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Climax Control Archives / Bleak Friday
« on: November 28, 2014, 06:17:17 PM »
11/23/2014
Laughlin, Nevada
SCW Climax Control
Many SCW Superstars and Bombshells took advantage of the SCW's home territory being Las Vegas as an excuse to uproot themselves from wherever they called home and travel to the famed 'City of Sin' and make a new beginning for themselves. It was an act of convenience in their mind, as SCW was an independent wrestling promotion and the majority of their shows were based out of Nevada. Some. on the other hand, did not have to do this as they already called Vegas, or one of the neighboring towns in Nevada 'home' already.
Cookie S'Mores, a former Sin City Wrestling Bombshell in her own right, actually had called the city of Laughlin her home for a fair number of years before SCW ever came to town, let alone existed. It was a reason why when Cookie had sought her next step in her wrestling career, she applied for a contract with the upstart promotion and succeeded where many others might try and fail. Some saw the level of success that not only had SCW achieved in its relatively young incarnation, but much more that they were destined to bring to the table. That kind of success wet the appetites of many who called the sport of professional wrestling their careers, their livelihoods. Others, many of them youngsters who had just gotten their foot in the door of the business or vets who were long past their prime, might have felt such a competitive and modest wrestling federation to be somewhat intimidating, and for that reason, they did not even bother to make contact with Ward or Underwood and sought their paths to superstardom elsewhere.
Cookie, however, was never one to shy away from a challenge or an opportunity that presented itself with open arms. Having a year of experience on the indy circuit already under hergarter belt, Cookie sent an application and a tape of some of her matches, hoping for an audition. Her hopes paid off, and surprisingly fast. Neither Mark Ward, Christian Underwood or Erik Staggs believed in wasting time when it came to potential talent with which to add to their already budding rosters of male and female stars in the making. In their eyes, the sooner they closed a deal, the sooner those men and women could set foot inside of the ring and make a name for not just themselves, but SCW as a whole. A mere day after Cookie received delivery confirmation, she received a call from Christian Underwood who asked her to venture to Las Vegas to talk.
The rest, as they say, is history.
No, I tell a bit of a lie. There is more to tell in this story about one of the more fun loving and amorous women who ever set foot inside of the SCW's six-sided ring. She was at the height of her career in SCW when all of a sudden, she vanished from the public eye without a trace. No explanation was given. She had simply and quietly, asked for her release and was granted it, much to the disappointment of the higher ups. It was no secret that they did not want to lose her, or anyone else for that matter. If they hired you, then they saw something special about you that made them want to take a chance and put you in the public eye. The only thing Mark or Christian would on the matter is that she had been given her release as requested and they wished her the absolute best of luck.
Nothing more. Not even her own tag team partner and close friend, Brandi Shotze, knew what happened. She had walked into the building one night for a show and had the news broken to her by Erik Staggs. To say she was shocked would be a mild understatement. Calls were made but Cookie avoided any explanations.
Why then, did she leave all those many months ago, and why now was she back, set to compete at the SCW's 100th edition of Climax Control? Well, we're getting to that! Impatient much?
Cookie knew well ahead of time that Climax Control would be hitting her hometown of Laughlin well in advance, as Christian alerted her as to the fact and even went to the trouble of making certain she knew she was welcome to visit the staff and any of her former colleagues should she choose to do so. So, she did.
"Knock, knock!" Cookie said as she gave a light rap on the locker room door with her knuckles, but did not pause to wait for an answer. Who could tell what tantalizing views might come into sight when she had the 'surprise factor' going for her?
"Cookie!" Odette's voice calling out her name was like music to the former Bombshell's ears as Cookie set foot inside of the room being used by the Seven Deadly Sins stable. Gabriel helped his pregnant wife to her feet and she hurried over as quickly as she was able to grab her 'fun-sized' friend in a fierce but warm embrace that only a true loving friend might know.
"Oh my God!" Odette sniffed, perhaps the hormones of her pregnancy getting the best of her. Yes, that had to be it. "What are you doing here?"
"Are you kidding?" Cookie smiled as she took a step back from Odette and rested a hand on her ample hip while absent mindedly caressing a small pendant on a chin around her neck. "I was told you were in here and I thought I'd just drop by. Say, are the boys decent?"
Cookie looked around with playful intentions, as she was best known for. She even leaned over just a hint so she could get a peek toward the showers with an interested eye. She then realized her efforts were futile and moved her forefingers around toward Odette and she said, "Because, you know, I could always leave and come back when they are."
"Sorry." Gabriel mused and gave his wife's friend a on arm embrace, welcoming her. "The only one in there right now is Rage."
"Oh." Cookie made a sour face, puckering her lips. She played with a lock of her long, black hair and sighed, "Well I would have rather gotten a glimpse of that Shipman hunk, but without Brandi or myself around, the number of peep holes in the boys's showers has fallen drastically."
"I thought I recognized that eyeball!" Gabriel pointed towards her and Cookie put on her best "Who, me?" face -- and it was one that was not altogether very convincing.
Odette chuckled and looked Cookie over, shaking her head. "Cooks, did you lose weight?"
"Christ, I hope not!" Cookie huffed. "Unlike most women, I always liked my jiggly parts!"
To that remark, she was greeted with light laughter from Odette and a disbelieving smirk from Gabriel.
"If I did," Cookie continued. "I can assure you that it was purely by accident and I would work quick to rectify HOLY SHIT!"
Cookie stammered and pointed down towards Odette's belly which was beginning to show easily with the baby that she was carrying. Her eyes were wide but the twinkle of joy and something else was observed in her chestnut colored eyes as she addressed Odette.
"Honey, if I lost weight, I think I know where it went! What the hell?"
"What can I say?" Odette smiled, wrapping her arms around Gabriel. "This man here had been on my back to have a baby."
Without missing a beat, Cookie clapped a hand on Gabriel's back and said, "Well I'm glad to see he finally got it right."
Gabriel blinked, then a frown creased his brow and he looked like he was about to reply as only he could, when there was another knock on the door. Unlike Cookie, whoever it was, was obliged to wait for an answer as opposed to simply walking right in.
"Hold that thought." Gabriel said as he moved past the two women to answer the door, Odette silently laughing but her face filled with hilarity as she grasped Cookie's hands in her own and gave them a squeeze.
Gabriel opened the door and looked out to whoever it was on the opposite side, "Yeah?" He stated, then there was an audible groan and he muttered, "Christ!" And stepped back, opening the door wider and Erik Staggs entered the room. He looked around until he spotted Cookie and pointed toward her, taking a step forward.
"Ah! There you are!" Erik said.
"And here I go!" Cookie followed up and immediately turned and walked towards the still-open door. She paused to turn and address Odette, saying, "I'll catch you after the show." And she walked out into the hall and Erik did a U-Turn and headed right after her as Gabriel quickly closed the door after the two and shared a look with his wife.
"Cookie!" Erik called as he hurried up the hall after her. "Hey, wait up!" And as it stood to reason that her intentions were to anything else BUT what he just asked, Erik picked up his pace to a jog and he hurriedly passed her and cut her off at the front of the backstage hall. Cookie rolled her eyes and exhaled sharply through her pursed lips as she stared at him, arms folded over her hefty boobs and she simply waited, not saying a word to make this any easier on the man before her.
"Hey, come on now." Erik reasoned. "There's no reason to be like that. What did I ever do to you?"
"You mean besides act the role of a total asshat when I was still employed here?" Cookie shot back. "I admit I haven't kept as up to date as maybe I should have, but you're not exactly the most trust worthy of men around here."
"If you're referring to that whole Team Erik thing..." Erik started to say.
"And I am." Cookie interrupted.
Erik continued as if she had not said anything, "That was a long time ago. I'm a changed man."
Cookie scoffed quite audibly.
Erik smirked and nodded. "Okay, point taken." He admitted with a smile. "I'm still an asshole of the highest caliber when I want to be."
Cookie nodded and graciously gestured toward him to continue. So, he did.
Erik said, "Bottom line is, after that whole debacle, Christian and Mark had every right to fire me and see I never worked another day around here ever again. That was the deal. But they didn't. And you know why?"
Cookie answered, "Mark wasn't washing the fruit off from Mrs. Brown's fruit stand?"
Erik frowned, missing the reference but Cookie looked into the camera and winked.
She then said, "But please do go on."
Erik said, "I just wanted to say, that they decided to keep me on, and let me continue to work doing what I think I do best. If they can trust me and give me a second chance after everything I did, then I think you can do the same."
Cookie sighed and glanced away from Mister Staggs before he again got her full attention.
He said, "Besides, it's those duties that I do so well that is why I came to talk to you."
"If you're going to try to get me to return to SCW ..." She started to say but Erik held up a hand to forestall any further arguments. He said, "Just let me say what I have to say, okay? And if you still aren't interested, then you can't blame a man for trying."
Cookie shrugged and gave him the floor. "Carry on."
"Thank you." Erik said, and he meant it. "I'm not here to try and talk you into making a return to SCW. well, not exactly a return."
"What does that mean? 'Not exactly' a return?"
Erik went on, "As you may or may not have heard, we're about to hit a major milestone here in a couple of weeks. Our one hundredth episode of Climax Control."
Cookie let loose an impressed whistle through her lips. Erik nodded with a satisfied smile that he had managed to impress her to that extent. He pressed on.
"To celebrate," He said. "We are going to hold a couple of special battle royals. one for the men, and one for the women. Each one is going to feature Superstars and Bombshells of Sin City Wrestling's past. I'd like for you to..."
"Be in the men's?" Cookie surmised with a hint of mischief. "Why not?"
"No, actually I meant the Bombshell Alumni event." Erik tilted his head toward her. "But then again, I'm sure you already knew what I was going for."
Cookie smirked but then scrunched up her face as if she had a bad smell under her nose and shook her head to say, "No thanks."
"N-no?"
"That's what I said toots."
"May I ask why?"
"Because I left for a reason." Cookie sighed. "It's complicated and I'd really rather not delve into the how's and why's. Let's just say something about the business left something of a bitter after taste in my mouth."
Erik watched her to see if she'd say anything further towards her decision to turn this opportunity down, but seeing as how nothing else seemed to be forthcoming, he instead changed tactics and asked, "So I guess the fact that your friend Brandi had already signed up means nothing?"
"Brandi?" Cookie blinked, temporarily caught off guard by his words. "She signed on?"
"She did." Erik nodded.
This was indeed news for Cookie, and she was not sure how she should even react to it. Brandi was one of the very few people in the business that she could call a genuine friend. From the moment the two met backstage, an immediate chemistry was formed between the two women, and it became infectious as they wove a proverbial 'party web' that drew in women like the 'then' Odette Ryder-now-Stevens along with them. Brandi was the most confident woman she ever had the pleasure of knowing. She cared nothing for what anyone thought of her. She was her own person, fully comfortable in her own skin and being simply who she was. It made her exiting SCW all the more painful all that time ago, as she never gave the woman who accepted her as a friend for so many months any form of explanation. Brandi deserved better.
"When do you need me?" Was all Cookie had to say.
See, this is where you should be reading Brandi's RP. Trust me, it'll make more sense.
"Oh, that was fun!" Brandi said with a laugh as she leaned back in the booth at the Applebees restaurant, the bottle of chilled, ice cold beer in her hand. "That's the type of night out with my girl that I miss the most!"
"It was fun." Cookie agreed, reaching into a pocket in her purse and she slipped out a mud soaked g-string and gave it a once over. She sighed, "I do so enjoy the sight of a man out of uniform."
Brandi laughed, slapping her hand on the table's edge, drawing a few looks from other patrons but neither she nor Cookie seemed to care. "The least you could have done was wait for the man to finish his match!" She laughed heartily. "He was so flustered he almost lost!"
"Oh he didn't have anything to worry about." Cookie contradicted her friend. "I mean did you see the size of his... well, did you see him? He almost put that poor guy he wrestled's eye out! He had to have been..."
Cookie set her own bottle of beer down next to Brandi's and started comparing when Brandi asked out of the blue...
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
Cookie blinked, caught completely off guard by the blunt nature of the question laid out before her. That was simply Brandi's way. When she had something to say, or wanted to know the answer to something else, she spoke up without a care.
"What are you talking about?" Cookie asked, not sure what she may have said or did to warrant Brandi acting like this.
"Well for one, you're sitting here, with me. Now." Brandi answered bluntly. "Instead of sitting on Mister Kong Schlong back at his place and riding him into the sunset!"
Cookie's eyebrows rose almost to her hairline, but for the first time in Brandi's recent memory, her friend seemed to be at a loss for words.
Brandi asked, "Did you at least get his number?"
To this, Cookie could only shake her head in the negative. Brandi scoffed and took a pull from her beer before she set it back on the table with a hard 'clunk' sound, her eyes never leaving Cookie. Cookie, who seemed all of a sudden to find the place mat beneath her dinner plate fascinating and her cheeks flushing into a crimson hue.
"What happened?" Brandi asked. When Cookie finally pried her eyes up from the table, Brandi was shocked to see them wet with tears. Cookie bit down on her lower lip to try and retain some semblance of self control, and feeling a swell of concern for her friend, Brandi said, "Why did you leave?"
August 2012
Cookie sat on the top of the examination table at her gynecologist, a Doctor Gwendolyn Kline. Her feet were propped in stirrups as she kept her eyes closed, breathing in through her nose and exhaling from her mouth. She had been unwell for the past week and had been showing symptoms since before that. It wasn't the kind of news she wanted to hear, if it was what her mother suggested, but she couldn't just remain at her apartment and suffer as she had been. She needed answers, and so she picked up the phone too schedule an appointment.
The door to the exam room opened and Doctor Kline stepped inside, carrying a clipboard in her hands. The doctor looked no older than Cookie herself was, but she knew through casual conversation that the doctor had at least fifteen years on her. She just wore the years extremely well.
"Well, we ran through all the tests." Doctor Kline said as she set the clipboard down and sat on the chair at Cookie's side. "There is no doubt about it. You're going to have a baby."
"Shit!" Brandi exclaimed aloud, then by instinct clapped a hand over her mouth and looked at the other faces turned her way. She met many a disapproving stare with a hard glare of her own until the faces turned away. Brandi then turned back to Cookie and leaned in to whisper, "Pregnant. You were pregnant!? Well no damn wonder you took off! Why the hell didn't you tell me!? Why didn't you tell anyone!?"
Cookie sighed, her eyes misting over but she kept her gaze from Brandi as if she could only feel shame over this revelation that had been to years in the making. She finally said, "Because it wasn't something I was proud of. I was always having fun with the boys, playing around. Then there was a really cute guy I thought could be a special one and one thing led to another..."
Cookie picked up her bottle and stared at it for a brief moment before setting it back down, untasted.
Brandi watched her for a few moments before she found her own voice and asked, "Things didn't work out with him?"
Cookie just shook her head, giving Brandi the only answer she could.
Brandi said, "So, you had a kid? Boy or..."
But before Brandi could finish asking her question, Cookie shook her head 'no' again with her eyes closed.
She had been bleeding heavily for the past twenty four hours, and the first thought that came to mind was that the doctor had been mistaken about her being pregnant. She made another appointment with Doctor Kline and could only wait, the knot in her stomach growing tighter with each passing moment until the door finally opened.
Doctor Kline stepped inside and the pitying look in her eyes was answer enough for what was happening to her.
"I'm sorry." The doctor said. "I'm afraid you've miscarried."
"Oh my god..." Brandi choked in a hushed voice. Perhaps the single most painful thing that could ever happen to a woman, had happened to one of her dearest friends and nobody had known about it. "Girl, I am so, so..."
"It's alright." Cookie said, forcing herself to smile. "It happens. It just hot me from out of left field, you know?"
Brandi just nodded, even though she herself didn't understand the pain that was just described. She asked, "But why didn't you tell me? or anyone? Pick up a phone and...?"
"And what?" Cookie laughed, although Brandi heard the pain behind the laughter. "What would I say? I thought I messed up my life by sleeping around with a guy that dumped me the moment he found out I was going to have his kid? Then I just end up losing the baby anyway?" Cookie shrugged and shook her head. "It's not the kind of thing that comes up in the every day casual conversation."
"You could have talked to me." Brandi said. "I'm told I give a good listen."
Cookie could only smile. Brandi, despite her hard exterior, really was a good woman and a dear friend.
"I'm fine."
Brandi stared at her for several long moments before she nodded, "Okay. Just no more of this bullshit, keeping secrets when you might need a friend. Got me?"
Cookie nodded.
"You wanna get the hell out of here?"
"God yes!" Cookie said and she slid from out of the booth and stood up, grabbing at the check but Brandi swiftly beat her to it. They started towards the pay stand when Brandi paused and looked back over her shoulder.
"You sure you're okay?"
"I'm sure." Cookie stressed. "Seriously. It was for the best. Can you imagine me as a mother?"
Brandi watched her for a moment, but said nothing. Because the truth was, she could see Cookie as a mom, and be a damned fine one at that! Brandi turned back around and headed for the cashier. Cookie followed, when she caught sight of a table where a little girl was playing with her mom who was feeding her a French fry.
A brief flash of anguish crossed Cookie's face before she hurried to catch up to Brandi.
"Damn! I never thought I'd see this day! I thought when I left SCW behind me, that it was for good. Well I guess this just goes to show that not everything is for good when it's in your past. SCW is a part of my past, but in a good way. I had a lot of good times around these guys and gals. especially the girls who really knew how the hell to party! The boys did too, but in a different way if you get my meaning. Yet here I am, and I can't help but wonder why I let Erik talk me into returning, even if it is just for the one time appearance in this Alumni Battle Royal."
"The truth is, even had he not tricked me into signing up, I think in the end I would have done it anyway. I miss it, and sometimes I look back at the old tapes and wish there was a way to rewind the clock. I don't think I ever had more fun than I did with Brandi, my gal pal and former tag team partner. I don't think Id ever find another partner who I would trust so completely as I did with her. I knew the first time we teamed together that gold would be around our waists, and damn if we didn't live up to that bit of self prophecy! Granted we didn't hold the titles as long as I would have liked, but the simple fact I held them and with a friend like Brandi is quite enough. I don't know what the hell is going to happen once that bell rings, and if she and I find ourselves alone in the ring with each other. I can only imagine she and I will go at it as hard as we can, each trying to out do the other and walk away the winner. I know for damn sure Brandi is in this to win, and I'd be doing her no honor if I didn't hit as hard as I'm sure she'd hit me. But until that moment comes, it's all the other little girls who are going to have to watch out because they have the Party Girls to worry about. Brandi and I will be in there to watch each others' backs and make certain that one of us, and only one of us, will be the one who walks out of that ring with their arms held high."
"Some of the other girls I know. Some I don't, and some I've only heard about. I mean, who hasn't heard about Amanda Cortez and Laura Jackson? With those two, you have two of the best that ever signed on to the Bombshell division. Bombshell tag Team Champions. Cortez held the top singles prize. So just like Brandi and myself, those two are going to be watching each others' backs. If it winds down to just the four of us, well those poor little girls won't be in any frame of mind of body to be playing any of that slap and tickle routine that they shove down our throats, pun intended, every time we tune in to watch one of their promos. They did each other, and baby it is a new tie, a new age, a new millennium! Good for them I say! But all the lovin' and peel and squeal you can muster isn't going to keep you from getting your bony butts tossed out of the ring this Sunday."
"Faith is another former Roulette Champion, and that in itself should say enough. How the hell those chicks can win that title, let alone defend it successfully, is beyond me! They walk into the building, knowing who they're up against but not how they're supposed to oppose them. Streetfight. Mud pit. Hell, they could get into a slap fight with foot long hot dogs for all I know, but the fact Faith was able to win that title in the first place, and win it from a woman like Joanne Canelli.. honey that tells you all you need to know about Faith's credentials inside of that ring! But this isn't a Roulette match, honey. There won't be weapons or jello pools or anything ridiculous like that. A battle royal is where the big girls come to play, and I'm the biggest girl there is in that ring."
"Kittie is another chick that anyone who is anyone in this sport is familiar with. How the hell could you not be familiar with this babe? She's definitely a few tacos short of a combination plate, but she's also a sweetheart and one of the fiercest competitors in SCW's history, male or female. She's another who made waves by winning the first Roulette Championship, but she also rose above even that and won the top title! Top notch talent, top notch competition! It's almost going to be a shame tossing her out to the floor, but a Party Girl is going to do what a Party Girl has to do."
"Karina Koji is one chick I am thrilled to see signed up for this! That girl is about as bat shit crazy as they come, but she'll give you the fight of your life and the record she holds as a champion is all you need to know for her rep. She has went the distance time and again against the best of the best, and walked away often enough with hr head held high. I am looking forward to facing her. Not so much looking forward toward thee expression on her face when she gets thrown out of the ring, but I wouldn't mind inviting her out for drinks with the girls for after. No hard feelings."
"Now where there are hard feeling is this Liz Smalls character. I don't know her. Don't have any interest in getting to know her, but the woman gets on my nerves all the same! The nonsense she throws onto twitter on a daily basis grates the nerves! If she whines like that on a public site, what the hell must she be like in person? I'm not sure I'm altogether looking forward to experiencing that little tart's bitch fest that will erupt when she gets thrown out, so all I can do is hope that every chick in there, including yours truly, has the sense to team up for one brief moment and toss her out as fast as possible!"
"Now, normally when I say I'd save the best for last, I'd be talking about Brandi because, her, that bitch is the best! But I had to do her the honor of starting off first, so we'll polish this little bit off with the darling of SCW, Emma Rose. I've seen enough of this chick to know the name fits. Like a rose, she's a thing of beauty to behold, but also like a rose, she has thorns that'll get you if you mishandle her. It's a damn shame this chick decided to call it quits when she did, but there are always other options out there, and she found her's. No I'm not talking about Ben Jordan but can you blame me if I was? I mean, DAYUM! The man is FINE! If that man ever has to remove his own pants, then Emma seriously needs her head examined! Just kidding girl! Nothing but love! After all is said and done, it'll be time to party with the experts! You're invited, no matter what happens inside of the ring."
"I came all this way to win, and I don't plan to let any lingering sentiments towards the women I knew at one point in time keep me from getting my arm raised."
Laughlin, Nevada
SCW Climax Control
Many SCW Superstars and Bombshells took advantage of the SCW's home territory being Las Vegas as an excuse to uproot themselves from wherever they called home and travel to the famed 'City of Sin' and make a new beginning for themselves. It was an act of convenience in their mind, as SCW was an independent wrestling promotion and the majority of their shows were based out of Nevada. Some. on the other hand, did not have to do this as they already called Vegas, or one of the neighboring towns in Nevada 'home' already.
Cookie S'Mores, a former Sin City Wrestling Bombshell in her own right, actually had called the city of Laughlin her home for a fair number of years before SCW ever came to town, let alone existed. It was a reason why when Cookie had sought her next step in her wrestling career, she applied for a contract with the upstart promotion and succeeded where many others might try and fail. Some saw the level of success that not only had SCW achieved in its relatively young incarnation, but much more that they were destined to bring to the table. That kind of success wet the appetites of many who called the sport of professional wrestling their careers, their livelihoods. Others, many of them youngsters who had just gotten their foot in the door of the business or vets who were long past their prime, might have felt such a competitive and modest wrestling federation to be somewhat intimidating, and for that reason, they did not even bother to make contact with Ward or Underwood and sought their paths to superstardom elsewhere.
Cookie, however, was never one to shy away from a challenge or an opportunity that presented itself with open arms. Having a year of experience on the indy circuit already under her
The rest, as they say, is history.
No, I tell a bit of a lie. There is more to tell in this story about one of the more fun loving and amorous women who ever set foot inside of the SCW's six-sided ring. She was at the height of her career in SCW when all of a sudden, she vanished from the public eye without a trace. No explanation was given. She had simply and quietly, asked for her release and was granted it, much to the disappointment of the higher ups. It was no secret that they did not want to lose her, or anyone else for that matter. If they hired you, then they saw something special about you that made them want to take a chance and put you in the public eye. The only thing Mark or Christian would on the matter is that she had been given her release as requested and they wished her the absolute best of luck.
Nothing more. Not even her own tag team partner and close friend, Brandi Shotze, knew what happened. She had walked into the building one night for a show and had the news broken to her by Erik Staggs. To say she was shocked would be a mild understatement. Calls were made but Cookie avoided any explanations.
Why then, did she leave all those many months ago, and why now was she back, set to compete at the SCW's 100th edition of Climax Control? Well, we're getting to that! Impatient much?
Cookie knew well ahead of time that Climax Control would be hitting her hometown of Laughlin well in advance, as Christian alerted her as to the fact and even went to the trouble of making certain she knew she was welcome to visit the staff and any of her former colleagues should she choose to do so. So, she did.
"Knock, knock!" Cookie said as she gave a light rap on the locker room door with her knuckles, but did not pause to wait for an answer. Who could tell what tantalizing views might come into sight when she had the 'surprise factor' going for her?
"Cookie!" Odette's voice calling out her name was like music to the former Bombshell's ears as Cookie set foot inside of the room being used by the Seven Deadly Sins stable. Gabriel helped his pregnant wife to her feet and she hurried over as quickly as she was able to grab her 'fun-sized' friend in a fierce but warm embrace that only a true loving friend might know.
"Oh my God!" Odette sniffed, perhaps the hormones of her pregnancy getting the best of her. Yes, that had to be it. "What are you doing here?"
"Are you kidding?" Cookie smiled as she took a step back from Odette and rested a hand on her ample hip while absent mindedly caressing a small pendant on a chin around her neck. "I was told you were in here and I thought I'd just drop by. Say, are the boys decent?"
Cookie looked around with playful intentions, as she was best known for. She even leaned over just a hint so she could get a peek toward the showers with an interested eye. She then realized her efforts were futile and moved her forefingers around toward Odette and she said, "Because, you know, I could always leave and come back when they are."
"Sorry." Gabriel mused and gave his wife's friend a on arm embrace, welcoming her. "The only one in there right now is Rage."
"Oh." Cookie made a sour face, puckering her lips. She played with a lock of her long, black hair and sighed, "Well I would have rather gotten a glimpse of that Shipman hunk, but without Brandi or myself around, the number of peep holes in the boys's showers has fallen drastically."
"I thought I recognized that eyeball!" Gabriel pointed towards her and Cookie put on her best "Who, me?" face -- and it was one that was not altogether very convincing.
Odette chuckled and looked Cookie over, shaking her head. "Cooks, did you lose weight?"
"Christ, I hope not!" Cookie huffed. "Unlike most women, I always liked my jiggly parts!"
To that remark, she was greeted with light laughter from Odette and a disbelieving smirk from Gabriel.
"If I did," Cookie continued. "I can assure you that it was purely by accident and I would work quick to rectify HOLY SHIT!"
Cookie stammered and pointed down towards Odette's belly which was beginning to show easily with the baby that she was carrying. Her eyes were wide but the twinkle of joy and something else was observed in her chestnut colored eyes as she addressed Odette.
"Honey, if I lost weight, I think I know where it went! What the hell?"
"What can I say?" Odette smiled, wrapping her arms around Gabriel. "This man here had been on my back to have a baby."
Without missing a beat, Cookie clapped a hand on Gabriel's back and said, "Well I'm glad to see he finally got it right."
Gabriel blinked, then a frown creased his brow and he looked like he was about to reply as only he could, when there was another knock on the door. Unlike Cookie, whoever it was, was obliged to wait for an answer as opposed to simply walking right in.
"Hold that thought." Gabriel said as he moved past the two women to answer the door, Odette silently laughing but her face filled with hilarity as she grasped Cookie's hands in her own and gave them a squeeze.
Gabriel opened the door and looked out to whoever it was on the opposite side, "Yeah?" He stated, then there was an audible groan and he muttered, "Christ!" And stepped back, opening the door wider and Erik Staggs entered the room. He looked around until he spotted Cookie and pointed toward her, taking a step forward.
"Ah! There you are!" Erik said.
"And here I go!" Cookie followed up and immediately turned and walked towards the still-open door. She paused to turn and address Odette, saying, "I'll catch you after the show." And she walked out into the hall and Erik did a U-Turn and headed right after her as Gabriel quickly closed the door after the two and shared a look with his wife.
"Cookie!" Erik called as he hurried up the hall after her. "Hey, wait up!" And as it stood to reason that her intentions were to anything else BUT what he just asked, Erik picked up his pace to a jog and he hurriedly passed her and cut her off at the front of the backstage hall. Cookie rolled her eyes and exhaled sharply through her pursed lips as she stared at him, arms folded over her hefty boobs and she simply waited, not saying a word to make this any easier on the man before her.
"Hey, come on now." Erik reasoned. "There's no reason to be like that. What did I ever do to you?"
"You mean besides act the role of a total asshat when I was still employed here?" Cookie shot back. "I admit I haven't kept as up to date as maybe I should have, but you're not exactly the most trust worthy of men around here."
"If you're referring to that whole Team Erik thing..." Erik started to say.
"And I am." Cookie interrupted.
Erik continued as if she had not said anything, "That was a long time ago. I'm a changed man."
Cookie scoffed quite audibly.
Erik smirked and nodded. "Okay, point taken." He admitted with a smile. "I'm still an asshole of the highest caliber when I want to be."
Cookie nodded and graciously gestured toward him to continue. So, he did.
Erik said, "Bottom line is, after that whole debacle, Christian and Mark had every right to fire me and see I never worked another day around here ever again. That was the deal. But they didn't. And you know why?"
Cookie answered, "Mark wasn't washing the fruit off from Mrs. Brown's fruit stand?"
Erik frowned, missing the reference but Cookie looked into the camera and winked.
She then said, "But please do go on."
Erik said, "I just wanted to say, that they decided to keep me on, and let me continue to work doing what I think I do best. If they can trust me and give me a second chance after everything I did, then I think you can do the same."
Cookie sighed and glanced away from Mister Staggs before he again got her full attention.
He said, "Besides, it's those duties that I do so well that is why I came to talk to you."
"If you're going to try to get me to return to SCW ..." She started to say but Erik held up a hand to forestall any further arguments. He said, "Just let me say what I have to say, okay? And if you still aren't interested, then you can't blame a man for trying."
Cookie shrugged and gave him the floor. "Carry on."
"Thank you." Erik said, and he meant it. "I'm not here to try and talk you into making a return to SCW. well, not exactly a return."
"What does that mean? 'Not exactly' a return?"
Erik went on, "As you may or may not have heard, we're about to hit a major milestone here in a couple of weeks. Our one hundredth episode of Climax Control."
Cookie let loose an impressed whistle through her lips. Erik nodded with a satisfied smile that he had managed to impress her to that extent. He pressed on.
"To celebrate," He said. "We are going to hold a couple of special battle royals. one for the men, and one for the women. Each one is going to feature Superstars and Bombshells of Sin City Wrestling's past. I'd like for you to..."
"Be in the men's?" Cookie surmised with a hint of mischief. "Why not?"
"No, actually I meant the Bombshell Alumni event." Erik tilted his head toward her. "But then again, I'm sure you already knew what I was going for."
Cookie smirked but then scrunched up her face as if she had a bad smell under her nose and shook her head to say, "No thanks."
"N-no?"
"That's what I said toots."
"May I ask why?"
"Because I left for a reason." Cookie sighed. "It's complicated and I'd really rather not delve into the how's and why's. Let's just say something about the business left something of a bitter after taste in my mouth."
Erik watched her to see if she'd say anything further towards her decision to turn this opportunity down, but seeing as how nothing else seemed to be forthcoming, he instead changed tactics and asked, "So I guess the fact that your friend Brandi had already signed up means nothing?"
"Brandi?" Cookie blinked, temporarily caught off guard by his words. "She signed on?"
"She did." Erik nodded.
This was indeed news for Cookie, and she was not sure how she should even react to it. Brandi was one of the very few people in the business that she could call a genuine friend. From the moment the two met backstage, an immediate chemistry was formed between the two women, and it became infectious as they wove a proverbial 'party web' that drew in women like the 'then' Odette Ryder-now-Stevens along with them. Brandi was the most confident woman she ever had the pleasure of knowing. She cared nothing for what anyone thought of her. She was her own person, fully comfortable in her own skin and being simply who she was. It made her exiting SCW all the more painful all that time ago, as she never gave the woman who accepted her as a friend for so many months any form of explanation. Brandi deserved better.
"When do you need me?" Was all Cookie had to say.
See, this is where you should be reading Brandi's RP. Trust me, it'll make more sense.
"Oh, that was fun!" Brandi said with a laugh as she leaned back in the booth at the Applebees restaurant, the bottle of chilled, ice cold beer in her hand. "That's the type of night out with my girl that I miss the most!"
"It was fun." Cookie agreed, reaching into a pocket in her purse and she slipped out a mud soaked g-string and gave it a once over. She sighed, "I do so enjoy the sight of a man out of uniform."
Brandi laughed, slapping her hand on the table's edge, drawing a few looks from other patrons but neither she nor Cookie seemed to care. "The least you could have done was wait for the man to finish his match!" She laughed heartily. "He was so flustered he almost lost!"
"Oh he didn't have anything to worry about." Cookie contradicted her friend. "I mean did you see the size of his... well, did you see him? He almost put that poor guy he wrestled's eye out! He had to have been..."
Cookie set her own bottle of beer down next to Brandi's and started comparing when Brandi asked out of the blue...
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
Cookie blinked, caught completely off guard by the blunt nature of the question laid out before her. That was simply Brandi's way. When she had something to say, or wanted to know the answer to something else, she spoke up without a care.
"What are you talking about?" Cookie asked, not sure what she may have said or did to warrant Brandi acting like this.
"Well for one, you're sitting here, with me. Now." Brandi answered bluntly. "Instead of sitting on Mister Kong Schlong back at his place and riding him into the sunset!"
Cookie's eyebrows rose almost to her hairline, but for the first time in Brandi's recent memory, her friend seemed to be at a loss for words.
Brandi asked, "Did you at least get his number?"
To this, Cookie could only shake her head in the negative. Brandi scoffed and took a pull from her beer before she set it back on the table with a hard 'clunk' sound, her eyes never leaving Cookie. Cookie, who seemed all of a sudden to find the place mat beneath her dinner plate fascinating and her cheeks flushing into a crimson hue.
"What happened?" Brandi asked. When Cookie finally pried her eyes up from the table, Brandi was shocked to see them wet with tears. Cookie bit down on her lower lip to try and retain some semblance of self control, and feeling a swell of concern for her friend, Brandi said, "Why did you leave?"
August 2012
Cookie sat on the top of the examination table at her gynecologist, a Doctor Gwendolyn Kline. Her feet were propped in stirrups as she kept her eyes closed, breathing in through her nose and exhaling from her mouth. She had been unwell for the past week and had been showing symptoms since before that. It wasn't the kind of news she wanted to hear, if it was what her mother suggested, but she couldn't just remain at her apartment and suffer as she had been. She needed answers, and so she picked up the phone too schedule an appointment.
The door to the exam room opened and Doctor Kline stepped inside, carrying a clipboard in her hands. The doctor looked no older than Cookie herself was, but she knew through casual conversation that the doctor had at least fifteen years on her. She just wore the years extremely well.
"Well, we ran through all the tests." Doctor Kline said as she set the clipboard down and sat on the chair at Cookie's side. "There is no doubt about it. You're going to have a baby."
"Shit!" Brandi exclaimed aloud, then by instinct clapped a hand over her mouth and looked at the other faces turned her way. She met many a disapproving stare with a hard glare of her own until the faces turned away. Brandi then turned back to Cookie and leaned in to whisper, "Pregnant. You were pregnant!? Well no damn wonder you took off! Why the hell didn't you tell me!? Why didn't you tell anyone!?"
Cookie sighed, her eyes misting over but she kept her gaze from Brandi as if she could only feel shame over this revelation that had been to years in the making. She finally said, "Because it wasn't something I was proud of. I was always having fun with the boys, playing around. Then there was a really cute guy I thought could be a special one and one thing led to another..."
Cookie picked up her bottle and stared at it for a brief moment before setting it back down, untasted.
Brandi watched her for a few moments before she found her own voice and asked, "Things didn't work out with him?"
Cookie just shook her head, giving Brandi the only answer she could.
Brandi said, "So, you had a kid? Boy or..."
But before Brandi could finish asking her question, Cookie shook her head 'no' again with her eyes closed.
She had been bleeding heavily for the past twenty four hours, and the first thought that came to mind was that the doctor had been mistaken about her being pregnant. She made another appointment with Doctor Kline and could only wait, the knot in her stomach growing tighter with each passing moment until the door finally opened.
Doctor Kline stepped inside and the pitying look in her eyes was answer enough for what was happening to her.
"I'm sorry." The doctor said. "I'm afraid you've miscarried."
"Oh my god..." Brandi choked in a hushed voice. Perhaps the single most painful thing that could ever happen to a woman, had happened to one of her dearest friends and nobody had known about it. "Girl, I am so, so..."
"It's alright." Cookie said, forcing herself to smile. "It happens. It just hot me from out of left field, you know?"
Brandi just nodded, even though she herself didn't understand the pain that was just described. She asked, "But why didn't you tell me? or anyone? Pick up a phone and...?"
"And what?" Cookie laughed, although Brandi heard the pain behind the laughter. "What would I say? I thought I messed up my life by sleeping around with a guy that dumped me the moment he found out I was going to have his kid? Then I just end up losing the baby anyway?" Cookie shrugged and shook her head. "It's not the kind of thing that comes up in the every day casual conversation."
"You could have talked to me." Brandi said. "I'm told I give a good listen."
Cookie could only smile. Brandi, despite her hard exterior, really was a good woman and a dear friend.
"I'm fine."
Brandi stared at her for several long moments before she nodded, "Okay. Just no more of this bullshit, keeping secrets when you might need a friend. Got me?"
Cookie nodded.
"You wanna get the hell out of here?"
"God yes!" Cookie said and she slid from out of the booth and stood up, grabbing at the check but Brandi swiftly beat her to it. They started towards the pay stand when Brandi paused and looked back over her shoulder.
"You sure you're okay?"
"I'm sure." Cookie stressed. "Seriously. It was for the best. Can you imagine me as a mother?"
Brandi watched her for a moment, but said nothing. Because the truth was, she could see Cookie as a mom, and be a damned fine one at that! Brandi turned back around and headed for the cashier. Cookie followed, when she caught sight of a table where a little girl was playing with her mom who was feeding her a French fry.
A brief flash of anguish crossed Cookie's face before she hurried to catch up to Brandi.
"Damn! I never thought I'd see this day! I thought when I left SCW behind me, that it was for good. Well I guess this just goes to show that not everything is for good when it's in your past. SCW is a part of my past, but in a good way. I had a lot of good times around these guys and gals. especially the girls who really knew how the hell to party! The boys did too, but in a different way if you get my meaning. Yet here I am, and I can't help but wonder why I let Erik talk me into returning, even if it is just for the one time appearance in this Alumni Battle Royal."
"The truth is, even had he not tricked me into signing up, I think in the end I would have done it anyway. I miss it, and sometimes I look back at the old tapes and wish there was a way to rewind the clock. I don't think I ever had more fun than I did with Brandi, my gal pal and former tag team partner. I don't think Id ever find another partner who I would trust so completely as I did with her. I knew the first time we teamed together that gold would be around our waists, and damn if we didn't live up to that bit of self prophecy! Granted we didn't hold the titles as long as I would have liked, but the simple fact I held them and with a friend like Brandi is quite enough. I don't know what the hell is going to happen once that bell rings, and if she and I find ourselves alone in the ring with each other. I can only imagine she and I will go at it as hard as we can, each trying to out do the other and walk away the winner. I know for damn sure Brandi is in this to win, and I'd be doing her no honor if I didn't hit as hard as I'm sure she'd hit me. But until that moment comes, it's all the other little girls who are going to have to watch out because they have the Party Girls to worry about. Brandi and I will be in there to watch each others' backs and make certain that one of us, and only one of us, will be the one who walks out of that ring with their arms held high."
"Some of the other girls I know. Some I don't, and some I've only heard about. I mean, who hasn't heard about Amanda Cortez and Laura Jackson? With those two, you have two of the best that ever signed on to the Bombshell division. Bombshell tag Team Champions. Cortez held the top singles prize. So just like Brandi and myself, those two are going to be watching each others' backs. If it winds down to just the four of us, well those poor little girls won't be in any frame of mind of body to be playing any of that slap and tickle routine that they shove down our throats, pun intended, every time we tune in to watch one of their promos. They did each other, and baby it is a new tie, a new age, a new millennium! Good for them I say! But all the lovin' and peel and squeal you can muster isn't going to keep you from getting your bony butts tossed out of the ring this Sunday."
"Faith is another former Roulette Champion, and that in itself should say enough. How the hell those chicks can win that title, let alone defend it successfully, is beyond me! They walk into the building, knowing who they're up against but not how they're supposed to oppose them. Streetfight. Mud pit. Hell, they could get into a slap fight with foot long hot dogs for all I know, but the fact Faith was able to win that title in the first place, and win it from a woman like Joanne Canelli.. honey that tells you all you need to know about Faith's credentials inside of that ring! But this isn't a Roulette match, honey. There won't be weapons or jello pools or anything ridiculous like that. A battle royal is where the big girls come to play, and I'm the biggest girl there is in that ring."
"Kittie is another chick that anyone who is anyone in this sport is familiar with. How the hell could you not be familiar with this babe? She's definitely a few tacos short of a combination plate, but she's also a sweetheart and one of the fiercest competitors in SCW's history, male or female. She's another who made waves by winning the first Roulette Championship, but she also rose above even that and won the top title! Top notch talent, top notch competition! It's almost going to be a shame tossing her out to the floor, but a Party Girl is going to do what a Party Girl has to do."
"Karina Koji is one chick I am thrilled to see signed up for this! That girl is about as bat shit crazy as they come, but she'll give you the fight of your life and the record she holds as a champion is all you need to know for her rep. She has went the distance time and again against the best of the best, and walked away often enough with hr head held high. I am looking forward to facing her. Not so much looking forward toward thee expression on her face when she gets thrown out of the ring, but I wouldn't mind inviting her out for drinks with the girls for after. No hard feelings."
"Now where there are hard feeling is this Liz Smalls character. I don't know her. Don't have any interest in getting to know her, but the woman gets on my nerves all the same! The nonsense she throws onto twitter on a daily basis grates the nerves! If she whines like that on a public site, what the hell must she be like in person? I'm not sure I'm altogether looking forward to experiencing that little tart's bitch fest that will erupt when she gets thrown out, so all I can do is hope that every chick in there, including yours truly, has the sense to team up for one brief moment and toss her out as fast as possible!"
"Now, normally when I say I'd save the best for last, I'd be talking about Brandi because, her, that bitch is the best! But I had to do her the honor of starting off first, so we'll polish this little bit off with the darling of SCW, Emma Rose. I've seen enough of this chick to know the name fits. Like a rose, she's a thing of beauty to behold, but also like a rose, she has thorns that'll get you if you mishandle her. It's a damn shame this chick decided to call it quits when she did, but there are always other options out there, and she found her's. No I'm not talking about Ben Jordan but can you blame me if I was? I mean, DAYUM! The man is FINE! If that man ever has to remove his own pants, then Emma seriously needs her head examined! Just kidding girl! Nothing but love! After all is said and done, it'll be time to party with the experts! You're invited, no matter what happens inside of the ring."
"I came all this way to win, and I don't plan to let any lingering sentiments towards the women I knew at one point in time keep me from getting my arm raised."
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