really wouldn’t matter if it was. You see, Ari is coming into this match with not just gold round her waist, but all of the momentum behind her! Eiley? You really don’t have any, so to speak. Just excuses and declarations that you and Olly are going to correct that silly little thing you called a mistake; namely the loss of your titles.”

“No, the one I have to face head on is the prized student of Jet City, Oliver Zahn. Now Olly… I can call you Olly, right? Everything that I said before about Eiley, well I have to say in regards to you too. You had just as much experience as your tag team partner – which is to say none at all – and look at the teams you beat to walk away as the champions in your first match as a team! I say BRAVO! And, as hard as it must have been to win those titles, you held onto them for a long time, didn’t you? Beating some of the best teams in SCW, former champions and not! You brought the Mixed Tag titles from oblivion and raised them up to where they haven’t been in a very long time! That must have made that loss at High Stakes XIII really stick in your craw! I mean, here you go and win the titles in your first match as a team – and then you go and lose them to Finn and Kayla in only their second match together. That fact alone had to be a real kick to the bojangles, hm? Well, I’m sure the bosses have laid out some plans for you two to get your rematch eventually … but for now you have other problems to deal with; namely Ari and myself.”

“And you - Olly – Christ I admit a bit of surprise that you didn’t win that Newcomer award. You’ve had some pretty good matches out there with some of the best. You had yourself a great series of matches against Ben Jordan of all people, and while you walked away the winner in your tag title match, Ben got the better of you in your singles match and that’s nothing to be ashamed of! Ben is and has always been one of the very best SCW has ever had to offer. My point is, much like my big match against J2H, you gave Ben your all and you managed to impress the best. That speaks highly of you as a competitor and when the time comes, the world is going to be your oyster. Just… not quite yet, and not this weekend in particular.”

“Now I don’t want you two jumping to conclusions about the things you might think I’m going to say here tonight. I know that everyone and their mother have been calling you two Kris and Mikah 2.0 and it has to be really getting old, yes? Well don’t worry. I’m not going to join the likes of Austin and Tempest and whoever else has been jumping on that bandwagon. Because I don’t consider the two of you carbon copies of Mikah and Kris, two of the best Sin City Wrestling has ever had to offer. Well, not exactly. You see, when the two of you are inside of the ring, you both are your own people. You were each trained by two former World Champions, but you took what they taught like any good student and made it your own. Inside of that ring, you are not Kris and Mikah 2.0. Outside? Now that might be a different story. Because whenever the cameras catch you two backstage or conducting one of your promos, one could be forgiven for thinking you were watching Kris and Mikah because of the way you two interact with one another?”

“It’s the exact same way that Kris and Mikah do. The same sassy exchanges with each other. Both of you in Hawaii just like them. You two treat each other, the same way that they do. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if you two ended up living together or in a flirty relationship – again, just like them. I know Eiley responded to Tempest once by saying she took it with great pride to be compared to Mikah and… well, different strokes for different folks. I can see wanting to be compared in regards to success but when it comes to your own individualities? I would think that would be where you’d draw the line and want more so to spread your wings and experience life from outside of their shadows rather than embracing it. But, you do you. If you want the world to watch your promos and forever compare you to someone else rather than celebrate your own selves, well I say more power to you. I am just here to reiterate one final point.”

“Despite all evidence to the contrary, despite anything that I or anyone else might have said before or in the future, you two are not Kris and Mikah. You see, Kris and Mikah were undefeated as a tag team.”

“You’re not. You lost to Finn Whelan and Kayla Richards, which means one very important thing going into our match this Sunday. You’re human.”

“You’re vulnerable. You can be beaten."