Victoria didn't want to be here in the halls of this mental health facility she had an important match to get ready for. A Champion versus Champion versus Alicia Lukas, but here she was having to deal with her brother's disobedience once again. She thought she had been rid of him but since her name was signing all the documents she was the one they called when he was being particularly uncooperative. An oversight she hadn't considered on her part when she signed the damn things

“What did he do?” Victoria asked a nurse behind a desk with a clipboard.

“Thank you for coming on short notice Miss Lyons.” the nurse replied “Your brother has been refusing medication, he's being verbally and physically abusive to staff, and the other day he bit another resident during recreation time.”

“Where did he bite them?” Victoria asked

“On the butt.” the nurse replied

“You've got to be kidding me..” said Victoria

“The doctor recommends upping his dosage and placing him on 24 hours solitary confinement.” the nurse explained

There was no hesitation, the pen glided across the paper as soon as it was put into Victoria's hands. It was so easy for her. Her name at the bottom of those papers meant she had all the control. Not Vincent, not their mother, it was her they called when they needed the approvals for Vincent's care.

Control. She liked that.

Would you like to see him the nurse asked

Victoria paused for a moment, thinking it over.

“He doesn't get many visitors, it might help to see a familiar face.” the nurse continued

“Fiiiiiine.” Victoria said, rolling her eyes.

“Right this way Miss Lyons.” the nurse said

She followed the nurse down the hallways looking at the same mundane beige walls along the way. The same smell of disinfectant continued to linger in the air. She hated this place, every second here was a second she wasn't preparing for Alicia Lukas.

“Always wasting my time…” she muttered under her breath, “Even here.”

“I'm sorry?” the nurse said, glancing back.

“Oh nothing.” Victoria said.

That was the talent Vincent always had. Even locked away in a place like this, he still managed to waste her time and try to pull her backwards.

Victoria continued to follow the nurse to a heavier security door and after a swipe of a card the door clicked open.

“We already had to restrain him twice today. the nurse explained “If he becomes violent, our team will step in and subdue him immediately.”

Victoria nodded.

“I'm not worried.” she told the nurse.

If anything the idea amused her. She stepped through the door and there was Vincent on the edge of his bed, restrained, controlled, and powerless. His hair was longer and his facial hair remained unkempt.  He shifted his eyes so as to not look directly at her.

“You look terrible.” she said to him.

Silence.

“They tell me you're refusing your meds.” she said “And that you bit somebody, on the ass. You really ought to behave yourself.”

More silence.

“You know, I was supposed to train today.” she said taking a step closer to him “I have a big champion versus champion match with Alicia Lukas coming up, real stakes at hand. Instead I'm here because you decided to bite somebody like some sort of feral animal.”

“You put me here.” said Vincent, his lip quivering, “You chose him over me.

“Who? Eddie?” said Victoria raising an eyebrow “Is that what you think this is really about me choosing Eddie over you?”

She laughed.

“It's so much more than that.” she said “It's about all your behavior these past few months, but it's really about when you betrayed me and said you had no sister. The moment those words left your lips I let time go by and compiled all the evidence I needed. Oh, and you made it so easy. The attempted murder of Logan Hunter, multiple assaults against the Kasey family, just to name a few. Then you laid your hands on your actual family and that just sealed the deal.”

“Like you're so much better.” Vincent replied “Multiple attacks on Harper Mason ring a bell? What about when we broke our cousin Alexander's arm just so you could send a message to Alexandra Calaway?”

Victoria rolled her eyes.

“Harper Mason was a calculated business decision against someone I was involved in a blood feud with.”  Victoria replied “And that calculated business decision led me to the Internet Championship. As for Alexander he chose his side when he went against the family and chose Alexandra Calaway over us.”

“Whatever you need to tell yourself so you can sleep at night.” replied Vincent.

“Don't try to spin this on me.” Victoria said “You're in here as a result of your own actions. Don't forget you try to attack me from behind as well. If it wasn't for my sweet Dare Bear, who knows what you would have done. Darian had to get six stitches above his eye, you know,  what were you even thinking?”

Vincent said nothing, back to the silence.

“That's what I thought. Victoria said “Your main mistake was you thought you could be in control, but you can't because I'm always one step ahead of you. Ever since day one when I came into this world before you did. I beat you to life itself, so no matter how hard you try little brother, your big sister will always be ahead of you.”

She stood up, and smirked at him giving him a mock kiss on the forehead before whispering into his ear.

“I approved them to up your dosage and put you in 24-hour solitary confinement. They're going to watch you eat, piss, shit, and play with your tiny little pecker if you choose to.” She said “Now, You're going to listen to them and behave yourself. You're going to take your medication, or else I make this worse for you. Do not waste my time by having them call me here again.”

She straightened up her posture and smiled down at Vincent who remained silent.

“Take care of yourself little brother.” she said with a mocking grin “I love you.”

She nodded to the nurse in the corner.

“That will be all thank you.” She said.

The nurse and her team open the door and led Victoria out before she left the facility she made one last request of the nurse.

“Since he's going to be in there alone…” Victoria said “Maybe every so often you could play him some music, he really likes Taylor Swift. He acts like he doesn't because of the whole male macho thing but my little brother is secretly a total Swiftie.

“Yeah that can be arranged.” said the nurse “We can probably find an hour or two a day to play him some Taylor Swift music. If you think it will help.”

“I do. Thank you so much.” Victoria smiled

“Of course you have a nice day Miss Lyons.” said the nurse

Vincent hated Taylor Swift and Victoria knew it. It was going to be hell for him, and that only helped the smile on her face grow as she exited the facility.

_________


Victoria genuinely enjoyed the coziness of Eddie's home. There was a genuine warmth that came over her when she entered, that she didn't feel anywhere else.  Her and Eddie's relationship wasn't perfect but they got along well enough mostly they just had different ideologies but she liked that Eddie didn't try to judge her or change her. He may not agree with her ideology but Eddie always let Victoria be Victoria without any judgment.

Of course there really was only one reason she even came to Eddie's house.

“Okay, where is she? Where's my absolutely adorable little princess?” said Victoria as Eddie let her and Darian into the house.

“Hello to you too.” said Eddie

“Yes, hi.” said Victoria, "Now come on, baby, where is she?”

Eddie laughed to himself and shook his head

“She's in the living room.” he said “Right this way.”

When they got to the living room Victoria's on Jordan sitting there on the floor propped up against a pillow playing with a plastic giraffe toy.

There's my little angel Victoria said scooping Jordan up without hesitation Jordan reacted with some happy baby babble, playfully grabbed at Victoria's hair.

“Ow.” said Victoria “Careful with the hair sweetie.”

In some ways she found this whole thing humorous. Here she was, a woman who could dismantle half the locker room without blinking and now she was now letting a little baby play with her hair.

“So how are things at SCW?” ask Eddie

Oh not much has changed since Victoria I've got my big match with Alicia Lukas coming up, Champion versus champion.

“Yeah. They like booking those.” said Eddie, "I'm surprised you stopped by and aren't focusing  on your training.”

“Well you have to take a day off training sometimes.” said Victoria “And visiting this little bundle  is totally worth it and not a waste of my time.

“Not a waste of your time?” said Eddie curiously “What do you mean?”

“It's not important.” said Victoria “But any chance I get to come see this little bundle is worth it, just know that.”

“All right then…” said Eddie raising an eyebrow curiously.

Victoria didn't elaborate she didn't want to keep talking and accidentally say too much instead she continued playing with Jordan who continued playfully grabbing at her hair, for and back she was greeted with a tiny hand slapping her harder in the mouth at any of her opponents ever had.

“Ow! That wasn't very nice Jordan.” She said

Jordan giggled.

“Well you're definitely a Lyons.” Victoria said, "You have some power behind that smack of yours.”

“Tell me about it.” Eddie muttered

“Oh don't you worry Jordan.” she said “Your big cousin Victoria is going to teach you how to be a proper lioness like her.”

“And that's what I'm afraid of..” Eddie muttered to himself.

“Hmmm.” said Victoria

“Nothing.” Eddie replied.

Victoria and Darian continued to play with Jordan, a side of them not many got to see a true human side that only seemed to come out when baby Jordan was near. It made her think about having her own little bundle of joy but she couldn't do that now she couldn't take the time off work for a pregnancy, unfortunately it just didn't come as easy for the ladies as it did the boys. But she really did love this tiny human, and when she threw the toy giraffe on the floor Victoria instinctively went for it.

“....Don't.” Eddie said, as if warning her.

“It's not a big deal..” said Victoria “I can pick it up for her. It's right there.”

“Yeah…but” Eddie said

Victoria didn't listen and got up and grabbed the draft toy handing it back to Jordan who immediately threw it back on the ground again.

“Silly girl.” said Victoria

She probably picked the toy up again and handed it back to Jordan who of course do it right back on the floor.

Victoria looked over to Eddie who was just watching with his arms folded with an I told you so look on his face.

They went back and forth like this multiple times with Eddie just watching an amusement before finally after the 17th time Jordan seemed to finally get bored.

“17…” said Eddie “You're lucky, usually she breaks 20.”

She's doing it on purpose said Victoria

“Yep.” said Eddie.

“I don't think I've seen you get hustled by somebody that bad before.”  Darian grinned

Victoria stuck her tongue at him.

“She's just lucky she's a cute little tyrant.” said Victoria sitting next to Jordan once again, setting the baby on her knee.

“You're good with her you know.” Eddie said “You should show this side of you more.”

“And risk the other Bombshells like Alicia thinking I've gone soft?” said Victoria “Sorry not going to happen. I do still have an image to maintain.”

“Of course.” said Eddie shaking his head “Well at least try being nice to Zayvion, he's been working hard,  he's a good kid. Just don't be too harsh on him.”

“He needs to prove he's worthy of carrying our last name.”  Victoria said

“Just give him a chance.” said Eddie.

Victoria huffed.

“We'll see.” She said.

Victorian Dairy and remain playing with the baby for the next several minutes before Victoria finally stood up holding her giving her a kiss on the forehead.

Well I guess it's about that time we should probably get going she said thanks for having us Eddie.

Think nothing of it Eddie said Jordan really likes you.

That made Victoria smile and she nodded back at Eddie and made her way to the door before he called her name once again.

“Victoria….” Eddie said.

She looked back at him.

“Baby.” He said.

“Fiiiiiine.” Victoria said, setting Jordan down next to her toys.

“Trying to steal my baby now?” said Eddie

“She shouldn't be so adorable.” Victoria shrugged.

She bid Eddie farewell once more as she and  Darian left the home. The visit was nice and cleansing for her. Now she could go back to focusing on her training and prepare for her match with Alicia Lukas.

_________

The camera is open on Victoria Lyons in a choir room standing against the wall internet Championship draped over who showed her like it weighs nothing she looks up to the camera and begins speaking


“You know the funny thing about history?.” she begins “Nobody remembers second place they remember dominance, records, and the names that lasted.  They remember me.”

She pauses

“You've done well as roulette champion but don't forget who reignited that division," she continued because when people think of that Championship, they still think of me. They still think of my record and what I did with that belt. They're looking to see if you can be as dominant a champion as I was.”

She smirks confidently.

“Now you face me in this ridiculous champion versus champion match.” she said “It's like you're supposed to be my equal.”

She almost laughs.

“Now you are a champion that's true you wear gold and you defend it without mercy “ she said “But I am a whole another animal. I'm the measuring stick they hold you to as champion now because of how good I was when I held it. “Now I intend to do the same with the internet championship.”

She keeps her look of confidence.

This match is nothing more than maintenance she said it's not some showcase for me like the powers that be wanted to be it's going to be a reminder that you do not belong in my league and that there are levels to this you don't get to use me as a stepping stone and gain momentum off of me. I'm not an obstacle you can overcome, I'm the ceiling you're going to slam into.

She laughs.

“I've even beaten you a few times in the past. she said “So when that bell rings I'm going to be looking at someone that's trying to measure herself against my shadow, and that shadow is bigger than you think. After I beat you they won't wonder if you can break my record, they'll be reminded why it still stands and you'll never come close to touching it.”

She pushes off the wall and steps closer to the camera.

“You see Alicia, This isn't personal for me. “ She said “We're both defending momentum and defending our place. But you're going to find out that I will always be your better because I'm going to elevate my internet championship the same way I elevated the roulette championship, and when I'm done they won't talk about who had it before me. They'll talk about the era that began when I took control,and you just get to be part of the transition.”

She smiles arrogantly

“I'll remind you who you're better is.” she said “Remind you that perhaps the name Alicia Lukas doesn't carry as much weight around here as you think. Because when I beat you the conversation ends everybody will know that Victoria lions is the true dominance of the bombshell division.

She pauses again.

“I'll see you out there Alicia.” she said “Where you will find out that while you are a champion, I will always be the standard.”

She gives one final confident nod at the camera and it fades to block.

It was a quiet New Year's Eve in the home of Victoria Lyons, she had just returned from a wonderful birthday dinner with Darian has she sat on the couch with a blanket draped Loosely over her shoulders the fireworks hadn't started yet but the anticipation of the new year was already humming through the glass.

She heard her phone buzz on the coffee table but she didn't look at it she already knew it was just more birthday wishes from her peers and family members. Many of which she never even  talked to during the year, but somehow every year there they were wishing her the best like they actually knew her.

She asked her slowly through her nose and looked up at the ceiling hoping it would answer questions that she hadn't figured out how to ask. Questions about who she was and what she was becoming.

It was New Year's Eve and also her birthday, It always felt so strange to her, like the universe couldn't decide if she belonged at the end or at the beginning. Vincent had been born a minute later on New Year's Day, a fresh calendar list, all she got was the final breath of the old year.

Her gaze shifted to her faint reflection in nearby window, there were no fancy lights or ring gear or championship belts draped over her shoulder, she was just a woman sitting alone with her thoughts, away from the usual noise that always drowned them out.

Harper Mason slipped into her mind uninvited, as it seemed to always do these days.

The Bombshell Roulette Championship. 

Victoria had the longest reign in the division's history until Harper came along and ended it.

 Victoria feels her jaw tighten slightly, she can still feel the shock and disbelief,  the way air left the room when it happened. Everybody looked at her to see if she would snap and turn into exactly what they thought she was. But she didn't scream, she just recalibrated.

However Harper didn't just beat her Harper took something that day she ended something historic and put a period at the end of his sentence that Victoria wasn't ready to finish writing and now here they are again ready to write another chapter.

The Bombshell Internet Championship

A different championship and a different moment but the same two women. She looked down at the faint marks still on her knuckles and flexed her hand. She had wormed her way into Harper's championship match by attacking her and now Harper felt like Victoria stole something from her.

Maybe she had, and maybe the way she went about it wasn't fair. But to Victoria the ends always justified the means. She had found a way to make herself a champion again and it worked, Harper was just going to have to deal with it and understand that life didn't always play fair.

Luna Palsino flashed through her mind next.  She didn't hesitate to answer Eddie's call, and stepped in when Luna tried to involve herself in his match. But why had she really done it?

If she was being perfectly honest it was because it made her feel important and it made her feel needed. Eddie needed her help, he had come to her. But at the same time she knew it was the right thing to do. She knew something would have to be done about Luna in that situation and both Eddie and Carter were too honorable to lay their hands on a lady.

But then there was Harper, the contract, and the name signed in blood. She hadn't planned it that way.  It had come from somewhere instinctive. When she signed that contract in Harper's blood there had been that flicker of a moment where she felt powerful, and then another flicker where she had felt hollow.

The hollow feeling lingered longer than she had wanted it to, sitting in her chest like a low ache not sharp enough to hurt or loud enough to demand attention just present and persistent.

She leaned back into the couch listening to a clock tick it's way toward midnight and a new year she wasn't quite sure she was ready for. Familiar footsteps padded softly somewhere behind her,  she didn't look, she knew those steps and waited for the familiar weight to settle on the couch beside her, as she nestled closer to Darian. She could still smell the faint remnants of the Italian restaurant he had taken her to for dinner.

“You're thinking loudly.” she heard him say.

“Runs in the family.” she shrugged.

“Care to share any of it?” he asked

She exhaled slightly, curling her fingers.

“I keep replaying it, all of it.” she said “Harper. Luna. Eddie. The contract signed in blood. Me.”

Darian raised an eyebrow.

“They villainize me for my assault on Harper, but they cheer for me taking out Luna.” she said “Am I supposed to be good? Am I supposed to be bad? I don't even know anymore.”

“When have you ever cared about any of that?” Darian asked.

“I've been asking myself the same thing.” she said

“You're allowed to change…”  Darian said “You know that right?”

“I know.” she said shifting slightly “I've felt it ever since Harper took the Roulette Championship from me. I kept telling myself that records are meant to be broken and if it wasn't her it would have been someone else but that reign was proof that everything I sacrificed meant something, that it all had a purpose, and when it ended I felt the universe asking me who I was without it “

Darian listened.

“I still don't have a clean answer to that.” she said "But I do have the Bombshell Internet Championship, and it feels different. Like this one isn't about proving I can last, this one is about proving I can adapt.”

“Adaptation will keep you alive in this business.” Darian said with a knowing nod.

“Exactly..” Victoria said “I don't want to go backward and chase the ghost of that reign forever, but I also don't want to pretend it didn't matter.”

“Then don't pretend.” Darian replied “Let it matter, just don't let it own you.”

“Easy to say..” Victoria scoffed.

“And hard to do.“ he agreed “But when have you ever shied away from hard?”

She let that sink in for a few moments, searching herself again, flashes of Harper's blood, reminders of how heavy the pen felt in her hand.

“It was a statement you know..” she said “When I signed that contract in Harper's blood, a reminder to everybody that I'm not somebody who waits for permission or does things the right way.”

“There she is..” Darian grinned.

“Most would say that doesn't make me good.” she said “But I don't necessarily think I'm bad either.”

“You never really were one for labels.” Darian said “You just have to be Victoria, and maybe they'll like what you do, and maybe they won't but you're going to do what's best for Victoria Lyons.”

Victoria listened.

“And right now what Victoria needs to do is tell Harper Mason that she's not sorry.“ Darian said “She took the opportunity because she could and if Harper wants to call her a thief, this is her opportunity to try and take it back.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Victoria said with a dangerous smile. "This year I'm not chasing who I was, I'm becoming who I need to be.”

The sound of the clock continued ticking closer to midnight.

Ten

Nine

Eight

She thought about her Bombshell Internet Championship, where the Bombshell Roulette Championship had represented validation,  this one represented evolution.

Seven

Six

Five

Whatever came in the new year and whatever consequences followed her choices she had come to peace with one truth.

Four

Three

Two.

She wasn't here to be good, and she wasn't here to be bad. She was here to be undeniable, and Harper Mason would be the first to be reminded of that in 2026.

One.

It was time for another undeniable year for Victoria Lyons.

“Happy New Year Dare Bear." she said, locking in a New Year's kiss with her fiance.

__________

The cameras snap to life to find Victoria Lyons standing alone in the center of the frame, the Bombshell Internet Championship resting on her shoulder like it's an extension of her body.

The room is simple with concrete walls, some exposed beams and a few overhead lights. She looks directly into the lens with a warm and knowing smile.

“I spent my holiday season in peace, with my fiancé.” she began calmly, “No crowd, no rivals, no opinions screaming at me from every direction telling me who I'm supposed to be, and do you know what I realized?

She paused and took a calculated step forward.

“I realized how loud everybody gets when they think they figured someone out.” she continued. "They cheer for me when I put down Luna Pasilno, stopping her from interfering in Eddie and Carter's match. That was okay with everyone because I was helping the right people fight the right fight.”

She paused, taking another slow step forward.

“But I take out Harper Mason, sign my name in her blood, and suddenly everybody's uncomfortable.” She said with a shrug “Funny how morality works like that. What I find truly funny about it is, had you chosen to sign your name in my blood, they would have loved you for it. They would have chanted your name and tweeted about how badass Harper Mason is.”

She shakes her head and rolls her eyes slightly.

“But because it was me…” she continued “Because I didn't play the part you were comfortable assigning me,  suddenly it's a problem.”

She takes another slow step forward.

“Harper, I want you to listen to me very carefully.” she said her tone growing sharp, “This isn't jealousy, or me spiraling because you took something from me once, this is clarity.”

She tilts her head slightly keeping her eyes on the camera.

“You ended my Roulette Championship reign.” she said “The longest one the division has ever seen, and I'm not going to rewrite history or pretend it didn't matter, because it did matter.”

She pauses shortly.

“It mattered because that reign wasn't just wins and defenses.” she continued “It was proof, proof that every sacrifice I made and every night I chose this over comfort, it all meant something. When you took it from me, the world went quiet waiting to see if I would crack and become exactly what they already decided I was.”

She grinned.

“But I didn't.” she said “I recalibrated, figured out what I needed to do to become a champion again and I did it.  Unfortunately it had to come at your expense, and you can call that stealing all you want, but the truth is I never stole anything. You still had your opportunity, I just changed the variables and you were unable to adapt.”

She taps her Internet Championship.

“If me turning your singles opportunity into a triple threat really threw you off your game that much.” Victoria continued “Maybe you don't deserve to be a champion, because a champion, a real champion stays ready for anything and a real Champion is always able to recalibrate.”

She knowingly adjusted her championship, running her fingers across the plate letting them linger there a little longer than necessary.

“You see Harper, champions don't live in perfect conditions.” she continued “They don't get straight roads and clear skies, they get chaos and they get moments where the script gets torn up right in front of them.  It is in those moments you can either evolve or make excuses.”

Her expression sharpens.

“You want to frame this like I robbed you of something sacred.” she said “Like I corrupted some pure opportunity that was meant to be yours. But that opportunity was never guaranteed, it was conditional and I changed the conditions. That's what you call intelligence.”

She nods slightly.

“That championship reign you ended..” she continued “Everyone will remember the length and the records I set, but what they won't remember are the nights after where my body didn't want to move and the days where the pressure sat so heavy on my chest that breathing felt like work. That reign taught me endurance, but losing it taught me honesty.”

She took another step closer to the camera.

“It taught me that I had wrapped too much of myself around being the example.” she said “I focused too much on making myself the measuring stick, and when you took it from me I realized how dangerous that was.  I realized the moment you define yourself by one thing, you make it easy for the world to decide who you are when that thing is gone.”

She straightens up her posture.

“So I refuse to let the world define me by what I lost.” she said “And that's what scares you the most Harper, not the blood or the contract, the fact that I'm no longer tethered to anybody's expectations. I don't need to be the longest reigning anymore. Do I want to be, and am I going to try to be? Absolutely. But I don't —--need—--- to be.  I'm not going to be the example of how to do things the right way, I'm going to do things my way because what I need to do is win.”

She pauses.

"You know the difference between the two versions of me?" she continued "The woman you beat, and the one you're going to be standing across from now? The first one wanted to be respected and she got that, but this one? This one wants to be undeniable. So you can call what I did to get into your championship match, theft, or crossing a line, you can call it striving for attention, phrase it however you want. I choose to call it clarity.”

She takes another calculated step forward.

“Clarity.” she repeated “The kind that strips away excuses and doesn't ask for permission. Because once you see things clearly Harper,  you stop lying to yourself and you stop pretending this business it's about fairness, or momentum or who deserves what on paper you stop pretending that championships are won by morality plays and good intentions.”

She lifts the Bombshell internet Championship off her shoulder and holds it in front of her.

“This isn't mine because I was patient.” She continued “It's mine because I was decisive, I didn't wait for an invitation, I didn't hope an opportunity would come back around and offer me a reward. I found an opening and I forced the issue.”

She rests the title back in place on her shoulder.

“That's the part that makes people uncomfortable.” Victoria continued “The forcing of the issue, because it reminds them that the difference between —-almost—-- a champion, and a champion is usually someone willing to do what others hesitate to. I didn't wake up one morning and decide to be controversial, I woke up and decided I wasn't going to be passive because passivity is how legacies fade.”

She pauses shortly.

“Some may call me ruthless, and that's fine.” she said “That word exists for a reason, but don't confuse ruthlessness with recklessness. I didn't act without thought, I acted with intention and the intention was this.”

She taps her championship.

“You ended one reign Harper.” Victoria said “But you didn't take my understanding of this business. The woman you beat needed validation and she needed her reign to speak for her, but the woman sitting here now? She IS—--- the justification, and somewhere deep down that scares you because you can't outweigh me anymore, and you can't outlast me hoping I break under the weight of expectation. This championship doesn't weigh me down, it sharpens me. So go ahead and walk into this match telling yourself that you're owed something, and you'll be reclaiming what was stolen because when that bell rings you're not really fighting for justice, you're fighting to prove you can take it from me and that's going to be a much harder fight.”

She adjusts the championship once more.

“So bring all that anger.” she said “Bring every excuse and grievance, whatever you tell yourself to sleep at night because I'm done explaining myself. One thing is for sure Harper, when this is over there won't be any confusion.”

She lets those words hang for a moment.

“When that bell rings it won't be about who people like more.” she continued “Or who the crowd decides fits the role they're most comfortable cheering for, it's about who's prepared to walk in and live with the consequences and I assure you that I already am. You may have beat the version of me that needed to prove she belonged, but now you're about to face the version that knows she does. I will do whatever it takes to leave that ring with this championship on my shoulder.”

She pauses.

“So prepare however you need to.“ she said “But understand this, when you step in the ring with me you're fighting for survival because this year I'm not looking to be remembered fondly, I'm looking to be remembered clearly. I will walk out still the Bombshell Internet Champion and you will still continue running circles chasing championships trying to do things the right way.”

She laughs to herself.

“It must be so exhausting.” she said “Running in circles, convincing yourself that if you do everything the right way the universe will reward you. The hope that if you're patient enough it'll all work out. But the truth is, it won't because this business doesn't reward virtue. It rewards resolve and right now mine is absolute.”

She pauses again.

“So keep chasing permission Harper.” she said “Keep waiting for the perfect moment that tells you it's finally your time, because when you step in the ring with me you will find out what happens when someone stops waiting all together. I promise you, you won't be facing a woman haunted by what she lost, you'll be facing someone who already let go of it and learned how dangerous she can be without it. If you really think I took something from you, that I took this championship from you, than this is your opportunity to make it right, so come take it if you can, but when I walk out still Bombshell Internet Champion you better take a good hard look at yourself and realize what you need to do, what you —-really—- need to do if you want to be a champion around here, because once again I know I'm willing to do whatever it takes.”

She winks at the camera with a knowing grin as everything fades to black.

It was getting dark by the time Victoria and Darian pulled into the diner, Victoria looked at the place with a frown, it looked dingy and cheap but it was going to have to do.[/i]

“Charming.” she said to Darian but it wasn't a compliment.

"It's this, gas station sandwiches, or the drive-thru.” Darian said “You've got to pick your poison.”

Victoria gave an annoyed exhale.

“Fine.” she said “But if they hand me a menu filthy enough to attract flies we're leaving.”

The door chime gave a ring as they stepped inside, it looked to be a fairly quiet night. An old man eating a slice of pie at the counter, a pair of teenagers on a date, and a small handful of families filled the seats.

“Welcome in.” the waitress said with a friendly smile “Feel free to find a seat.”

They found a booth near the back window, the same booth that unbeknownst to them had hosted some familiar faces earlier that day.

The waitress came to their table with a smile and a coffee pot.

“Coffee?” she asked.

“Yes.” Victoria said “But we want it fresh, not whatever's been sitting in the pot for the last 3 hours.”

The waitress, whose name tag read Mindy gave a faint knowing smile.

“....Of course.” she said “I'll be right back with your menus and some fresh coffee.”

“Good.” said Victoria “And if it's not fresh, I send it back.”

“..Of course.” fake smiled Mindy.

As Mindy disappeared Darian looked at Victoria with a grin.

“You really know how to charm people don't you?” he said

“What?” said Victoria “Is a fresh cup of coffee too much to ask? Besides, you find me pretty charming.”

“Touche.” smiled Darian.

Mindy returned moments later with two menus and fresh hot coffee.

“Here's your coffee.” she said “And I'll be back to take your order whenever you're ready.”

“Very good.” said Victoria dismissively.

There was a moment of hesitation and then Mindy spoke again.

“Please forgive me for asking.” she said “But you look familiar have we met?”

“No.” said Victoria annoyed “If we had you wouldn't need to ask.”

“Right.. sorry..” Mindy said “It's just your eyes, they're…. familiar. Anyway, take a look over the menu and I'll be back shortly to see if you're ready.”

Mindy turned and left to help with some of the other customers.

“That was weird.” said Darian

“Well we are in Tucson.” said Victoria. "It's not like we're dealing with any scholars out here.”

“Maybe she watches SCW.” Darian suggested.

“If she watched SCW, I would be more than just familiar to her.” Victoria said “She probably just saw a flyer or billboard with me on it or something.”

“Yeah, probably.” Darian agreed.

Mindy returned to the table side a few moments later.

“You folks ready?” she asked.

“Yes." said Victoria “I'll have the classic burger, I want it cooked medium, no onions. I want the lettuce and tomato on the side. They come on the burger, I send it back.”

“Of course ma'am..” said Mindy biting her lip “And for you sir?”

“The gentlemen will have the grilled chicken sandwich.” Victoria said “And we both want fries, and we want them hot and fresh. They come cold, we send them back.”

“Coming right up ma'am.” said Mindy through her fake smile.

As Mindy walked away toward the kitchen, watch Victoria take a sip of the coffee.

"So what's the verdict on the coffee?" Darian asked.

“It's… passable.” Victoria said “But I can't expect too much out of Tucson.”

“You know, we could have just ordered room service at the hotel.” said Darian

Victoria shook her head.

“Not in this city.” said Victoria “I looked at our hotel's idea of room service, and I wouldn't even feed any of that to a stray dog. This is the best we're going to get, unfortunately.”

“I guess it's a good thing we stopped here then.” Darian chuckled.

“Yeah.. good… if you can call it that.” Victoria said.

They continued their chatter until Mindy returned and set two plates down in front of them.

“Medium burger no onions, lettuce and tomato on the side.” she said “And the grilled chicken sandwich for the gentleman.”

Victoria poked at her food like a science experiment lifting a fry between two of her fingers investigated it closely before dropping it back on the plate.

“Garson..” she said, snapping her fingers to get Mindy’s attention just has she turned to leave.

“...Something wrong ma'am?” Mindy asked.

“These fries are not fresh.” she said “Take it to whoever's back there, and tell them I said fresh, Not the fries that were cooked during lunch rush. His too.”

“I don't know mine are pretty good..” Darian said munching on a fry.

“And that's why you need me, Dare Bear.” Victoria said “You deserve better. You don't need to accept this. Now run along Mindy and fix it.”

“....Of course.” Mindy said with a thin tone gathering the plates and returning back to the kitchen.

“You're enjoying this aren't you?” Darian said.

“I just expect competency.". Victoria smirked “Besides I'm helping her improve.”

“Oh yeah, I'm sure she'll thank you later.” Darian grinned.

Mindy returned moments later with tired eyes and fresh plates sat down in front of them.

“There you go, fresh fries from the fryer.” she said, still faking a smile “I do apologize it's been a long day.”

“Been workin’ the diner all day?” huh said Darian

“Just about.” Mindy replied “Been here since brunch.”

“Well, if you're workin’ the diner all day..” Darian grinned, “Maybe your parents should have should have named you Gina.”

Genuine laughter left Victoria's lips and she nearly choked on her coffee.

“Oh that's a good one Dare Bear.” she said “You get it right Mindy? Like the Bon Jovi song.”

“Yeah..I got it.” Mindy muttered “I do hope everything is to your satisfaction now.”

Victoria inspected her fries once more.

“Not great..” she said “But better. They'll have to do.”

Mindy just gave a nod and turned and walked away.

“You know that waitress has a bad attitude.” said Victoria “She's lucky I'm such a nice person, but she should probably work on that.”

“The nerve of some people.” smirked Darian.

“Seriously.” said “I just hope this place doesn't give me food poisoning before my match with Mercedes and Harper.”

“Like a little thing like food poisoning would stop you anyway.” said Darian

“Very true." Victoria smiled back at him “Mercedes thinks because she's been around forever she's untouchable and Harper's still playing dress up acting like she deserves to be in the ring with the grown women. It's time to remind them who the queen is around here.”

“Then I guess Tucson better brace itself.” Darian chuckled.

“It's not ready.” Victoria said between bites of her burger, “But nobody ever really is.”

The two continued to finish their meal and when it was done, left just enough money to cover the bill.

“See you later Gina.” Victoria said with a grin at Mindy as they made their exit. The door made the same tired jingle it did when they arrived.

“Come on, let's get to the hotel.” Victoria said as her and Darian hopped into their vehicle and continued along down the highway. Mediocre dinner aside her eyes were focused on the real prize and that was the Bombshell Internet Championship.

__________

An endless highway stretched before them, a light glow from the dashboard painted Victoria's face as Darian drove with one hand on the wheel. She stared at the window at the endless scenery passing her by letting herself get lost in her thoughts.

The Bombshell Internet Championship.

It rested in her mind more and more as the days grew closer, a match that was about the championship as much as it was about validation. Proof that she was more than just her run as Bombshell Roulette Champion champion. It was proof that Victoria Lyons still had more to do and more records to break.

She wanted that championship, but it was more than that. It was about control and defining herself as the queen of another division. It was about reminding everyone that Victoria Lyons belonged on top.

She looked over at Darien who had his eyes fixated on the road and wondered how this whole thing had even happened. However it had, she knew her feelings were real and perhaps she even loved him.

The thought of her brother crept in like a ghost. She hadn't spoken to Vincent in weeks, not since he tried to recruit her into doing his dirty work against Alexandra Calaway. They were supposed to be unstoppable together, but their twin egos proved to be too much to handle each other.

She was actually getting along better with Eddie these days. Her cousin that she had once been a tag team champion alongside.  The relationship wasn't perfect but they always had some sort of mutual understanding. She even got to meet baby Jordan a few times…. with supervision.

But that was more than Vincent. Eddie had made it known that Vincent wasn't allowed around his daughter. Vincent had a long way to go with making things right with Eddie.

As for her, she wondered if her own wound with Vincent would heal. Or if he ever thought about her. Whatever was going on in the storm of his mind these days, did he still remember the days when it was just the two of them?

“Penny for your thoughts?” Darian's voice came through.

“Hmmm?” said Victoria, breaking from her little daydream.

“You've been staring out that window for a while.” Darian said

“Oh ...." said Victoria “Yeah…. just thinking about the match”

“Figured as much.” said Darian “You've got your battle mode eyes on.”

“Do I now?” said Victoria

“Yep.” said Darian “I bet you've already imagined three different ways to finish off Mercedes and Harper.”

“Four actually.” grinned Victoria.  “But it's more than that, it's about everything that comes with winning the championship. The statement that Victoria Lyons belongs on top. Because it seems like people are starting to forget that.”

“You want to remind them.” said Darian

“Yes.” she said “And maybe remind myself. I know I've had my ups and downs lately but it ends here. I can't be the Victoria that lost the High Stakes tournament to Bella Madison, I need to be the Victoria that beat Kayla Richards in the High Stakes tournament.”

“Ups and downs or not Vic.” Darian said “I think underestimating you at any time would be a mistake.”

“Exactly.” said Victoria “That's what I love about you Dare Bear, you get it. Harper and Mercedes think I'm not as good as I once was, they're about to find out how wrong they are. I'm ready for this I'm ready to once again be a champion and have another record-breaking reign.”

“Imagine." he said “The longest reigning Bombshell Roulette Champion of all time, and the longest reigning Bombshell Internet Champion of all time, you'd be undeniable.”

“Oh I already am.” she said “I just need to make them all see it.”

“You will.” Darian reassured her.

She smiled at him, her Dare Bear. Always so supportive. He was right though it was time for Victoria Lyons to be a champion again. It was time for her to take the Bombshell Internet Championship from Mercedes Vargas and dominate another division. It was time to show Harper Mason that lightning does not strike twice, and it was time to show the entire SCW fanbase that Victoria Lyons was still the queen.  She leaned back in her seat, looking back at the window, keeping her mind focused on gaining her next crown.

__________

Static, and then the camera flickers to life on Victoria sitting in front of a vanity looking at her reflection in the glass. She avoids looking at the camera lens only looking at herself as she begins speaking.

“They say mirrors don't lie.” Victoria said “But that's not the truth. Mirrors show us what we want to see, a familiar polished reflection.”

She pauses still not looking at the camera.

“Harper Mason, you sit there in front of the camera and do your little vlogs.” said Victoria “You have that same mirror mentality  talking about curses and bad luck. But the truth is you're not under a curse Harper, it's just your pattern.”

She turns in her seat, finally facing the camera.

“All I heard from you were excuses.” said Victoria “Blaming everybody else for your own failures because you can't accept that you simply aren't good enough to hang at the top. You call me the queen of choking? Sweetheart, you're confusing choking with pressure. You know what that is right? You've been under it before. You call it a curse and I call it your ceiling.”

She looks back at the mirror smiling at herself.

“You think I attacked you out of fear?” said Victoria “I only came to restore order, and take what's right. I didn't take your spotlight. I am the spotlight. You're just the light that flickers out when the pressure hits too hard. You're sole victory over me is your defining moment, and you couldn't even make that last. Think about it, nobody cares that you won the roulette championship,  they care because of who you beat to become the Roulette clChampion. Alexandra Calaway is one of the top Bombshells in that locker room, but nobody talks about me starting my reign by defeating her. But with you all they talk about is how you ended the reign of Victoria Lyons. That's because when I took the championship I made it and myself great. It wasn't just about who I beat.”

She pauses for a moment.

“Hypocrite.” she said “That's what you called me right? Hey, maybe I've stumbled a bit since losing my sweet Rue, but you don't understand that the fall isn't the end, it's a recalibration. My dominance is about longevity, because I'm not looking to just create moments I'm looking to create a legacy.”

She exhales.

“But you're just someone addicted to moments.” said Victoria “The flash of victor,y and a feeling of validation that disappears as fast as it came. I'm addicted to evolution Harper. I come and tear down what isn't working and rebuild it stronger. You can cling to your one victory over me like a little life raft, because you know that's the only thing that keeps your name from fading into obscurity. I'm chasing greatness, you're the one chasing validation.”

She leans back slightly in her chair keeping her callous expression on the camera.

“The truth is you need me to stay relevant.” said Victoria “But I can be relevant on my own. My name carries its own gravity, because Victoria Lyons commands attention. You've just been comfortable living in my shadow.”

She laughs to herself.

“You can call me whenever you want Harper.” Victoria said “You can call me whatever helps you sleep at night, but when we get into that ring at High Stakes, you'll remember why you couldn't be a champion for long. That same pressure will close in and the weight of that expectation will break you apart. People like Mercedes and myself feed off that. That's why we're seen as actual dominant champions. That's why Mercedes has a legacy and that's why I'm creating mine.”

A smirk curls on her lips.

“I'm sorry I had to make you the afterthought.” said Victoria “But one of the big girls had to give Mercedes a real challenge. Someone had to step up and that's exactly what I did. If you don't like it, then you need to put your big girl pants on and do something about it.”

She stops to catch some air.

“Of course that brings me to you Mercedes.” Victoria continued “You sit there under your city lights telling everyone how untouchable you are talking about the inevitability of your dominance, and honestly I get it. That confidence is necessary in this business, and you need that sort of attitude to survive. It's what makes women like you, and women like me predators, and women like Harper Mason the prey. Because you know as well as I do, that that's all Harper Mason is in this match you and I are the predators Mercedes."

She laughs slightly to herself.

“I'll give you your credit Mercedes.” Victoria said “You make dominance look like art, and that's something you've mastered over your career. But you seem to have forgotten some things while you sit there in your silk robe, letting the sun shine on your championship with just the right hint of light.”

She exhales softly.

“You've been around so long you forgot about what hunger is like, and you assume that because someone hasn't been sitting in first class for over a decade they aren't equipped for the air.” Victoria said “You painted Harper Mason as a tourist in your city gasping for breath at the summit where the view is reserved. But high altitude doesn't define who can fly, and you will find out that Victoria Lyons is capable of flying higher than anybody.”

She pauses.

“You love to talk about legacy.” Victoria said “About history recording you, like your past performance guarantees your future dominance. What happens when someone new comes along and doesn't observe the sunset from your rooftop but decides to build a bigger house that outshines it?”

She keeps her eyes glinting on the camera.

“You think I'm still workshopping my persona halfway through the year?” Victoria said “Mercedes…. I've always been the queen I don't need a crown or a throne to be that. I just need to be the strong independent woman that Victoria Lyons has always been.  Queen is a mindset, that's something a strong independent woman like you should understand. It's what helps me build confidence in myself. What are you if not the Argentine Assassin? What is Harper Mason if not the Slaytanic Avenger?”

She raises an eyebrow.

“You like to lecture me about accountability.” said Victoria “About dropping the baggage that was my brother. Make me sound like a fragile woman clinging to excuses but I'm not fragile and I'm not clinging to anything. Every obstacle you point to, every revelation you try to weaponize against me, I use it as fuel against you and that's what makes me dangerous.”

You can almost see a fire growing in her eyes at this point.

“Legacy isn't about pretty optic sunsets or fancy robes.” said Victoria “Legacy is the impact you leave behind when someone else tests your supposed perfection and doesn't flinch, even when you assume control is absolute. You want me to prove myself on your terms, but I don't bend to anybody not even you Mercedes. But you will bend to me and you and Harper both will be forced to call me the new Bombshell Internet Champion when High Stakes comes to an end.”

She smiles that ever confident smile.

“So sit on your rooftop and count your victories Mercedes.” Victoria said “Tell everyone about the inevitability of your reign, tell Harper to quiver about altitude sickness, tell me I'm digging myself into a pit, because when that bell rings you will realize the reality of the chaos that I truly am in reality is unavoidable.”

She turns and looks back at herself in the vanity.

“I promise you both, when the bell tolls on Sunday,” Victoria said “The Bombshell Internet Championship will have a new name.  Not Mercedes Vargas, and not Harper Mason but Victoria Lyons, and that Mercedes will be the view from the top you didn't see coming.”

She looks to herself in the mirror with confidence and a smile in the scene slowly fades out to black.

The fireplace warmed the living room as it cast an amber glow across the face of Victoria Lyons as she sat in her favorite lounge chair with her favorite glass of red.  Darian Price lay on a nearby sofa, the look of a job well done on his face, holding his preferred glass of rum and coke to himself.

“I have to say Dare Bear.“ Victoria said with that unmistakable smirk on her lips “That first round went exactly the way we planned it. I mean can you believe it? I defeated Kayla Richards, she is no longer part of the high stakes tournament.”

“I'd say it went even better than we hoped.” Darian chuckled

Victoria smiled through a sip of wine, her eyes lighting up.

“It was the look on her face when I struck her with the lion's paw.” said Victoria “She thought she was so untouchable, and I left her flat on the mat.”

“Nobody even saw it coming.” Darian grinned,  “and the next thing they knew your hand was raised.”

“And that's all that matters.” Victoria said “Kayla Richards is one of the best to ever step foot in this company, everybody knows that and now everybody knows that I beat her. The how of it doesn't matter. What's done is done.”

She casually takes another sip of her wine

“Now my High Stakes Tour of SCWs best continues.“ said Victoria “Last time was Kayla Richards, this time it's Bella Madison. Next time it'll either be Crystal Caldwell, or Alexandra Calaway. If it's Calaway what a wonderful High Stakes journey I will have indeed.  Sort of a tour of my greatest hits. I cap off the tournament with a victory over Calaway and I'll have the momentum I need to go in against Frankie Holliday.”

“And if Calaway doesn't win her match?” piqued Darian

“Then I beat Crystal Caldwell instead.” said Victoria, “It may not be as poetic of a story, but the end result will be the same when I have that Bombshell World Championship raised over my head.”

“With a journey like that nobody will be able to deny you when you win that championship.” Darian said.

“Exactly.” said Victoria, “And you dare bear, I can't forget that you executed your part perfectly, the timing and everything was professional work.”

“Just trying to help my queen.” he grinned taking a sip of his drink

“Don't undersell yourself.” she said “You're part of this now too, and you've done very well.”

She smiled at him, she really did like this boy. Aside from all the consort business, and SCW she found a certain charm about him

“So what's the plan for Bella Madison?” Darian asked.

Victoria leaned back in her chair and swirled some of the wine in her glass.

“Bella Madison's an interesting one…” Victoria said “She'll catch you if you're not careful. That's what happened last time. I took her too lightly in that triple threat with Calaway and it cost me in the end.”

“But remember she technically didn't beat you in that match.” Darian reminded her.

“That may be true.” said Victoria “But I still lost that match, and that means I can't just brush off Bella Madison. She's disciplined, and if you make the slightest mistake she'll strike with venom, and she will get you.”

“Then don't make any mistakes.“ said Darian.

“That's the plan.” Victoria said “Because she's getting a version of me that's completely dialed in, the one that just took out Kayla Richards.”

She casually took another sip of her wine.

“I want her to be at her best too.” said Victoria “Because when I win the whole thing people will remember who I beat to get there. No easy path or excuses, I'm beating names that matter. Kayla Richards, Bella Madison, whomever I get next, that's what's going to make my journey real.”

“And I'll be there with you the whole way.” Darian said slyly “To make sure everything goes…..fairly.”

“Fair enough for me to win.”  Victoria grinned.

They sat there in silence just for a moment letting the warmth creep across their faces.

“I can feel the shift already Dare Bear.” she said “I've got my rhythm back. I may have slipped into a bit of a rut and some may have doubted I could step up to the next level after losing the roulette championship but this is the tournament where I prove them wrong.”

“And Harper cracked under the pressure because she couldn't fill your shoes.” said Darian.

“Perhaps, but Harper Mason is no longer my problem. She made her own fate.” said Victoria “I need to focus on my future and  my journey back to becoming a champion.”

“And we still have Plan B.” Darian reminded her. “The Bombshell Internet Championship.”

“Yes “ said Victoria "And plan B will come into effect if we need it. Need to keep focus on what's ahead of me and that's Bella Madison. I know how good Bella is, but I know I'm better, and with you by my side I can be unstoppable.”

“Bella won't even see it coming.” said Darian

“Just like Kayla.” Victoria smirked.

The two sat together enjoying each other's company among their drinks and the warmth of the fireplace, but inside Victoria's determination to win was burning hotter than the fire itself. The fire crackled and somewhere inside Victoria, so did destiny.

__________

It was a quiet night outside a rare sort of silence as Victoria sat alone on the hotel balcony overlooking the street of Santa Clara beneath her, back inside the hotel room Darian had already fallen fast asleep. And this moment it was just her and the rhythm of her own thoughts.

She sat back and to her chair and thought about the word queen and how so long ago it meant something different for her. At one point it was about the crown and feeling above everybody else and untouchable. Now she felt like a queen in a different way, it wasn't about the crown, but about the presence she carried herself with. It was her confidence. She was a strong independent woman who no longer demanded people's attention,  she earned it.

They may not have liked her methods or even her at times but they had grown to respect her and everybody knew that, like her or not she deserved all of it.

She smiled to herself faintly, the word independent resting on her mind. She didn't need anyone to define her anymore, not even her family and yet there was Darian.

Her sweet Dare Bear.

It all happened so fast with him, a spark of chemistry had turned into something more. She didn't see him as just a pawn in her game. But she didn't quite see him as her equal either, not in the way she fought to get where she was. But he was loyal and stayed beside her. Perhaps he could be a little too eager at times,  but his heart was always in the right place and that mattered more to her than she ever expected it to.

She found herself caring for him like truly caring for him and affection and warmth that was more than just some convenience.  Wherever she landed,  whatever was on her mind he always looked at her like she was everything that mattered in the world and she loved that about him.

Some people might look at the two of them and see their relationship as strange, but this wasn't some ancient world. It was a modern age and love looked different in it. Who was anybody else to judge them?

It's not like they needed their approval anyway.

As she looked toward the skyline she thought about Vincent, her twin.  Her chest tightened as his name crossed her mind.  Be worried about him she may never say it out loud but he had always been a piece of her story and now he all but vanished from it. There was a time when she would have gone looking for him but she couldn't do that anymore because she finally understood that Vincent had to find his own way back and she had her own path to walk.

Then her mind shifted to Eddie, her cousin her equal and her frustration. She didn't believe it herself, but she was quietly rooting for him. She wanted him to win his own High Stakes tournament, maybe if only for the idea that a Lyons could take both of the tournaments on each side of the line  but somehow she knew it was deeper than that. She truly wanted to see him get the moment he had earned. She wanted all of his hard work to pay off for him.

Weird, she thought, shaking her head.

She couldn't be distracted by the boys in her life, not when she had Bella Madison waiting in the wings. She wouldn't underestimate Bella this time she couldn't make the same mistake twice. The finals of the high-stakes tournament were just around the corner and she knew she would do whatever she needed to do to get there.

She was feeling grounded for the first time in a long while she didn't need a crown to feel like royalty anymore. She didn't need validation, because she was the validation. Yet there was still a burning hot ambition and purpose in the side of her.

Bella would get the best version of her, the one who really discovered her rhythm and turned her insecurity into steel, she would find that she was still a queen and when the bell rang she would remind Bella Madison and everyone else exactly what that meant.

__________


The cameras open on Victoria Lyons standing near the edge of a terrace overlooking the city of Santa Clara, Darian Price leans against a stone railing nearby just enough to make his presence felt.

“So we're at the High Stakes semi-finals.” said Victoria “And I've drawn Bella Madison. I was talking with Darian the other day about how poetic it is, I beat Kayla Richards, now it's going to be Bella Madison, and the potential of it being Alexandra Calaway in the finals. It's like I'm on my greatest hits tour. Being forced to overcome my greatest opponents before I get my opportunity against Frankie Holliday.”

A faint smile grows on her face.

“And I'll give you your credit Bella, you got one over on me in that triple threat.” Victoria continued “You came with the fire and heart you always come with, and you came out with the victory. But let's not act like that night rewrites history. Let's not pretend you defeating Alexandra Calaway means you have my number, because you never have. When it's been you and I I come out on top every time and that's not arrogance that's just truth.”

She shrugs and smirks at the camera.

“When this tournament started I vowed not just to win but to set the tone." Victoria said “And that's exactly what I did when I beat Kayla Richards. The woman everybody expected to steamroll the whole thing and win her championship back. Instead she ran straight into my fist, and realized how serious I'm taking this.”

“And Kayla was just the beginning.” Darian quipped

“Exactly.” said Victoria “Because I'm out to remind people why my name strikes fear into people's hearts. Why when you see my name across from yours, you're forced to step up your game because you know if you don't I'll sink my claws in and absolutely bury you.”

She pauses shortly.

“The truth is, you could be Bombshell World Champion right now.“ said Victoria “But you squandered your opportunity against Kayla Richards. Just like you'll squatter your opportunity against Frankie Holliday should you manage to win this tournament. It's my turn for a shot at the Bombshell World Championship, not you, not Kayla Richards, not Alexandra Calaway, not even Crystal Caldwell. They won't admit it but it's what everybody wants right now. They want me in a match for the Bombshell World Championship.”

“They want the queen.” Darian chimed in.

“When I win this tournament I won't squander anything.” said Victoria “I will take the world Bombshell Championship from Frankie Holiday and the era of Victoria Lyons, the era everyone's been waiting for will begin.”

She smirks.

“When that bell rings Bella.  I'm controlling the pace.” She said. “I need to become a champion again, and if I have to put you in the dirt to do it I will. I won't be playing any hot potato with the championship like you and Mercedes Vargas did either. I will be a proper champion just like I was as Roulette champion, before Harper Mason won it from me and then crumbled under the pressure.”

She laughs.

“Your journey ends here Bella Madison.” said Victoria “We've done this before and you know I'm your better so bring all the fight you can, bring everything you can, because at the end of the day, you're going to need it. You're going to need the people to see that you at least brought a fight,  and you will, but my fight is going to be stronger. I am ready to be Bombshell World Champion and I'm ready to begin shattering records once again.”

She nods to the camera keeping her stare confident and intimidating as everything fades to black.

If it wasn't for the giant margaritas, Victoria would have left this bar a long time ago the music was annoying and there was nobody interesting in sight but the giant margaritas were to die for.

She sat sipping on her margarita, watching the dancers, that stupid Will Smith song playing for what felt like the millionth time. It was like she got it, they were in Miami, did they need to play the stupid song all the time?

She scoffed, deciding perhaps she should just leave, Margaritas aside the place was a bit of a dump.

And then the song changed and something shifted in her she knew it the moment the note started this was that song the one that just compelled her to dance every time she didn't know why and she didn't even really like the song but for whatever reason she couldn't help it.

‘Oh you can dance, you can jive’
 ‘Having the time of your life’
‘Oh see that girl, watch that scene’
‘Diggin’ the dancin’ queen.’

She was pulled the dance floor by some otherworldly force and she began to move, like really move. She felt like Olivia Newton-John in Saturday Night Fever.

And then she saw him, that handsome husky boy in the corner, he didn't have the washboard abs of the boring pretty boys and she liked it that way there was something mysterious about him.

She had to have him.

She swayed her hips with the rhythm of the music making away across the dance floor locking on him like a predator, sliding right into his orbit.

‘You coming to look for a king’
‘anybody could be that guy’
‘night is young and the music's high’

“You dance?” she asked although it wasn't really a question, but a command.

He didn't seem too sure at first but then their eyes met, and a sly grin appeared on his face as he set his glass down and allowed himself to be pulled onto the dance floor.

‘You are the dancing queen’
‘young and sweet only seventeen’
‘Dancing Queen’
‘Feel The Beat from the tambourine’
‘You can dance’
 ‘you can jive’
‘having the time of your life’
‘see that girl, watch that scene’
‘digging the dancing queen’

They were moving together and unison swaying together and feeling the music wrap around them.

“You've got rhythm mystery boy.“ she said with a smile.

“You kind of dragged it out of me.” smiled back.

“Something tells me you liked being dragged.” She said.

“Maybe a little.” he grinned

The crowd blurred around them and in this moment it was just her and this mysterious boy she had dragged onto the floor and he didn't even realize her claws were already sinking in.

"You got a name mystery boy?" she asked.

“Darian.” he replied.

“Victoria.”  she replied back. “And tonight Darian, you belong to me.”

He smiled back at her with a nod and they continued their dance as the sounds of ABBA came to an end.

‘You are the dancing queen.. ‘

And in that moment she was a dancing queen and she knew that she had found maybe not yet her king, but her new possession.

‘...diggin the dancing queen’

__________

With a tight grasp on Darian's wrist, she pulled him off the dance floor and didn't let go till they reached the bar where she sat him down, her nails scratching him just enough to let him know who was in control.

“Two margaritas.” she told the bartender.

"So do you always just drag strangers onto the dance floor?" he asked.

“Only the ones that look interesting.” she said “And you look far more interesting than all these soy boy beta cucks.”

The drinks arrived and they took them into a corner booth away from the noise.

“So what's your story Darian” she asked.

“Trouble.” he grinned

“I like trouble.” she grinned back.

“Drifter..” he said "Originally born and raised in Daytona. I spent most of my adult life drifting about here and there with no real place to call home. Trouble tends to follow me wherever I go.”

“And tonight you let trouble buy you a drink.” she grinned

They both shared a genuine laugh together.

“Well careful trouble tends to like me.” he grinned back.

“Maybe it already does”, she said, raising an eyebrow.

For a moment they just let their eyes meet, sipping their drinks.

“So does trouble have her own story?” he asked.

“Well I was born into a family where everyone wants to be the center of the universe.” she said "I learned at a young age that you need to shine brighter than the rest so you don't get swallowed whole, so I do my best to shine and make no apologies for it.”

“Sounds exhausting.” he said.

“It's the life I live as a pro wrestler.” she said “Some people out there like me, most of them hate me but they never ignore me.”

“Professional wrestler.” he said intrigued “That's why you walk like you own the room.”

“Well you don't seem intimidated.” she said.

“Should I be?” he said, his lips curving into a smile.

“Maybe a little.” she grinned.

With a smile he raised his glass and they clinked them together.

“To trouble.” he said.

“To trouble.” she replied with a smile.

She had already slid out the booth by the time their glasses had emptied, extending her hand toward him with an expectant look in her eyes.

“You're not disappearing back into the corner mystery boy.” she said.

“Hadn't planned on it.” he replied.

“Good because you're coming with me.” she said, “Tonight you're really getting into trouble.”

And with that Darian let himself be led out by the temptress. Claimed and conquered, but he didn't mind it one bit, and Victoria was happy to have herself a new toy to play with.

__________

The cameras open on the sands of South Miami Beach as Victoria steps in the frame, we can hear the sound of sand crunching beneath her boots as her gaze locks into the camera the night circling around her.

“How are we doing Candy?” she began “Has it begun to sink in? Have your voices told you of the horrors that are coming your way? Because this isn't just some match where you can come in and flash your smile and throw your glitter and walk away.”

She laughs.

“It's not going to work like that sweetheart.” She said “This isn't about being charming and flashy, it's about dominance and control and leaving a mark that lasts after the bell rings and the lights go out. Every grain of sand on this beach is a battlefield and the battlefield is where I thrive.”

Her voice beams with confidence and power.

"Even with me being off my game I'm still one of the most feared Bombshells on this roster." Victoria said "Certainly more fear than you Candy.  Every move I make is calculated and precise and you're going to find out the hard way that stepping in the ring with Victoria Lyons is no walk in the park, but by then it will be too late.”

She lets her gaze harden on the camera.

"You see Candy I didn't become the longest reigning Bombshell Roulette Champion of all time by letting others dictate the pace or letting someone else take control.” she said "I claim control, and I show no mercy and I will give no second chances. All you will have left is the reality of my rule and your place beneath it.”

She laughs.

“I don't just fight to win. I fight to control.” said Victoria, “You're stepping into the ring with a queen and I'm going to bury you under my rule.”

She pauses.

“You want to see control?” she said “You want to see what obedience looks like?”

She motions to someone off camera as a husky male with shaggy hair and a beard drags his legs behind him as he crawls up to her Neil's beside her and caresses her legs and abdomen looking up with a smile.

“This is Darian.” she said “You can consider him Vincent's replacement of sorts, but unlike my insolent brother,  this one is obedient, this one actually listens and this one knows his place beneath his Queen, isn't that right pet?.”

“Yes my queen.” Darian says.

“Very good.” said Victoria “You see this is obedience, this is loyalty, and where you see your queen you will see her pet in her corner.  My sweet Darian who can satisfy me in ways my brother is unable to, nor should he unless you're some sick freak from Alabama or something.”

Darian and Victoria both laugh.

“My pet isn't here to seek any glory for himself.” she said “He is here to support and serve his queen.  Most importantly he does what I say. “

She clears her throat.

“Bark like a dog.” she said.

On cue Darian barked.

“Now do a cat.” she said.

Darian meowed.

“Stand up.” she said.

Darian rose to his feet

“Now Vogue.” she said.

Darian did a Vogue dance that would rival even Madonna's.

“Return.” she said.

Quickly he was back kneeling by her side caressing her abdomen.

“That is what you call power Candy.” Victoria said “Something you will never obtain. I am going to bury you in sand candy and you're only hope is that you resurrect into something better.”

She pauses to nod to the camera and begins walking off toward the left side.

“Follow.” she said

Darian obediently followed her off camera as everything faded to black.

She had never felt more pressure in her life even during her reign as Bombshell Roulette Champion. But right now Victoria Lyons had a lot going through her mind.

She was still dealing with the proverbial slump she was in after losing her championship, to which really,  it began after her crown was taken.

She had failed to change the narrative, and secure a World Bombshell Championship opportunity.

But she was given a second chance, a second chance to change the narrative and this time she could change it on a much grander stage.

And then there was her brother, she hadn't heard from him since the incident on Climax Control where he tried to drown Logan Hunter.

Nobody had.

Not Coach Kaiser, not Eddie, not their mother and not even Victoria herself. Vincent had become a ghost since the incident.

That concerned her as she was always able to get through to him, but now he was even ignoring her his twin,  the one who had always been there to support him.

The lack of success, the missing out of control brother and the ever-growing need to rebound with this second opportunity all Victoria wanted to do was pull herself out of this rut she found herself in.

And she could really only think of one possible way to do that.

She had to become the World Bombshell Champion.

___________

Victoria hated the whispers she heard going around the Lyon's Den lately about her brother, about him being a maniac, how he should be in jail and how many of the new students were concerned about their own safety.

Coach Kaiser was dealing with all the legal matters of the situation but what nobody seemed concerned about is that Vincent had been missing since the incident.

She had called and called since the incident with Logan Hunter, and even she was getting no response that wasn't normal. How can nobody else understand that? Why was nobody else concerned about Vincent? They all wanted to be angry and point their fingers at him, but she didn't.

Did her brother take things too far? Possibly, but it didn't make him a monster. She felt like the only one that cared about his side of the story. She felt like the only one still on his side.

But was he even on hers anymore? 

Then a voice came, breaking her thought.

“Any word?” came the voice of Coach Kaiser

“No.. he's not answering any calls.” Victoria replied.

Coach Kaiser let out a frustrated sigh.

“This isn't good Victoria.” Coach Kaiser said “Your brother has caused us a lot of trouble with what he did.”

Victoria growled, that was exactly the type of thing she was tired of hearing.

“Do you ever think about how he feels?” Victoria snapped “Or is everybody around here just going to point their fingers at him?”

“I can't understand how he feels if he won't answer anyone's calls.” said Coach Kaiser.

Victoria's sighed she couldn't argue with that. Even she wanted to know what was going through his mind.

“I just don't think we should be jumping to conclusions so quickly.” said Victoria “Maybe we should give him time.”

“There's no accusations being made.” said Coach Kaiser “Your brother attempted to drown someone, everybody saw it.”

“Yeah well maybe Logan had it coming.” Victoria grumbled.

“Now I know you don't mean that.” said Coach Kaiser, "That Logan guys an ass sure, but nobody deserves that.”

Victoria holding her arms with a frown.

“So says the guy who once switched his best friend's IV fluid bag with a bag of vodka while she was in the hospital.” Victoria smirked.

“And that's exactly why I want to talk to him.” Coach Kaiser replied “That was the darkest path I ever went down, and I don't want the same for him.  I don't think you do either.”

“No.. no I don't.” Victoria admitted.

“I need you to keep trying to get through to him.” said Coach Kaiser, "Because if we can't then  I might have to pull his contract for the safety of himself and others.”

“You WHAT!?” Victoria snarled.

“We can't condone his actions at the Lyon's Den.” said Coach Kaiser "I'm putting his contract on probationary status to see how things go, if his behavior doesn't improve I'm considering pulling his contract.”

“You can't do that!” Victoria shot back.

“I can, and I will.” replied Coach Kaiser “Don't forget I control all of your contracts, and if Vincent is going to behave like has been then I may have to take action and void his contract with Sin City Wrestling.”

“Please just let me talk to him first.” said Victoria, "He has to turn up for Climax Control. I'll find him then if I haven't reached him before of course.”

“Very well.” said Coach Kaiser "I don't want to pull his contract, but I can't let somebody represent the Lyons Den and go out there trying to drown people.”

“He'll listen to me.” said Victoria “I know he will.”

Somewhere deep down, even she didn't believe that.

“I hope so.” said Coach Kaiser, “I really do.”

With that Coach Kaiser walked away back to his office leaving Victoria by herself.

Well that was just great. Now she had more problems to deal with. What the hell was going on with Vincent? Why did he do that? That was never their way. It was always torture them so you can hear their screams, because hearing them cry in pain and beg for mercy was the best part.

She really didn't need any of this on her plate right now because she had a world championship to win and she really didn't want to waste this second opportunity.

She tried dialing Vincent again and as expected no response.

“Goddammit Vincent.” she muttered “You've really done it this time.”

As hard as it was she couldn't worry about Vincent at this moment she needed to focus on getting into the World Bombshell Championship match.

__________


The camera opens up in a lavish lounge to find Victoria Lyons dressed in a lavish gown seated on a velvet chair with a glass of her favorite red in her hand. She wears no crown but there's still an aura of regalness about her.

The area around her is roped off with velvet ropes giving her her own little private space complete with some random muscled up meathead playing bodyguard.

Around the lounge there's some random people scattered enjoying themselves with drinks and dancing,  but the focus remains on Victoria in her little VIP area.

“We come to yet another busy day in the life of a queen." said Victoria “And make no mistake about it, I am still your queen. I may have lost my way for a bit but I found it again. But before I can challenge the Empress Kayla, I have to listen to the pleas of five others who wish to enter MY VIP lounge and stake their claim to face the Empress. Five commoners who think they belong in a place like this.”

She laughs through a sip of her wine.

“Let's start with Cassie Wolfe”. she said "Someone who can't look past her own selfishness. She tried to take opportunity after opportunity wave from her supposed friend Harper Mason. Now that Harper is a champion and you're not that makes you jealous doesn't it?"

She takes a casual sip of her red.

“You want to become the World Bombshell Champion  just so you can feel superior to Harper Mason.“ said Victoria “Deep down you can't stand the fact that she's a champion and you're not. But the thing is you don't belong here with people like me you don't belong in a place like this."

She motions around her little roped off VIP area.

“You belong out there with the common folk and that's exactly where you're going to end up after Climax Control because the truth is Cassie, you just don't belong anywhere other than the playground with the rest of the little girls.” Victoria continued. “Of course you probably wouldn't want to come into a place like this anyway. People like you much prefer to congregate in the dirtiest of places but there is someone in this match who probably does believe she should be in a place like this and perhaps at some point in the past she did.”

She adjusts her posture after another sip of wine.

“I of course I'm talking about yesterday's news Crystal Caldwell.” said Victoria “The woman who calls herself the Silver Screen Queen.”

Victoria laughs amused at the nickname.

“Sweetheart there's only one Queen around here these days, and you're looking at her.” Victoria said. "When someone around SCW refers to “the queen”, rest assured they're talking about me. Even after they took my crown and gave it to Alexandra Calaway people out there are still calling me Queenie and referring to me as Queen. Even when I tried to move past it, but if it's as Queen they want then it's me as Queen they're going to get. Because the red carpet doesn't roll out for you anymore Crystal. It rolls out for me The Head Lyoness Victoria Lyons. I have no room in my VIP lounge for a crystal with no shine so you can go back out there with Diamond and Sapphire and Opal and Ruby and whatever other ridiculous names run in your stupid family, like the commoner you've become. I'll even be kind enough to send your wife with you.“

Another short pause, another sip of wine.

“That means you Seleana.” Victoria continued "You two can turn this into a family affair if you want. I really don't care. I'm actually sick and tired of hearing about who's dating who and who's married to who because I'm here to win championships and break records.  I'm going into this match looking to turn my luck around and secure the match that everyone's wanted for the past year and that's Victoria Lyons versus Kayla Richards for the world bombshell championship they don't want you they don't want your wife, they want to see the one that they know can actually take the championship from Kayla and truly start a new era in SCW they want Victoria Lyons. ”

She casually stirs the wine in her glass around arrogantly before taking a sip.

“Hi Alexandra.” she said with a grin. “We really have to stop meeting like this, you know. But I suppose it can't be helped with us being eternal rivals and all. I think you and I both know the two of us will never get along and our feud is one of those that will be forever. But will also be forever is me always being your superior. I know you're desperate to finally pin my shoulders to the mat and finally say you were able to defeat Victoria Lyons in the ring, but that day is just not going to come not now not ever and there's certainly no room for someone like you in my VIP room. So you can go find some dark alley to hang out in with my stupid cousin and you can act like a couple of high school edgelords, because every time you and I are in the ring I will always be better than you.”

Through another sip of wine we can still see the smirk on her face.

“And that brings me to you Frankie my dear.” she said, “The one who was supposed to change everything in SCW and has done nothing but fall into the same trap as everybody else. Get a championship opportunity against Kayla Richards, fail, and forever be chasing that opportunity again.”

She shakes her head in disappointment.

“To be honest, I had hopes for you too Frankie.” said Victoria. "I mean you bested me in the ring and I really thought you could be the one to end the reign of Kayla Richards and actually do something with it. But you didn't do that,  did you Frankie? And now what now? You've been slipping, your cracks are showing, as it turns out you're really just as average as the rest of these commoners and let's be honest, you should really should be thinking Harper Mason for your victory over me should you not?”

She gives the camera a cocky wink beneath another sip of wine.

“You had your opportunity and you failed Frankie.” Victoria said “You don't get another one. Not before me. Do you understand me?! It's my turn! The only reason I haven't gotten my Bombshell World Championship opportunity is because I was too busy changing the Bombshell Roulette Division for the better. I was too busy keeping that division on  lockdown for an entire year and making it relevant. But now my true destiny is calling out to me and my destiny is to become the Bombshell World Champion  and none of you are going to stop me from getting what I deserve.”

Her tone becomes more vicious and slightly sinister, reminiscent of the queen that reigned as Bombshell Roulette Champion.

“I will not be bested by some little girl who thinks she's so punk rock, but comes off more Avril Lavigne than Sid Vicious.” Victoria said, "I will not be bested by some washed up former world champion looking to still remain relevant, and I won't be bested by some washed up world champions wife either.”

She takes another sip of her seemingly endless glass of wine.

“I'm not going to be bested by LJ Kasey's girlfriend.” she said with a smirk “Nor will I be bested by an Icarus who fast-tracked so quickly to the top that they crashed and burned and now don't have the steam they did when they first flew into this place.”

Short pause. More wine.

“None of you belong here.” Victoria said “I am going to be the soul survivor of our VIP brawl and I'll throw all you bitches out myself if I have to. You keep my title warm too Kayla, because I'm coming for you too bitch. You all will learn that I'm not my brother because I will keep you alive so I can hear your screams, so I can feel and taste your blood while you beg for mercy that will never come.”

She cackles.

“A new era is dawning in SCW.” said Victoria “It's time for a new champion, a proven champion, one that comes in and immediately breaks records. It's time for the rise of Victoria Lyons to the very top, and when all the smoke settles at Violent Conduct, I will rise as your new Bombshell World Champion and I will once again go on to break every goddamn record in that division just like I did as Bombshell Roulette Champion. All I can say to the rest of you bitches backstage from Kayla Richards to Mercedes Vargas to Harper Mason all the way down to Miss Manners had better…. Be prepared."

She cackles again while glaring into the camera as everything fades to black.

__________

It was getting ridiculous at this point, it had been days and Vincent had not replied to one call or one text of which Victoria had easily sent over a hundred of each to him.

But she refused to give up this was her brother, her twin, the person in the world she cared the most about.  They had done everything together and were inseparable.

Not everything.

Vincent wasn't there when she became Queen or when she won the Bombshell Roulette Champion. She had done that all on her own.

And it may have been short-lived but who was it that stood with her as the Mixed Tag Team champions? It was Eddie, not Vincent.

No she was being selfish she couldn't think like that. Vincent would never think of her that way.

Of course she wouldn't abandon him. He had abandoned her before leaving her on her own and now he was ghosting her.

She exhaled softly as she looked out the window of her Cancun hotel room wondering what she was going to do, and hoping Vincent was out there safe somewhere.


“Vincent.” she said to herself “Just be well out there, and please don't do anything that crazy again.”

She turned back and sat at the foot of her bed she really wanted to keep her focus on her number one contendership match, and she was trying, but at the core of everything she was still human and couldn't shake the concern she had for her brother.

It'll be his fault if she didn't win this. How could he do this and ignore her knowing it would cause her focus to be split? How could Vincent be so selfish?

There she was again letting these intrusive thoughts in. Vincent wasn't being selfish, he had his reasons for what he was doing and what he had done, but she just didn't understand them.

She wanted to though, because right now what Vincent needed was support and nobody out there wanted to support him except for her.

Everything would work out, it had to. Vincent would find whatever it was he was looking for and she would become the world bombshell champion and then all would be right in the world.

Yeah everything was going to be okay.

Right?

As she lay down onto her bed she wondered if even she believed that.

__________

The images of Frankie Holliday, Alexandra Calaway, Diamond Caldwell, Cassie Wolfe and Seleana Zdunich all with the eyes stabbed out and x's over their faces flash on the screen before the close-up image of Victoria Lyons face comes to life with the cameras.

“You know ladies right now is really not a good time to be getting into the ring with me.” said Victoria “I have a lot of anger and aggression to let out after what happened with my brother and the fact that he is ignoring me. The one who gave him everything, and yet he won't even have the decency to answer me and explain himself. So if you're wondering yes I'm starting to get a little pissed off about it. But the rest of you piss me off even more pointing your fingers as though you have the right to have any opinion on the matter. Who the hell are any of you to judge him?”

She has a scowl on her face and her lip quivers.

“I bet L.J. feels like a real hero doesn't he Alexandra?” said Victoria through her scowl. "I bet you're so proud of him too aren't you? Your boyfriend, the hero of the night.”

She scoffs finding that very idea insulting.

"Your stupid trout-faced boyfriend should have minded his own business." said Victoria "My brother clearly had a plan for something and your idiot boyfriend had to go mess everything up and make Vincent look like the bad guy, when we all know the bad guy was Logan Hunter and all my brother was likely trying to do was take out the trash.”

Her words come callous and hateful.

“But that's just what you need L.J. to be don't you Alexandra?" she said "Your amazing, most wonderful boyfriend in the entire world. You used to be taken a lot more seriously around here, but ever since the two of you got together, you really have become nothing more than L.J. Kasey's girlfriend.”

She glares into the camera, her eyes showing the true disdain in her heart.

“And then there's Cassie Wolfe who's such a fucking poser it makes me sick.“[/color] said Victoria "Oh look at me I'm so cool, I wear my hat backwards, and skateboarding is cool and yeah dude look at me, I'm totally the cool chick that bros out all the dudes yo.”

She scoffs again, spitting at the ground.

“It's just your pathetic attempt to seem cool Cassie.” said Victoria “And I'm not buying any of it. You don't deserve to be in this match, you don't deserve to share a ring with me.  I will shatter your face just like I shattered your older sister's record as Bombshell Roulette Champion.”

She laughs to herself through that sinister smirk of hers.

“And what of the Romeo and Juliet of this little encounter?” Victoria said “Or I suppose I should say Juliet and Juliet in this case. Crystal and Seleana, the married couple, part of whatever weird little relationship that family has going on. I thought they might be in a throuple with Diamond, but I'm not even sure and honestly I don't really care. All I care about is getting what I deserve and what I deserve is to be the next contender for the Bombshell World Championship. I only speak the truth because I am the greatest talent that has never had a Bombshell World Championship opportunity yet it's my turn and I'm not going to let any of you take it from me.”

She glares into the camera with daggers in her eyes.

“And of course we have Frankie Holliday.” said Victoria “Everybody thinks she's so great because of her fast rise to the top. You know who else had a fast rise to the top? I did!! And instead of squandering my first opportunity, I won Queen for a Day and I became the Bombshell Roulette Champion. I broke records and changed the division and that was in my first year with this company Frankie. You had the opportunity to make history and beat Kayla Richards but you failed. This is not where you get your chance at redemption, this is where I get my chance at redemption. Because you're not the only one who has a loss against Kayla that you need to rectify.”

She pauses for a moment.

“I have my own loss against Kayla I need to rectify.” said Victoria “From way before anybody here at SCW even knew who you were, Kayla bested me in a little Champion versus Champion encounter and I've been quietly waiting for another opportunity to get her one-on-one once again and prove that I am the very best in this company and that I am better than Kayla Richards.  The ultimate Redemption is not only me defeating her but me defeating her and taking her championship and that's exactly what I'm going to do after I have all you common bitches removed from my VIP room.”

She takes another short pause.

“I thought maybe I could try to be a little nicer.” said Victoria “Play things everybody else's way and be more respectful and all it got me was stuck in a rut and it caused me to lose my championship and that's my fault I should have known better. I don't need to respect any of you because I am better and I know I'm better and even though I'm stuck in a rut I still have the pedigree to prove it.  You all will bow down before me because crown or not, I will always be your Queen, and soon I will be your World Bombshell Champion.”

She glares sinisterly into the camera as everything fades to black.

It would be the second Princess Cruise for Victoria Lyons. Last year she entered not only as Bombshell Roulette Champion but also as Queen. This year she returns, no longer a queen but still the Bombshell Roulette Champion.

Last year hadn't been the best of times for her either. She spent the entire trip seasick, a seagull crapped on her face and someone stole her crown which thankfully was found and recovered by her cousin Eddie, who of course didn't even get a thank you.

She promised herself to have a better time this year and make sure to pack some Dramamine this time. She had no crown to be stolen and she would just have to watch out for those damn dirty seabirds.

She just wanted to have a simple relaxing time on the cruise and enjoy it before she had to put an end to Harper Mason.

But Harper wasn't her only concern there was also Vincent. She could see it in her brother he was growing more frustrated with the Jayden situation by the day and she wished there was more she could do to help him. She only hoped he could win his match because if he lost this time even she wasn't sure what he would become.

She glanced at Vincent as the two stepped onto the Princess Cruise, the whole thing with him Jayden started over comments made about her comments even she herself had forgotten about. But that was Vincent, always standing up for her.

It always been Vincent, since day one when he got into his first fight. A situation that to this day he didn't know was actually caused by his sister.

……….
……..
…..
…
.

Her halls were perfect. Maybe too perfect. The young Victoria had enforced her will on the halls of Alexander Graham Middle School so well that nobody dared try to break any of the rules when she was monitoring the halls.  Her iron rule was an annoyance to many of the students but the staff did nothing to stop her, because in their eyes the less trouble from students the better it was for them.

It was becoming slightly boring for the young Victoria however. Everything was in order and there was nobody for her to enforce her authority upon. What was the point of being able to enforce if there was nothing to actually enforce?

Then she saw it. Almost as if someone sensed her desires, the eighth grader Blake Webber had just exited the boys bathroom and didn't notice that he dropped his hall pass.

She could have done the right thing and gave it back to him, but instead she kicked it underneath the nearby trash can and then stomped right over to the young boy.

“Webber!!” she called out “Show me your hall pass.”

“Oh right.” Blake said with a slight eye roll, reaching into his pocket “Of course I have it right here.”

Of course, as Victoria already knew, he didn't have it right there, patting his pockets a few times, a look of dread slowly appeared on Blake Webber face.

“No… wait… what?” he said confused “I swear I just had it I must have dropped it in the bathroom or something.”

“A likely story..” Victoria replied “I'm going to need you to report to the office immediately.”

“Come on!” he said “I'm on my way back to math class anyway, can't you just let me go? Follow me there if you want. Just let me go.”

“If I just let people go when they broke the rules.” Victoria said “I wouldn't be much of a hall monitor now would I?”

“Come on!” Blake begged.

Victoria shook her head and spoke into her walkie-talkie.

“Yes this is Hall Monitor Lyons.” she said “I am sending Mr Blake Webber to your office for roaming the halls without a pass.”

“Understood. We will be expecting him.” came the voice of an adult over the walkie-talkie.

Victoria smirked at Blake as he glared back at her.

“This is complete bullshit.” he said “You can't keep roaming these halls acting like your Eric Cartman or something.”

“Look don't be mad at me because you chose to break the rules.” said Victoria.

“I had my hall pass!” insisted Blake. “It was in my pocket.”

“Well is it in your pocket now?” said Victoria.

“No…” said Blake “But I swear it was there.”

“Well I'm afraid rules are rules Mr Webber.” said Victoria “You better hurry up, they're expecting you in the office. You wouldn't want to be late.”

With an annoyed exhale and no other choice Blake Webber stomped off in the direction of the office leaving Victoria completely pleased with herself.

When he was out of sight she reached underneath the trash can retrieving the hall pass, and tossed it into the trash bin. She didn't know the incident would lead to Vincent's first fight, but even if she had she would have done it anyway.

She just needed to feel powerful and in that moment she did. Blake Webber ended up with a detention which turned into a suspension after the fight with Vincent, and that made it even more sweet.

.
….
……..
………..
…………

They entered the check-in area together Vincent checking into his room and Victoria checking into her own separate suite reserved for the champions. There wasn't much more she could do for Vincent at this point, except hope that he was able to succeed over Jayden this time if not it would be her picking up the pieces.

She rested a hand and her brother's shoulder and looked at him at the comforting nod. Whatever happened during this Cruise, afterward they would still have each other.

Leader and protector.

_________

The cameras open up in one of the Grand Suites of the Princess Cruise, one reserved for the champions of Sin City wrestling, the same treatment Victoria Lyons received last year.

She sits looking relaxed in a small lounge area with a glass of her favorite Red on a table next to her.  Taking a sip of the wine she smirks into the camera.

“Nice place isn't it Harper?” Victoria said “You know had you accepted my leadership you could have had one of these suites as well. Instead it seems like the keys will be going to Mercedes Vargas.”

Victoria shrugs and sips her wine.

“You still want to sit there and blame me for the whole Cassie and the chair situation.” said Victoria “But let's not forget that you were the one holding the chair. All I did was step aside and let your own conscience do the damage. Deep down you knew that's what you wanted you're just not strong-willed enough to admit it, and that will continue to hold you back until you do.“

She casually takes another sip of her wine.

“And you're going ride the whole you pinned Song not me into the ground  aren't you?” said Victoria “You act like it proves something because I didn't pin you. But you fail to realize that champions seek to WIN. That's why I left that ring that night still holding a championship and you left that night still chasing one.”

With a confident exhale she said some more wine

“You can continue to believe you have the better of me all you want.” said Victoria “And maybe you did get one over on me a few times and get away with it. But the truth is Harper, when the Championships on the line and the moment actually means something where have you been? You do understand that getting the better of me in side quests means nothing unless you can actually defeat the boss.”

She continues to speak with her usual confidence mixed with arrogance as she sips some more wine.

“I'm going to prove that you don't even belong in this supposed to kiddie pool as you called it.” said Victoria “You understand me? I could have made you something but now you're not even good enough to swim with the kids. No, you're in the little baby pool because that's what you are becoming a little baby, complaining about my reign and me having a stranglehold on this division like I'm supposed to just roll over and die.”

She laughs at the idea.

“You talk about  the Bombshell Roulette Championship  is meant for those starting their career in SCW “ said Victoria "I suppose there's some truth to that, after all what I won this Championship I was breaking into this company, only took me a few weeks to become champion if you recall.”

She looks proudly at the championship she has resting on her shoulder.

“Since then I've carried this championship to greatness” said Victoria "You can be mad all you want about this supposed stranglehold I have on this division,  but you say it like I'm supposed to give up. I don't give up Harper. Just because nobody's been able to take this from me it doesn't mean I'm going to allow it to happen because you don't think it's fair.”

She pauses taking another sip from her wine glass.

“You're just desperate for validation.” said Victoria “And the fact that you yourself said you've held a grudge since I put you in that handicap match over a year ago shows how emotionally fragile and unbalanced you are. You're unable to grow from any setbacks. A thirteen month grudge is called obsession and if that's all it took to shake you and get under your skin maybe this will be easier than I thought.”

She laughs arrogantly.

“I've been here the entire time Harper.” Victoria said “I haven't been backing down from any challenge  I've been facing and winning them.  You just want to be seen as a hero so bad it blinds you from reaching your true potential and that will be forever your downfall. What even is a Slaytanic Avenger?”

She pauses raising an eyebrow to the camera.

“I mean it sounds like a play on satanic and slaying  to me.” said Victoria “Those don't exactly sound like the traits of a hero to me. They sound like your true self trying to speak for you if you want to be slaytanic as you call it then be slaytanic. Be the devil you truly desire to be and slay somebody.”

She pauses again for another sip of wine.

“By that I mean truly break somebody.” said Victoria “Truly make somebody bleed and scream for their life, make them feel pain, make them scared to even think of the name Harper Mason.  But you won't, you'll continue to be soft and play nice because that's what these fans want from you and you need to be seen as their hero.”

She shakes her head, disappointed.

“You're not going to prevent me from any milestone," said Victoria. "I will complete a year as champion and I will continue to have one of the strongest and dominant championship reigns in the history of SCW. But you worry not, I'll be gracious Harper. I'll send you one of the first “year two” t-shirts as a consolation prize. When I defend my championship and complete a year as champion, I'm going to continue my dominance over this division and continue my reign for ONE MORE YEAR.”

She takes another sip of wine finishing the glass off.

“Don't like it?” said Victoria “Then try and stop me.”

She glances confidently into the camera as the scene fades to black.

__________

Victoria stood on the balcony of her private grand suite aboard the Princess Cruise, overlooking the people on the decks below.

She never wanted it to come this far with Harper Mason but some people simply refuse to learn and now all Victoria could do was teach Harper Mason a lesson she would never forget.

Harper Mason didn't know what she had missed out on.  Victoria was a shoe leader she always had been ever since she met her first disciple.

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It was lunch time at Alexander Graham Middle School and Victoria sat with her usual boot lickers. But today they were boring her. They only hung around her because they felt it would keep them out of trouble anyway.

That had become the problem, she had enforced her call monitor duties so strongly that nobody even bothered to cause any trouble either out of fear or just deciding it wasn't worth dealing with her.

But today it was the toadies that were getting on her nerves. These kids she saw as nothing more than suckups, and she needed something more that's when she saw her, the perfect investment. Monica Saperstein.

She was a quiet girl who always sat alone with her nose in a book. Today it was The Secret History by Donna Tartt. This was the type of girl who didn't cause trouble, not out of fear of Victoria or anything like that but simply because she wasn't a troublemaker to begin with.

“Disperse.” Victoria said to the handful of students around her, before making her way over to the table where Monica sat alone taking a seat directly across from her.

“Um…May I help you?” Monica said and a rather monitoring voice looking up from her book.

“You look like you could use some company.” said Victoria.

“Oh it's okay you don't need to worry about me.” said Monica.

“That's the problem.” Victoria said "I know who you are. You're Monica Saperstein. Clean record, perfect attendance. Always stays out of trouble, never so much as an issue. I mean even the nerds get in trouble for trading Pokémon cards during class.”

“I'm sorry..” Monica replied “I don't understand.”

“Don't you ever want to be more?” Victoria said, closing Monica's book for her.  "Don't you ever get tired of being in the background?”

“I'll be okay…” Monica said.

“You know why they ignore you right?” said Victoria.

“Look Victoria I'm really not interested in…” Monica began

“It's because they're afraid of you.” Victoria interrupted “You're smarter than all of them and they know it. That makes them scared. But you choose to remain hidden when you have so much more untapped potential. All  you need is presence. That is what I can give you.”

“And why me?” said Monica with an eyebrow raised, "Why not one of your little groupies?”

“Because I need someone of your intelligence level.” said Victoria “Do you know what it's like hanging around those boot lickers all the time? We can help each other. I give you presence and pull you from the shadows, and you just give me someone to have a coherent conversation with.”

“I don't know..” said Monica.

“Then take a day to think about it.” said Victoria, "Just remember it can be a tough road going through school as a loner bookworm.  But if you want to matter, if you want to become somebody and you want people to notice you sit with me tomorrow at lunch and then everything changes. You're a smart girl, I'm sure you'll make the right decision.”

Victoria stood up from Monica's table and walked away as Monica watched her with a curious expression.

The next day at lunch, Monica sat at Victoria's table.

.
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Her and Monica ended up becoming best friends and even formed their own clique through High School. Monica ended up becoming prom queen and thanked Victoria for making her visible.

Harper Mason had no idea what she had missed out on  Victoria was not only a former Queen herself but a Queenmaker. 

Unfortunately for Harper it was time for Victoria to put an end to the whole charade and wipe herself clean of Harper Mason once and for all.

She stood, there on her balcony, her thoughts echoing in her mind.

All Harper had to do, was sit with me.

__________

The cameras open back in the private Suite of Victoria Lyons aboard the Princess Cruise, see of course has more of her favorite red and she looks into the cameras with a confident in knowing smile.

“So you like stories right Harper?” said Victoria “You told your own story about our history which in the end only made you look weaker because you held a grudge against me for thirteen months over a booking decision. Does that sound like someone with any sort of strong will? Because to me it shows just how weak your mind is Harper.”

She casually takes a sip of her wine.

“But I have a story of my own. A story of power and influence.” Victoria said “A story about a girl named Monica, who I guided from being absolutely nothing to becoming a queen.”

She runs her fingers along the rim of her wine glass.

“We were in middle school at the time.” said Victoria  “I was in leadership I had become quite popular, always surrounded by my bootlickers, the kids who followed me not out of respect but out of fear.”

She pauses taking a sip of her wine.

“It grew quite tiring.” said Victoria “And I began to desire something else. I wanted somebody that would actually respect me for being the leader I am and that's when I noticed Monica in the lunchroom. She was a quiet girl always stayed out of sight and usually kept to herself and her books. That day she was reading a book called The Secret History. The type of girl that went so unnoticed the bullies didn't even pick on her she was basically non-existent.”

She takes another sip of her red.

“But I knew who she was.” said Victoria “As I said I was in leadership and I was voted class president so I knew she had one of the highest GPAs in school and I knew she had untapped potential. She just needed to learn how to take charge and become visible.”

She takes another sip of wine emptying the glass and taking a moment to pour another.

“So I extended an olive branch.” said Victoria “I offered her recognition. I offered her the chance to become noticed, to become a name, to become somebody that mattered. I told her that she has the brains but I can give her the stage. All she had to do was come sit at my table the next day.”

She takes a sip of her freshly poured wine glass.

"The next day at lunch guess who sat across from me at the lunch table?" said Victoria "Monica Saperstein. Who made the greatest decision she ever made in her life by accepting my leadership because do you know what happened to her?"

Victoria paused through another sip of wine.

“She became somebody.” said Victoria. “It started with a makeover and a new wardrobe. Then kids began to learn and even fear the name Monica Saperstein. Her and I became inseparable and we kept our relationship through High School even adding a couple new girls to our crew Rachel and Jasmine.”

Victoria smiles and there's actually something genuine about it as she speaks of her old high school friends.

“But Monica and I were the true “It” Girls”. said Victoria “I continued as class president throughout all four years of high school with Monica always as my VP. When graduation rolled around she was voted prom queen.”

Victoria takes another casual sip of wine.

“I led her to that.” said Victoria “I took a shy quiet bookworm and turned her into a queen. People went from not even noticing her to fearing her name.”

She laughed slightly, proud of herself.

“Of course after High School we all went our separate ways.” said Victoria “I chose to continue the family business and focus more on my training at the Lyons Den. Monica went to a college in New York and these days she's one of the most respected lawyers in New York City.”

Victoria takes another sip of wine, longer this time.

“I wanted something like that for you too Harper.” said Victoria “You didn't even need the stage, you've already got a spotlight. You just need to stop caring about others' opinions of you. You need to learn how to go into business for Harper Mason and nobody else. You need to stop trying to be the hero.”

Victoria pauses shortly.

“I elevate people Harper.” Victoria said "I build them up and I make Queens but I can only do that if they're willing to rise. You looked to me in the eye and defied me. You acted like you were above me,  like you were supposed to scare me but the truth is you had no idea what you were doing.”

She laughs to herself and taking another sip of wine.

“Look deny it all you want." Victoria said “But when I put you in that handicap match last year, that was the first time people really took notice of Harper Mason.  Even though you lost you showed that you could truly go up against two of the very best on your own. But then you did nothing with it, squandering every championship opportunity that was presented to you and now you choose to be part of a tag team that can go nowhere in this company.”

Victoria shakes her head.

“Oh what could have been.” said Victoria “You and I, enforcing our rule over the entire division. Nobody would be able to stop us. But it was you who refused to let it happen. It was you who refused greatness.”

Victoria sips some more wine.

“I could have made you somebody“ said Victoria. "We could have been STRONGER TOGETHER, instead you chose to be my enemy. Now you're going to find out very quickly how wrong of a decision you made. Unfortunately after this I'm done with you. You had your chance, so don't even try to come crawling back asking for forgiveness after I completely dismantle you because I'm not big on second chances so I'm wiping myself clean of Harper Mason.”

She takes another sip of wine and looks directly into the camera.

“When that bell rings…” Victoria said “Harper Mason is going to understand the true meaning of I told you so.”

She laughs to herself again and sips more wine.

“All you had to do Harper, was sit with me.” Victoria said.

With a disappointed shrug she sips a final sip of wine, looking into the camera confidently as everything fades to black.

__________

The fun and games were over. Neither of the Lyons twins were amused with either of their current rivals. Vincent was ready to officially cut the rope and complete the execution of Jayden Harris.  Victoria had heard one word from her rival that had stuck in her brain and she took it personally that word was..

Afraid.

That word would be Harper Mason's final mistake. Victoria's opponents could say a lot about her. She was callous, she was conniving, she was cruel, and she was quite frankly a bitch. But the one thing she had never been and nobody would ever dare call her again was afraid.

It was time to break Harper Mason both mentally and physically. And it would start by destroying her best friend and partner in Cassie Wolfe, before Victoria was to lead her own execution of Harper Mason at summer XXXtreme.

And if that pesky little cockroach Kate Steele wanted to get involved then she could get it too.

She didn't agree with her cousin Eddie often but he was right about something he said leading into his match last week.

After Summer XXXtreme the only name that matters will be Lyons.[/i]

__________

The old Lyons Greenhouse was cleaner than it had been in years, the pathways were swept, the broken glass panes replaced, the only thing that was left as they found it, was the decay of the dead flowers and weeds which Victoria had chosen to keep.

Somehow the decaying dead orchids and wilted roses seemed beautiful to her, it was something that once sprouted with life like she had when she was Queen but now like her was, left something more decayed and broken.

But broken things could still be beautiful, and this place was beautiful to her. This was her new comfort area, her new throne room, this was her place.

“Look at it Vincent.” she said motioning around the greenhouse, “Look at what we've done with the place. We've restored it. It looks even better than it did when we were kids.”

“Yeah it's great.” Vincent said no emotion in his voice.

Victoria looked at him curiously.

“Everything okay over there little brother.” she asked.

“Yes I'm fine.” Vincent exhaled shaking his head “Sorry, just this whole Jayden situation I need to handle it, and I will. I just I need some air.”

Without further word Vincent took an exit from the greenhouse and Victoria let him go. Despite all accusations against them, she did not control him. He chose Jayden as a target on his own and she knew Vincent would finish Jayden on his own.

She had her own problems anyway. The whole Harper Mason situation had grown incredibly out of hand, and now Kate Steele was buzzing around being honestly more annoying than Harper Mason was.

But without even realizing it the powers that be had actually given her a gift. A gift in the form of Cassie Wolfe. The teammate and close friend of Harper Mason.  Now she had the chance and opportunity to send a powerful message to Harper Mason before their War upon the Princess Cruise. She would take her dear friend Cassie Wolfe and make a complete example out of her.

“I'm not fucking afraid.“ she muttered to herself.

It was that word that she took personally. AFRAID. It was that word that ate at her. She was the Bombshell roulette champion, the current longest reigning champion in the company. Who did she have to be afraid of?

Certainly not Harper Mason, definitely not Kate Steele, and especially not Cassie Wolfe.

She looked at her own reflection in the newly restored pond still hidden somewhat among the dead brambles. She wasn't a queen anymore and she had learned to accept that but now she had to figure out who she really wanted to become was it a goddess as she originally thought or was that too easy, too obvious?

Did it really matter? Because her true identity was the Bombshell Roulette Champion, her true identity was just Victoria Lyons. The scourge of the Bombshell Roulette Division. The one they still refused to show any respect to.

Afraid. What a childish remark. But she should have expected no less from a child like Harper Mason a child she wanted to help grow, but now was being forced to destroy, and the first step in that ways to destroy her mental state and in order to do that she needed to make an example out of one person.

Cassie Wolfe.

She smiled back at her own reflection.  Everything was going to play out fine. She would make an example out of Cassie Wolfe and just like last year she would enter and leave the Princess Cruise as a champion.

__________

She had found Vincent lingering around the outside of the greenhouse, and she had let him be but now was the time to be his one minute older, bit still older sister and make sure he truly was ready for Jayden Harris.

“Hey Vin.” she said upon her approach “You get enough air?”

“Oh hey Vic.” he said turning to her. “Yeah I'm fine.”

“You sure about that?” she said with an intrigued look “You left kind of hastily.”

“I just don't know if I can take another loss to Jayden.” said Vincent "I need to win at Summer XXXtreme. I made it our match, our family specialty, if I lose this time does it mean Jayden Harris is right?”

“Don't you even talk like that.” said Victoria, “Remember you're already winning the bigger game against Jayden and he doesn't even realize it. You are in his head just the thought of you drives him crazy and that is your true victory.”

“He covered us in shit.” Vincent reminded her

Victoria went quiet for a moment and there was a slight quiver of her lip and fury in her eyes before a heavy calming exhale.

“He did.” she nodded “But he did that because he had to. He has nothing left, so he had to become Johnny Knoxville because all Jayden Harris is is a jackass.”

“Still would be nice to have my name etched as the victor.” said Vincent.

“You can't let those losses get to you little brother.” Victoria said, "Look at me I'm not on my best run either. You'll get to deal with Jayden on the cruise ship right now but you need to do is focus on Felix Hernandez. Take it as a warm up before Jayden, so when the time comes you can pull the trigger and put Jayden out for good.”

Vincent let out a calming exhale of his own.

“Yeah, you're right Vic.” said Vincent "I'll figure out what to do about Jayden on the cruise ship, but first maybe I can shake a little of whatever this is off and make Felix Hernandez my personal toy that I will abuse and humiliate.”

“And I'll do the same to Cassie Wolfe” said Victoria “Before I end Harper Mason on the cruise ship.”

“While we're on the subject of the cruise ship…” said Vincent “Eddie is getting married on the ship you planning on attending?”

“Please.” said Victoria “He clearly doesn't want us there, so why would we go.?”

“I mean he sent out an invite to the entire roster.” said Vincent.

“Yes I saw that.” said Victoria “But we are his family. We should have got a personal invitation and we didn't, which means we're not wanted.”

“We could crash it.” grinned Vincent.

“No.” said Victoria “It's no concern of ours. We need to focus on our matches, trying to crash Eddie's wedding would only be a distraction for us.”

“Yeah.” said Vincent “I get it and I don't want any distractions, because I don't plan on taking the loss this time. This is going to be the match that matters between Jayden and myself, this is the one I need to win and it's the one I will win Vic. I will win. I will.”

“I know you will.” Victoria replied “Come on let's go back up to the house, mom said she was going to make her chocolate chip cookies.”

That brightened up her brother's eyes and she knew it would ever since they were kids their mother's homemade chocolate chip cookies had been a favorite of theirs even into adulthood it just made them feel like they drifted back into childhood. 

As they approach the main house the house they lived in as kids they could smell the aroma of the cookies wafting into the outside air in a sense of comfort came over them. A sort of warmth. As callous has both of them could be, even for them there truly was no place like home.

__________


“Theres my sweet little angels.” Ms Lyons said as the twins entered the kitchen. “I knew you two would turn up for cookies sooner or later some things never change.”

“Thanks!.” they both said in unison with smiles, each giving their mother a hug in turn.

Vincent as usual was the first to grab a cookie off the tray.

“Oh you put extra chocolate chips in them this time!” said Vincent “You're the best mom ever.”

“Well you're still my sweet little boy.” she smiled back at him.

Victoria watched as Vincent bit into his cookie and she could see in his eyes as he began being transported somewhere else and she knew that feeling as well as he did.

“Thanks again mother.” she said with a smile at her mom.

“Of course.” Ms Lyons replied “You're my perfect little daughter after all.”

“Always.” Victoria replied with a smile has she been into her own cookie and then she had that feeling and it brought her back to a different time in her childhood.

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“How's the cookie sweetheart?”  Vincent Sr. asked his young daughter.

“It's great.” the young Victoria replied back looking at her father “Mother always makes them so delicious.”

“I know she does.” replied Vincent Sr. “So you and your brother start Sixth Grade next month, Middle School, and I hear you've made the leadership team.”

“Yes. They said since I did really good in elementary school.” said Victoria “I'm someone they want to set an example for the rest of the kids. I'm supposed to start off with hall monitor duties.”

“Well I always knew you had it in you sweetheart.” her father said “I always knew you were a leader. Not just any leader, a good strong leader. I see how you helping your brother when he's a bit off track, as us Lyons men tend to get.”

“Yeah, Vin can be a bit of a doofus sometimes.” Young Victoria said with a grin.

“And you're the first female Lyons in a few generations.” her father said “My father had two brothers, and his father before him had a brother, and their father was a single child. Beyond that we are unsure but there have not been any females to carry the Lyons name and bloodline in some time, until you and that makes you a head lioness. There will come a time when I'm not here anymore, and you're going to need to be the leader of the family.”

“What about Vincent?” she asked her father.

“Vincent will carry my name.” her father said “But you need to be there with him, to help lead and guide him. Remember you are stronger together, and your bond must never be broken.”


“I understand.” she nodded.

“Don't worry you're going to be great.” her father said to her “Your school's leadership team is lucky to have you.”

“I will perform my duties as Hall Monitor dutifully.” she said “I will make sure to keep order in my hallways.”

“That's what I'm afraid of.” her father said with a grin, “Anyway come on let's go get some more cookies before your brother eats them all.”

She smiled back at her father and followed him back to the kitchen where more cookies awaited.

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Suddenly there she was back in her kitchen, just her Vincent and their mother, her cookie now nothing but crumbles on the plate below her. She looked across to her brother as he finished up his, and their gaze met.

She was the leader and there was still some guidance for Vincent, his attention was laser focused on Jayden Harris and it was up to her to make sure she led him to victory because if he failed it was because she failed to lead him properly.

But she would always stand by him because their bond would never be broken and they were stronger together.

“I will lead you.” she muttered quietly to herself, her gaze still on her brother.

___________

The cameras find Victoria alone among the dead weeds and brambles of the old Lyon's greenhouse. She sits with the Bombshell Roulette Championship on her shoulder, casually among the dead orchids and roses with an unreadable look on her face as she keeps her gaze on the camera.

“You know all this started because of you Cassie.” said Victoria. “It all started because you chose to come into SCW, and pull your supposed friend Harper Mason back from her true potential. You are the cause of all of this.”

She furrows her brow and there's a quiver in her lip.

“What is your team supposed to accomplish anyway?” said Victoria “There are no Bombshell Tag Team titles. So is there really a point to Young Justice?”

She shakes her head no as if answering her own question.

“The answer is no.” she said “So all you're doing is putting your friend in a tag team that doesn't even matter. You took all the opportunities that could have been hers and what did you do with them? You squandered them all. Blast from the Past. Queen For a Day. Championship opportunities. All of it.”

She stands and begins moving along the paths of the greenhouse the decayed flowers decorated on both sides.

“And look at you now Cassie.” she snarled “Seeking another opportunity, another chance to take something away from Harper. You're going to use this as your opportunity to worm your way into her championship opportunity in hopes that you become a champion instead of her."

She shakes her head in disgust.

“But that's not how this story plays out Cassie.” said Victoria “Because this isn't your hero arc. It's Harper's. Harper Mason is the one trying to play hero and now she's about to get to the chapter where the hero's best friend gets destroyed,  sending the hero into a downward mental spiral. That is your role in this story Cassie, you are going to the sacrifice so Harper Mason can see the true price of her heroism.”

She finds one of the larger boulders and sits on it, exhaling softly before continuing.

“This is everything you deserve Cassie.” said Victoria “It's a shame I couldn't convince Harper to see her true potential. It's a shame she wants to remain on this heroes arc instead of embracing and learning from a true leader that only wanted to guide her. But I suppose you can't win them all. Some people are just beyond helping and don't understand what a good leader is.”

She pauses for a short moment.

“But as a leader I need to do what I need to do.” said Victoria “And I refuse to let you do this to Harper Mason again and again and again. Taking you out is not going to only be beneficial for her but it's to teach you a lesson as well. You don't deserve a shot at my championship and you won't be getting one. All you're going to get is pain and suffering, the pain and suffering that you've brought upon yourself. The pain and suffering Harper Mason has forced me to give to you.”

That ever cocky grin appears on her face again.

“I am the truth.” said Victoria “And I'm going tired of the disrespect being thrown my way. I'm tired of people still doubting me, still saying I'm not enough when I've held my Bombshell Roulette Championship for the past year and stood up to any and all challenges put in front of me and Harper wants to call me afraid?”

Victoria laughs.

“You know Alexandra Calaway once thought I was afraid of her.” said Victoria “And she came to realize that I was anything but afraid. I put her in her place just like I have everybody that's tried to take my championship, and the funny thing is Cassie and I can't believe I'm going to say this but Alexandra Calaway is more woman than you and Harper Mason combined.”

She scoffs slightly at her own comment.

“I only  speak the truth.” said Victoria “And she is the one who successfully lived up to her own Queenslayer moniker. She successfully burned my throne and she managed to seize my crown. She warned me that she was going to end my reign as queen and she did. She didn't even have to lay a finger on me to seize my crown and that's commendable.  But afraid? I was never afraid of her and I'm certainly not afraid of the two of you.”

She pauses for a quick beat.

“I do wonder what Harper Mason would do though if you did make it into our match.” said Victoria “We know Kate Steele is already trying to worm her own way in as well, so what happens if I get stuck in another multi women match? I can tell you I will pay whoever I have to to win and retain my championship because I’m a winner and that’s how winning is done, but your friend Harper Mason she has to win by pinning one person. Me.”

Victoria grins.


“By Harper's own words.” said Victoria “She has to pin me or she'll be a coward. If this becomes a multi-woman match and she wins by pinning somebody that's not me, somebody that's not the champion, than by her own words that would make her a coward, and that would make her afraid of me, and it would make her a weak champion.”

She pauses letting her words linger.

“But that's going to be Harper Mason's burden to bear.” she said, “Just as what's going to happen to you will be her burden to bear Cassie. It's time for her to learn what her heroism gets her, and it's time for you to learn how to be a better more supportive friend and tag team partner.”

She rises to her feet her championship still displayed proudly on her shoulder.

“You all can say what you want.” she said “But I am the champion of the Bombshell Roulette Division, and if that bothers you too bad. I'm not hiding from anybody and I'm not going to just roll over and just give up my championship. I don't care about people saying it's the Paperweight Championship or I'm not as much of a champion as Kayla Richards."

There's a disgusted look on her face.

“I made this championship great.” said Victoria “I made the championship mean something, more than it has in sometime. But yet I still have doubters I still hear whispers that I'm just a champion of a weak division. If that's the case then maybe they should find me better competition because if I'm going to lose my championship, somebody's going to damn well earn it I haven't kept it this long to just roll over and die. If that means I'm Champion for another year then so be it that's exactly what I'll do. Harper thinks I'm afraid of her but I'll show her and I'll show you Cassie how unafraid I really am.”

She takes another short pause.

“I am Victoria Lyons.” she said sternly “And I am your Bombshell Roulette Champion. I'm not the champion by being afraid of anybody. I'm the Champion by setting up to every challenger before me and laying waste to them. After I'm done with you Cassie I'll move on to Harper and leave her in a wake of my destruction, and she will have nobody to blame but herself because she chose this. She chose to remain loyal and by your side and now it's time to face the consequences and pay the price of heroism.”

Keeping her posture confident and her expression just as she stays focused on the camera as it all fades to black.

Victoria paces back and forth across the floor of her hotel room, her phone in hand with her lawyer on speakerphone. Vincent had gone to take a walk leaving her alone, there were no cameras rolling but she was still performing still commanding and still furious has she angrily barked into her phone.

“What do you mean there's nothing you can do?” she said.

The voice of her lawyer came through the speakerphone.

“Victoria…" he began with caution “I reviewed the contract from last year's Queen for a Day and the verbiage is quite clear. The queen title is exactly that, a day. The language was ceremonial and symbolic.”

“I wore that crown for a year!” she hissed “I redefined what it meant, they let me keep it because they knew I deserved it.”

Her pacing becomes slightly more furious backlit by the city outside the window.

“Technically they were being generous.” her lawyer explained “They could have claimed the crowd within twenty-four hours, but they didn't. That still doesn't mean you have any legal ownership of it.”

“You should be the one reinforcing that ownership!” she said “What do I pay you for.?”

“Victoria, we drafted protections around your brand" he said "Not any specific title, we filed trademarks for..” her lawyer started

“…Don't throw buzzwords at me.” Victoria cut in “You need to figure this out that's your job.”

“But there is no breach of contract..” her lawyer explained “No deception, nothing actionable. You signed the agreement, you were Queen for a Day and they extended the courtesy. That's not something we can litigate.”

“And that's where you fail to understand the situation.” she said “I didn't just wear the crown. I defined it, I made it profitable. The whole thing was worthless before I touched it and now they want to strip it away like I was keeping it warm for someone else.”

“I understand but legally speaking..” he reiterated “You have no ground to stand on, there's no recourse. You're not being stripped you're being succeeded.”

Victoria's eyebrows narrowed.

“Nobody succeeds me.” she said “I decide when my reign ends. You know what I think? I think you got comfortable thought you had a nice cozy spot that could get your bills paid. But when the real battle comes you fold. You're no lawyer you're just a paperweight holding a business card.”

“Victoria..” her lawyer said

“No I don't want to hear it. You're fired.” she said “Effective immediately. I'll have a courier send your last check and you can take your incompetence somewhere else.”

“Victoria please don't be impulsive..” he said “You're upset I get it but..”

“Save it.” she cut him off again “I'm done I want nothing more to do with you or your pathetic disclaimers I don't pay people to lose.”

She ends the call with the sharp tap and a heavy silence follows. She sets the phone on the corner of the bed and sits there for a moment.

“Think they've ended my reign..” she said to herself “But they don't understand. Let the peasants cheer for their new Queen. They'll all learn that a borrowed title means nothing when the real monarch arrives.”

She walked over to the window that her brother always like to stay perched at and looked at the City of Paris beneath her thinking about who will wear the crown next about how to crush them and she wasn't going to need a lawyer to do it.

Of course there was still the matter of her Roulette Championship and that was another fight entirely.

__________
The cameras open on a wispy undefined void with an eerie ambient hum. Shadows flickering like candle smoke, the air is still but never truly quiet as Victoria Lyon steps into frame, crown adorned on her head, championship slung on her shoulder.

Her blonde hair is looser than usual, slightly disheveled, her eyes wider and her voice a bit too calm, as if she were holding a storm inside of a teacup.

“She has a sweet tooth..” Victoria laughed. “She strolls through Paris counting days on her fingers like they mean anything. Did you think I'd be flattered that you put a calendar around me Harper? That you plotted your little mountain climb right through me? You think I'm Everest, but you don't realize I’m  what lies underneath it, the thing in the dark that swallows the climbers hole.”

She tells her head slightly to the left.

“You speak of what happened last year when I became Queen for a Day.” Victoria said “But do you remember what you were last year and what I let you become? the world truly started to notice Harper Mason when she went up against two of the very best in SCW in Alexandra Calaway and Juliana DiMaria. You may not have won, but that would be a tall order even for your queen. The point is they saw your heart and they saw the fight Harper Mason can truly bring. That was the opportunity I gave you when I became queen.”

She straightens her posture and takes a few steps forward.

“I was the first person who truly saw something in you Harper.” she said “Not Josh, not your trainers, not Cassie. I picked you and I gave you purpose and what do you give me in return? Whining podcasts and saccharine little Vlogs with pastries.”

She blinks in her voice shifts more jagged and raspy.

“Now you want to talk about grudges sweetheart? You only think you understand grudges.” Victoria said “You haven't lived in one, you haven't marinated in one, slept beside it, fed it and made it a second skin. I have, it became me.”

She smiles slightly.

“I told you the Amsterdam air was poison and you called it an excuse.” said Victoria “You say I threw the match and let it happen? When have I EVER backed down from a fight? I have defended my championship against names like Bella Madison, Alexandra Calaway and Luna Pasilno! All of which are better women than you. So listen again.  I was not feeling well and I still went out there and fought. That's no excuse It's what happened. You can't tell me there wasn't a funny smell in the air in Amsterdam.  Not to mention the muffin I got from that Dutch bakery tasted funny as well. But you know what? I'm in Paris now and the air is a lot cleaner here, so I don't need to worry about any poisonous air flow.”

Her eyes narrow.

“I was just trying to set you free Harper.” Victoria said “From the lies you tell yourself, from all the illusions you built around yourself, but you refused to listen. So if you want to continue to be defiant, continue feeding yourself lies, then so be it."

Victoria shrugs.

“Because I promise they'll come a day when all my truths will come to light.” she said “And I won't be there to help you, but I will be there to tell you I told you so.”

She scoffed slightly shaking her head in disappointment.

“I had such high hopes for you” she said “But you have failed me Harper. Now I'm just going to have to put you down.”

She takes a short pause.

“But there's others name echoing in the halls,  and one has curiously piqued my interest.” said Victoria “One that thinks the spiral of chaos belongs to her. One that thinks she's seen monsters before, our dear friend Lilith Locke.”

A crooked little smile forms on her face.

“There's something in your eyes I recognize.” she said “That twitch, that glint, that's slow simmering chaos that's looking for an excuse to spill.

Her eyes glow like she's a predator sensing another in the wild.

“You bring your own kind of madness and chaos to the table, and honestly I kind of like it.” she said “You're not faking it. That's the thing, so many try to wear madness like a costume. They throw on some eyeliner, recite some poetry, call themselves unhinged and hope the audience eats it up.”

She shakes her head.

“But not you.” she said “You're in ,it you live it, and you breathe it.”

A slight hint of admiration in her voice.

“But let's not get ahead of ourselves.” she said “Your madness is real, sure. But mine? Mine's older meaner and more deliberate. Your chaos burns hot, wild and loud. But mine whispers, waits, and spreads like a poison sleeping through the veins.”

She exhaled slightly

“I don't scream into the void Lilith.” she said “I teach it to sing. I do have to wonder if maybe I picked the wrong one, because I keep thinking about Harper. How I tried to pull her into my world, into our world, to show her what's real and what lies underneath. But she wasn't ready or perhaps she never really wanted to see but you would never make that mistake. Maybe I should have sought to mentor you.”

She speaks like she's reminiscing about an opportunity missed.

“You understand your place on the board.” she said “You understand what it means to be the wild card, and the unpredictable piece in the Queen's Gambit. There's something beautiful in that, however I also know you'd never take the offer.”

She pauses pacing around the fog slowly.

“You're far too into your own spiral.” she said "You've carved your name on your own asylum walls, you don't want to be led and I won't beg.”

She shrugs.

“So here we are.” she said "Madness against madness two different bands of broken. You want to claw and tear and be seen. But I want silence, I want the moment after the screaming stops when your breath catches and you realize you're alone in the dark and you chose this. I won't pretend I can predict what you'll do in that ring Lilith, that's what makes you dangerous. But I will promise you this, you won't out crazy the mad queen.”

Her eye twitches slightly has she snares into the camera.

“And then we have Song…” Victoria continued “You've gone quiet since the tag match. No spark, no echo, nothing. Is this truly how your story ends?"

She passes forward slightly.

“All this legacy, all this mystique, and you just go silent.” she said “But I guess that's fitting isn't it? Your name's always been a little poetic and now your song is ending.”

She lets her words cling in the air for a beat.

“Legends don't fade like this.” she said “Not if they still have fight left in them. But maybe you don't and if you want to call it a day that's fine, I won't stop you. I'll even help you pack and send you into early retirement with a smile.”

She pauses.

“In all honesty of all the players on the board in the Queens Gambit.” she said “You'd be the worst winner, not because you're the weakest or because you don't have the resume but because you don't care anymore.”

Another pause with an exhale.

“At least Harper's still swinging.” she said “Defiant as she is, she still believes in something she still fights, and she still wants it.”

Another breath.

“And Lilith?” Victoria said “She's dangerous, chaotic, and mad. She’s not hiding, but you? You've got nothing left to say, and if you got nothing left to say then you don't belong in that ring with me.”

She lets her words sit heavy in the air like judgment passing.

“You don't get to show up to the Queen's Gambit and hope your name does the work for you.” she said “Your silence isn’t power and it's not mystique, it's cowardice and I hate cowards. I hate people who pretend they're still in the game when they've already packed it in. If you're done then stay gone.”

She scowls at the camera.

“I'd say let this be your swan song.” she said “But that's too pretty and too clean. You don't get a graceful exit, you get dragged in the dirt and left there with the rest of the ones that gave up. You're no legend Song, you're just unfinished business.”

She takes a few steps closer to the camera, and the area around her seems to shift darker.

“I've looked into all of your eyes now.” she said “Harper. Bright, furious and desperate to prove herself. Lilith. Chaotic, unstable, so eager to be the crack in the mirror that she doesn't even realize she's looking into mine. Song. Silent and fading, with one foot already out the door.”

She keeps her gaze straight ahead on the camera.

“All of you bring something to this match.” she said “Harper brings heart. Stubborn, defiant, reckless heart that refuses to lie down. But heart can be broken. Lilith brings Madness, wild and screaming. But remember madness without purpose is just noise, and I deal in results. Song. Legacy and silence, but silence is just space before the fall.”

She holds her championship out to the camera.

“This championship doesn't belong to any of you.” she said “You don't take this from me. You can't. You're chasing something I already own. Fighting for a place I conquered, and the Queen's Gambit?"

She grinned.

“That's my board.” she said “That's my move, and the three of you are pawns moved into position. Played by instinct, emotion, and impulse. I've already seen the endgame. I've already made the sacrifice, and I've already won. The Queen's Gambit belongs to the queen.”

With her Championship slung back on her shoulder she turns and walks into the fog her final words echoing through the darkness.

“Long may she reign.”

__________

She wasn't sure how she had found herself on the rooftop of the hotel but here Victoria Lyons was, overlooking the city of Paris. She had fired her lawyer earlier for his incompetence, and her brother had yet to return from his walk.

Her hand shook has she held the cigarette in her hand she wasn't a smoker, yet somehow she felt she needed it, or perhaps she liked the aesthetic of having something burning between her fingers instead of inside her chest.

She heard the door open behind her and shut with a click. She didn't need to see who it was she already knew.

Vincent didn't even announce himself he just walked over and stood with his hands in his coat pockets overlooking the city beside her.

They stood there together in silence for a moment before she finally broke it.

“What?” she muttered blowing smoke into the sky.

“I didn't say anything.” Vincent said ”Not yet.”

Another short moment of silence.

“They're not ready.” Victoria muttered. “Harper doesn't want to better herself. Song doesn't know what she wants, and Lilith is far too concerned about trying to out crazy the queen.”

Vincent didn't respond he did as he always did and let her talk.

“They just want a moment.” she said “That's all this is. They think sharing a ring with me will make them matter.”

He felt Vincent turned to her as he finally spoke.

“Are you scared?” he asked

“Of those three?” she said flicking ash to the wind “No.”

“That's not what I asked.” he said. “Are you scared?”

“Not scared.” she said again in a slower tone “I'm just aware.”

She glanced over at him.

“They're all coming at once.” he said “Three different styles, and three different reasons but they've all got their eyes on you and only you."

“Because I'm the champion.” she said.

“No.” he said “Because you're the one they need to break.”

Victoria coughed, not being used to the smoke in her lungs.

“Harper's got something to prove not to the world but to herself.” Vincent went on “You can knock her down five times, and she'll drag herself up on the sixth. She's resilient. She's the kind of woman who doesn't know when to quit."

Victoria nodded. She knew that, that's part of what made her want to mentor Harper, but that's also what made Harper annoying.

“Lilith..” he said “Is chaos, No one can prepare for her, not even Lilith herself. She's clever and she sees the threads most people miss. She'll find the crack in your armor while you're too busy dismissing her.”

She nodded again, Lilith was perhaps her biggest concern in the match.

“And Song…” he continued “Well you never know what to expect with someone like her, she's been around long enough to know how to capitalize on one little mistake before you realize you even made it.”

Victoria stomped out her cigarette.

“You trying to scare me?” she said looking at her brother.

“I just want to know if you've considered what's coming.” he said “Because the last I checked you weren't invincible.”

“I've defended my title seven times.” she reminded him.

“And this isn't number eight.” he said “Not yet. You have three different fights all happening at once. No brakes and no breathing room.”

“I’ve fought harder matches.” she said.

“Not with three wolves at your throat.” he said.

“I did as much on the Princess Cruise.” she reminded him.

“Yeah but this isn't about who can knock who into a pool off a highwire. This is going to be an actual fight” he reminded her.

And there it was,weight behind his words. She knew her brother wasn't being cruel, and he didn't lie. and he didn't let her lie to herself.

Victoria formed a fist with her hand at her side.

“I can handle it.” she said “I'm not afraid of them. I'm afraid of losing what comes after if they take it from me, the belt, the spotlight, do I even matter anymore?"

“Truthfully?” Vincent said “No. Not if you let them take it clean.”

She raised an eyebrow at him curiously.

“But if you make them fight for every breath.” he said “If you make them bleed, scream, and crawl? Then even if you fall they'll remember you.”

“You think that'll be enough?” she asked.

“Immortality comes from memory.” he said “Not gold plates and leather straps. That is the realization I came to on my walk. That is what I intend to teach Jayden Harris. He's angry I took his championship opportunity away, but now I'm going to show him that immortality is more than just gold plated championships and trophies."

“Yeah..” she nodded “Maybe you're right, but Rue and I have been together for a long time and I'm not keen on parting with her."

“You're more than the championship now.” Vincent said. “You made that championship. That championship did not make you.”

“Be that as it may.” Victoria said “I'm not going to roll over and die. They want to take this from me they're going to have to crawl through fire and glass on their hands and knees to even have a chance.”

A sly smile appeared on Vincent's face

“Good.” he said “Just whatever you do, don't look down. Because if you fall you'll know how far you had to fall.”

She nodded.

“And no more cigarettes.” he said “It's unbecoming of you.”

Then he turned and left her on the rooftop back to her lonesome, she reached for another cigarette and lit it taking one drag before stomping it out, refusing to let the stress win, continuing to enjoy the calmness that came as she overlooked the city at this hour. She didn't look down but she cleansed her fist tighter, imagining the faces of song Lilith and Harper beneath her boots instead of a dirty old cigarette.

__________

It's late night when the cameras open on Victoria alone on a hotel rooftop. The city of Paris glimmering beneath her, she doesn't turn to look at the camera right away. Her fingers resting lightly on the ledge.

“Vincent said immortality doesn't come from gold and leather, that it comes from memory.” she said.

She turned to the cameras her eyes unblinking.

“That got me thinking about this championship.” she said.

She reaches over and lifts the  championship from where it's draped over the ledge and rested  it on her shoulder in one fluid motion.

“This championship has followed me like a shadow.” she said “Match after match, defense after defense, I've carried it through wars. I've walked into main events with it and made it mean something.”

Her tone grows colder has she adjusts her strap.

“But the truth is I sometimes wonder if it's enough.” she said “The truth is this title doesn't elevate me, I elevate it. I've done everything a champion is supposed to do and I made this belt matter again, but sometimes I can feel it pulling at me, holding me here, caging me in.”

She exhaled softly.

“I didn't understand it until recently.” she said “I was thinking about when my cousin Eddie was feuding with Peter Vaughn and Peter was in a similar place. He was the male roulette champion at the time. Dominant, calculating and smart enough to know what most people didn't. That sometimes a championship is not a reward it's an anchor.”

She took a few steps closer to the camera.

“But Peter also talked about needing the right person to take the belt from him.” she said “Not just anyone, not someone lucky or loud, but someone that could take what he built and make it more. That's legacy and that's what he was chasing.”

She pauses.

“Sadly for Peter he got Eddie as his successor.” she grinned.

Another short pause.

“But I understand what Peter was talking about now.” she said “Because I'm standing in the same place he was, with the same weight on my shoulders, and as I'm looking around I don't see a single one worthy of being MY successor.”

She keeps her tone sharp and cold.

“I tried with Harper. More than once.” she said “I reached out, I offered her the chance to be something bigger than herself, to grow and learn but she refused over and over.”

A quiver in her lip.

“Lilith is clever and unpredictable.” she said “Dangerous in the way that glass is when it shatters.  But chaos without purpose burns out fast, and she can't carry this. She’d drop it before she even realized what it's supposed to mean.”

She let her words cling in the air like venom.

“And Song?” she said “Song has already made it clear that her contract is up in a few months. There is no purpose to her as my successor because she won't be around long enough to make it mean anything.”

She takes a breath.

“I've been thinking about what this match is really about.” she said “It's not about proving I'm the best that's already been done. It's not even really about me keeping this championship because honestly it's already beneath me.”

Her tone remains cold and raw.

“This match is about me.” she said “And what I leave behind when this is over. This is a match about legacy and immortality. I’m not going in there to just retain a championship, I'm going in there to etch myself into the stone of this business. To make sure that when people talk about dominance they talk about me.”

She takes a few steps closer to the camera.

“I'm fighting for more than gold at this point.” she said “But I won't lose this championship to any of you. Not because I need it, but because you don't deserve it.”

She holds the belt out to the camera.

“I don't care how determined you are Harper. How twisted you are Lilith. Or how mysteriously quiet you are Song." she said "I'm not handing over what I built to three women who only want a moment. I want eternity. I will be remembered with or without this title but I'll be damned if anyone takes it before I decide it's time.”

She walks past the camera now her voice coming through one last time, as if carried by the wind.

“None of you are worthy….”

And then it all jarringly cut to black.

The cameras open in a pristine minimalist hotel room with Victoria Lyons sitting on a velvet chair, Bombshell Roulette Championship just over her shoulder. The tone gives off a vlog style similar to that of Harper Mason.

“You know I never really do these Vlog things.” Victoria said “That's sort of Harper's thing. But I figured why not speak her language for a change? Maybe then she'll finally hear me. Besides we're a team this week and I should step into my teammate shoes so I can understand her more right?”

She tells her head with a thin smile.

“I've been trying to do the right thing. I am doing the right thing.” said Victoria “I look at Harper Mason and I see potential, fire, and  greatness all she needs is a little push. So I'm offering her guidance, experience, and a chance to grow beyond what's been dragging her down.”

A short pause has she leans forward

“And I know everyone's talking about the incident with the chair like it was some crime.” said Victoria “But let's be honest Harper, wasn't that a wake up call? Sure you didn't hit Cassie on purpose, but maybe deep down you needed to.”

She lets those words hang in the air before sitting back with a smug expression.

“Cassie will say she's your friend and she supports you.” said Victoria “But friends don’t make everything about them Harper. Friends don't pout when things don't go their way they, they don't drag you into their insecurities and jealousy and they don't turn every spotlight into a competition.”

A quick exhale exits her lips.

“You don't want to hear it from me?” said Victoria “Okay I get it but what about Bella Madison? Even Bella Madison has called out Cassie's vibes and victimhood, her words not mine. Bella said she has no patience and no grind and and how she likes to tweet and yell on X, and expects the universe to bend in her favor. Again Bella's words not mine. Do you think Bella Madison is a liar?”

That smug expression remains never leaving.

“I'm not the villain here Harper.” said Victoria “I'm not your enemy, I'm your solution. You want to know what kind of partner I am? I've held the Tag Team Championships with my cousin Eddie and we don't even get along I just know what it takes to win together. I know the true meaning of stronger together. As for why I don’t go after Kayla? Well, isn’t it obvious? I’ve been far to busy becoming the longest reigning Bombshell Roulette Champion of all time, and the first to break 300 days. I’ve been breaking AND creating records.”

She takes another short pause.

“Now, In just a few weeks we're both walking into Into The Void.” said Victoria “Me, you, Song, Lilith Locke. Christian Underwood pulled a fast one on us. He thought he could humiliate us, ruin the opportunity I was trying to give you. Now they're trying to depose me as well after everything I've done for this company.”

Her lip quivers and there's a twitch in her eye.

“They can crown a new Queen for a day.” said Victoria “But she will never be a true queen. She will always just be living in this shadow of the real one. There will be no deposition. They’ll have to take me kicking and screaming.”

She takes a long precise breath.

“But that's Into The Void Harper.” said Victoria “When it comes to Climax Control and we walk into that ring together, I can guide you show you how to win against two unpredictable threats like Song and Lilith. You and I we could be unstoppable. I won't be like Cassie I won't hold you back, I'll elevate you."

There's that smug smile again.

“I don't want to replace your best friend.” said Victoria “I just want to help you see what she'll never let you become. Just think about it, for the greater good and I'll see you at Climax Control.”

With a confident wink she reaches forward and ends the recording.

__________

Victoria leans back in her chair tapping her phone screen as she ended her vlog. She sat her phone down carefully on the nightstand next to her and looked up at her brother Vincent as he stares out through the windows leading to the balcony overlooking the city of Amsterdam.

“You did good you know.” Victoria said “You did what needed to be done. Carter is probably still coughing up glitter and Jayden's going to pretend like this didn't shake him but it did.”

Vincent doesn't turn to her only listens.

“You scared them Vince.” Victoria said “That's useful, they call you unhinged and say you're unstable, maybe even a liability.”

She stands up and walks toward him as a small smile curls onto her lips.

“Let them.” Victoria said. "They don't know it means to truly lose control not like we do. Being labeled unstable, puts fear in their minds every time they see you across from them.”

Vincent turned to her now a sadistic smirk of his own on his face.

“I don't even care about the belts.” Vincent said “I care about the blood. The queen calls and I am her executioner.”

She nods a proud nod but then her smile fades as she steps away with an exhale catching her own reflection in a mirror.

“Meanwhile I've got my own mess to clean up.” Victoria said. “Christian Underwood says a new queen is being crowned. But this isn't some fairy tale where the old Queen lays down her crown and walks away smiling into the sunset. If they think I'm going to fade away quietly, they forget who I am.”

“Nobody will be able to replace you as queen.” said Vincent.

“They have some sort of deposition planned for me.” said Victoria “But what they realize is they don't get to decide when I fall. They're not going to get what they want because they don't understand how this game works. They think they can drag me through the mud for being too smart? Too dangerous, and too good for their world? I have elevated the status of the Bombshell Roulette Championship to heights it's never seen before and a deposition is all the thanks I'm going to get.”

She shakes her head.

“Then they try to make a fool of me with this fatal four-way nonsense.” said Victoria ”I don't get it. I have busted my ass for this company and because they don't like the things I say or like the way I do things, they're going to do everything in their power to try to take it all from me. But they have no idea of the game they're playing. And there's always a way to remind people who's truly in power.”

“What about Harper Mason?” Vincent asked “She still continues to be defiant.”

“The cracks are forming in Harper Mason.” said Victoria “But yes, if she's still remains too defiant, than other measures will have to be taken. I'm still in control around here I'll always be in control. I'm the queen, I will always be the queen and I will be the Bombshell Roulette Champion forever!”

She nods to her own expression in the mirror believing every word coming out of her own mouth

“I'm in control…” she said again, but yet there was a part of her that wasn't sure if she believed it.

“No… I am in control…" she said again, “Harper will be mine. The Bombshell Roulette Championship will remain mine and as for this supposed new queen, I suppose I'll just have to wait and see on whom they bestow this false coronation.”

“And I'll make sure Jayden Harris suffers a fate worse than Helluva Bottom Carter.” said Vincent.

The twins are as confident has ever but deep in Victoria's mind there are some worry about this impending new queen and that her whole Queendom was about to come crashing down.

Alexandra Calaway had already destroyed her throne, the crown and her championship were all she had left.

She was in control….. She was….
________

The camera feed kicks in, the footage shaky at first on a bleak yet familiar fog, that dreary almost dream-like place Victoria Lyons has been known to address her opponents from. This time she sits alone cross-legged with her crown resting in front of her and her championship slung across her shoulder.

“Before I address my opponents for this week.” she began “I need to make one thing perfectly clear to Christian Underwood. I will always be the true queen of this place. I elevated the Bombshell division and the Roulette championship. I made the crown mean something and now you want to take everything from me? How dare you sir! How dare you! As if anyone could fill my shoes as queen. Don't be ridiculous.”

She wears a scowl on her face casting a hideous glare down the camera lens.

“You see it don't you Harper?” Victoria continued “This could have been your opportunity as well. A chance to go one-on-one with the greatest bombshell roulette champion this company has seen. I wanted that opportunity for you and I was ready to help you earn it against Song and Lilith Locke, but Christian Underwood has to remain on his ridiculous power trip."

She laughs to herself running her fingers along the crown resting in front of her.

“But we'll show them won't we Harper?" said Victoria “You and me will show them who the real contenders are. Just follow my lead and I'll lead you to greatness. I will teach you how to let out that mean streak that you so desperately need.”

She pauses for a short moment.

“You need to learn how to put Harper Mason first.” said Victoria “That's what will make you a champion someday. You need to stop worrying about what makes everybody else happy and do what makes Harper Mason happy. That's why I've been champion for so long because I do things my way that's why Kayla Richards is world champion, and was world champion for so long because she does things her way without care without concern of anybody else's opinion. Even Bella Madison isn't afraid to show her vicious side and that's led her to the Internet championship.”

She takes another short pause.

“And the boys?” said Victoria “The boys are no different do you really think Kevin Carter gives a damn about what anybody thinks of him or his motives? Do you think Alex Jones gives a damn? What about Aiden Reynolds? Finn Whelan never gave a damn. You become a champion by not catering to anybody but yourself. The world doesn’t need Harper Mason. Harper Mason needs Harper Mason.”

She runs her fingers along her own championship.

“You said you're done taking my shit Harper?” Victoria said “That's good that's very good. I'm not trying to coddle you and I'm not trying to treat you like some fragile little rookie that Cassie wants you to stay as. I want to drag your fire to the surface and I want you to let it burn. I don't want any protégé, I don't want someone who just obeys I want someone who learns. Eventually you will learn that I'm not fighting you Harper I'm forging you.  Oh…but why am I here talking so much about you? We're a team right so what of our opponents?”

She pauses with a calculated exhale.

“Let's talk about Song for a moment..” Victoria began “I gave Song her flowers some months ago and now Master Lilly wants to twist this into some marketing ploy. Eyes from China?  Bringing in all sorts of revenue? You and I both know Harper this isn't some fight about sales and spreadsheets. This is warfare and Song is nothing more than a statistic propped up by a handler who sees her as nothing more than mere dollar signs.”

Victoria shakes her head.

“Doesn't this championship mean more to you than dollar signs Song?" said Victoria “I know it does to me you should feel insulted that Master Lilly only sees you as a vehicle to make more money and to bring more attention to China. You're nothing but dollar signs and ad Revenue to him, and that is not the mark of someone who deserves to hold this championship.”

There's another pause as she takes a moment to just look at the belt on her shoulder.

“And of course there's Lilith Locke.” said Victoria “My wildcard choice. You really believe you're chaos incarnate? That your little performative act and whispering of riddles makes you a threat? You may enjoy thriving in the chaos of the storm but you forget that I am the architect of the storm itself and chaos bends to me."

She laughs to herself.

“You use chaos as a weapon Lilith.” said Victoria “But I've tamed chaos and put it on a leash. This championship is a symbol forged in the blood of every woman who thought they could take it from me every woman who thought they could hold it longer better stronger than I have.”

She laughs again to herself amused.

“And let's make something clear for Paris.” said Victoria “I'm not going in just defending my title. I'm defending my legacy, and my vision of the division. One without Cassie's handholding. One where chaos bows. One where precision cracks. I have no intention of losing this championship. Not to a spider in lipstick, not to a legacy on her last lap, and not to someone who is still content to live in the shadow of her friend.”

She lifts up the crown resting and on her head as she Rises to her feet.

“I'm still in control around here.” said Victoria, “I'm going to guide Harper Mason to her true self even if I have to beat it out of her in Paris, but for now we can focus on victimizing Song and Lilith Locke, because rest assured Harper that's all they should be to you, victims.”

With that she turns and begins to walk back into the shadows.

“I'll see you out there Harper.” she said “Don't let me down.”

And then everything faded to black.