Buckingham Palace, it's origin dates as far back to the year 1705 when it was conceived as a town house for the Duke of Buckingham. Over the years, other British monarchs took to this royal residence and in the nineteenth century, it was expanded to become what would be seen today by the eyes of the people. In 1837 upon the ascension of Queen Victoria, it became the official royal palace of the British monarchy.

Many of the peoples in other nations are unaware that there are special times throughout the year that the public is allowed access for very special tours to give people a glimpse of the grand estate of perhaps the world's most powerful family. Only a handful of rooms are on this tour, but it never the less allows those lucky enough to be on this tour a once in a lifetime glimpse into the world of the British aristocracy.

"And we're really going to go inside?"

Despayre was standing at the gates before the royal palace, his hands wrapped tightly around the bars to the point his knuckles were white. His face was firmly set between the bars and his gray eyes gazed at this grand sight before him with unabashed excitement. He turned his head and looked back to Synn who was standing stoically, as if the prospect of seeing such a thing was vastly unimportant to him. The same chilly breeze that whipped Despayre's long hair around, caused Synn's long jacket to waft faintly as he tucked his hands inside of the coat pockets.

"Yes, Joshua." Synn replied. "We won't get to see a lot, mind you, but what we will be allowed to see will be a privilege all to itself."

"That's fine!" Despayre turned back away from the rest and stared intensely at the Palace, his plush buddy Angel tucked snugly inside of his own jacket to be shielded from the winds. The weather forecast had called for a chance of rain and the chill air combined with that, made Despayre wary about the chances Angel might get sick.

(Teddy bears make the worst patients you know!)

The rest of the Seven Deadly Sins stable were also a part of this tour, standing at the forefront of the crowd gathered, a blend of the people of London, as well as tourists from across the globe. As Shane was emerged in a discussion with Gabriel and Rage, Fantasia stepped forward and tapped her forefinger along Synn's arm to draw his attention away from Despayre.

"He's pretty excited about this, isn't he?" She asked with a smile to her tones that matched the one on her lips.

"He is." Synn nodded, a look of pride in his eyes that anyone could see, but few might understand. "Ever since you showed him that movie 'The Queen', Joshua's been fascinated by the woman. A couple of years ago when we worked for the AWA, we were here in London."

Fantasia nodded, "I remember. He wanted so badly to come to the Palace and see the inside."

"Yes," Synn concurred. "It broke his heart when I had to tell him they weren't giving tours at the time. Took a lot of time to console him and promise him we'd try another time if we were ever in London again."

"So how'd you arrange it this time?" Fantasia smirked. "Call ahead and work with the Royal family to get us the tour scheduled?"

Synn cast a smarmy look over his shoulder at the petite fireball of a redhead and arched a single brow. "I'm good, Fantasia, but even I'm not that good." he turned back to watch as Despayre had pulled out a souvenir map of the Palace interior and held it before him so Angel could see it too. Synn continued, "I simply lucked out. I did a little web searching for the tours when this show was first announced. It just so happened one was set for today..."

"And that is why you insisted we arrive in London over a week early?" Fantasia finished with a smile, understanding. She shook her head and laughed gently. "You are spoiling this boy rotten, you know that?"

"Ah well, I wouldn't be Synn if I did otherwise." Was all Synn could say to answer her 'charge' against him.

This was when Despayre finally broke away from his claimed front spot at the head of the line at the gates and approached them with the map held out. He looked up at Synn and asked with enthusiasm, "Angel said we might meet the Queen! Is that true?"

"Oh Despy," Fantasia started to say. She knew all too well how important it was for tourists to get to at least see a glimpse of Queen Elizabeth, but to meet her? "I don't know."

Despayre's eyes fell to Synn who added, "She is a very busy woman, Joshua. I suppose anything is possible, but I have to admit it's doubtful. She has so much to keep her occupied. You understand, don't you?"

Despayre frowned as he attempted to contemplate the logic. A sigh escaped his lips gently as he shrugged his small shoulders, and he said, "I guess. Angel said it was a long shot anyway." He then turned to one of the palace guards and the others' heads turned to watch as Despayre hopped over to the one guard standing stoically at his post inside of the fence, and Despayre asked, "Do you think we'll get to meet the Queen?"

He stood and waited for a response, but none was forthcoming. the guard stood straight and stared ahead, his eyes unwavering and body not moving.

"Hel-LO!" Despayre called, waving a hand in front of the guard's face, drawing other stares and amused reactions from the small tour crowd. Despayre glanced back at his buddies in the Sins and quirked his head to the side. "Boy this guy is so rude!"

"He's not going to respond, Despy." Fantasia called gently. "He's not allowed."

Despayre turned to look at her and frowned, "How come?"

Synn answered, "It's tradition. They have to focus on their duties to the Royal Family, and nothing else. Nobody can make them act otherwise."

"Nobody, huh?" Despayre turned and looked at the guard inside of the gates. he then turned and started to approach.

Gabriel approached from behind and had a smile on his face that could only tell a person he knew something fun was about to happen. He whispered to Synn, "Oh this ought to be good."

Despayre stood just inches away from the guard inside of the gates and pulled Angel out of his jacket. He held the teddy bear up so that Angel's little black eyes were 'eye level' with that of the guards. He wiggled Angel in the air in front of the guard... "Hellloooooooooo! ... Beware the stare!"

Shane and Rage stepped closer to watch and enjoy the tourist spectacle as several others in the tour group started to watch with unabashed curiosity and amusement as Despayre continued to hold Angel up in front of the guard and he started moving his body left and right as he started to sing without shame at the top of his lungs...

"If you go down to the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise.
If you go down to the woods today
You'd better go in disguise.

For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic."

Despayre pulled Angel down and looked closely at the guard who did not respond at all to the display performed for him. He blinked at the guard, then held Angel back up and continued his little performance,

"Picnic time for teddy bears,
The little teddy bears are having a lovely time today.
Watch them, catch them unawares,
And see them picnic on their holiday.
See them gaily gad about.
They love to play and shout,
They never have any cares.
At six o'clock their mummies and daddies
Will take them home to bed
Because they're tired little teddy bears. "

By now some in the crowd started to clap their hands along to the performance which just seemed to egg Despayre on. Even Shane and Fantasia joined in as Synn, Gabriel and Rage just watched as Despayre started to dance around the front of the guard, singing with enthusiasm...

"Every teddy bear, that's been good
Is sure of a treat today
There's lots of wonderful things to eat
And wonderful games to play

Beneath the trees, where nobody sees
They'll hide and seek as long as they please
'Cause that's the way the teddy bears have their picnic"

Despayre called an end to his song and performance and the tourist crowd, including all of the Sins, applauded and this snapped Despayre out of his reverence and he realized what he just did in front of a very large crowd of strangers. His cheeks flushed a scarlet red of self-induced embarrassment and he quickly ducked behind Synn's much larger frame to shield himself from the eyes of the onlookers as the applause slowly died down.

Gabriel leaned over at the waist and asked, "Did it work?"

From behind Synn, a muffled voice responded, "No! This guy's good!"

---

"Oh Casey, what can be said that hasn't been said a multitude of times already? Would 'so we meet again' be too cliche' to befit this special occasion? Well, I can at least admit that I am not disappointed at this golden opportunity for Despayre and Gabriel to face you once again, because it is just that; a golden opportunity. The hallowed chance to dethrone the SCW Tag Team Champions in international territory could bring much heralded acclaim to the tag team division, and to Sinful Obsession in particular. And knowing me from our shared history from the AWA, clear to SCW, you know how much I enjoy those in my care to be renowned with such fame."

"You are, after all, the biggest man in this match. So you will understand when that makes you the logical target for attack. It's nothing personal, just business. or, if I must be honest... glory. I have never shied away from telling anyone whom might pay attention that I seek the renowned with all my heart, both for myself as well as the members of my family. Nothing would please me more, than to have Gabriel and Despayre realize their goal, and walk away once again as champions together as a pairing. No team in the SCW has the common denominator that they have shared between them. No team here has such a bond. They've become more than friends, more than reliable partners. They're now family, bonded as brothers. Neither you and Jordan, nor the Aristocrats can say the same. It's a bond that can't be defended against. What each wants, the other attains. And that gold you hold so dear is their innermost desires for this very night that swiftly approaches."

"I imagine this match could be viewed by you as a chance at the proverbial 'double your pleasure' entendre. Hm? Not only do you have the chance to retain your titles in London against two of the top tag teams in the business, but you see on the horizon the chance for you to get that first ever elusive win in the record books against a team you just have never been able to put down in defeat. A shame, really that it's come to this. You see Casey, back in the AWA when our history started, the flames between our sides were fanned by the intensity of the ill will harbored. I remember that first match when you did everything you could to hurt Despayre and you ended up disqualified in doing so. As they say, water under the bridge -- and yet here we are again. Different outlooks, yet the same goals. Victory. You crave it, and you have succeeded. Sin City Wrestling Tag Team Champion, and you did so credibly. So to you I offer my congratulations, as well as my sympathies."

"After all, I know every champion wants to live on in the annals of history for as long as they can. But that one moment always arrives when the champion is a former champion, and in London, that moment has arrived for you. It is predestined, Casey. It's fate. You will return to Las Vegas as a former champion. Your attitude against us may have changed, who knows -- but the end result will always be the same. Defeat. I will accept nothing less."

---

There were different queues to get into from the very start of the tour to go on different aspects at different times. The members of the stable decided together that they would begin the tour with the Queen's Gallery, and end with the gardens. Being at the front of the line offered Synn and his 'family' the chance to see everything first, and no in-fighting would be permitted from the masses to push ahead from their place. Order was demanded at all times and even Synn knew better than to press his luck.

The Queen's Gallery itself was a prominent display of some of the many priceless items in the Royal Family Collection. This year there was even a heightened interest at this particular stop of the tour, as the wedding gown of the newest member of the Royal Family, Kate Middleton, would be on display.

"Woopty fucking doo." Rage murmured as they stepped through the ornate door frame and into the first step of their tour. "A wedding dress that probably shouldn't even have been white in the first place."

"Shh!" Fantasia scolded, despite the fact Rage's words rang true to her ears and amusing toward her sense of humor, as she tried very hard to keep a straight face as the tour guide spoke aloud toward those who would listen. Many in the large group listened attentively, but others (the Sins included), opted to go about the gallery and look to their leisure while listening only when it best suited them.

"Don't get any ideas." Synn whispered with an undertone of amusement as he approached Gabriel who was looking at a glass case with a dazzling diamond studded tiara adorned with rubies. "These people would skin you alive if you ever even thought about it."

Gabriel cast a glance over his shoulder and winked, "Would I do a thing like that?"

"Yes." Synn said simply. "And as amusing as the thought might be, I'd rather not have to bail you out of some European jail. Best we remove temptation." and he gripped Gabriel by the shoulder and steered him away from the display of the royal jewels.

Various paintings of grand design and detail lined the walls in their golden and ivory frames, each sculpted with enviable skill by masters of their craft. Among the great works was "Enoch, Philip and Annie In the Cave" ... "Pandora" ... "The Ride of the Valkyries" and "Titania" among many others.

Rage's attention fell to the collection of royal weaponry, among them being pistols and maces.

Despy was busy studying a display of a Man's Silver Flask, and piped up, "I bet Shane would like one of those for his birthday, huh Angel? Yeah I think so too! I dunno. The gift shop perhaps?"

Other valued treasures on display in cases were cheroot cases, meerschaum pipes and a classic English gift set, coin purses and chatelaines, a silver baby rattle fashioned in the shape of a joker, yads and torah pointers, a helmet clock and most promising, a beautiful collection of gold and cobalt demitasse cups.

Fantasia was looking on at Kate's bridal gown with obvious pleasure and she sighed in a relaxed state of mind as she said, "What I wouldn't give to try that on."

Shane slid up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders and whispered, "I don't know babe. I think your body might reject a white dress."

---

"Jordan Williams."

"This name means something. History. High esteem. Glory. I know of few others who have risen to the level of competition that this man has. One of the best, if not the best professional wrestlers in the game today. I personally was thrilled when you came out of your inactive status to help raise Sin City Wrestling to an all-new level. I admit I had you pegged as a future Heavyweight Champion, and who knows? You may still prove me right. But this time, for now, it's the tag team division, and as per usual, we find you at your usual spot. Right on top as the proven best."

"Until 'London Brawling' that is. You see, this will mark a bit of history as being the first time that either Gabriel or Despayre have set foot inside of the ring with you. It is a privilege for them both, and it will prove a learning experience, I am sure. For all parties involved. They will learn from your vast years of successful experiences, and from them you will learn a little lesson in humility. You see, I've watched you for a long time Jordan. from your time in the IWA through the EFWO and right where you are now. I was there, if you recall, in the EFWO at the exact same time that you were. I've watched you because I have a good many years of experience of my own inside of the ring. Perhaps a few short to match your own, but you'd be a fool to think I don't have enough to share with Sinful Obsession to make them a credible threat against your reign at the top of the hill."

"Study. Do your homework. Despayre and Gabriel are one of the few credible teams employed by Sin City Wrestling. They've been together for a few years now. That experience will be of great value, and it is experience you do not share with Casey Williams. You can not read your partner as they do with one another. You can't predict what the other needs or is going to do so you can react accordingly. Gabriel and Despayre, however, can. And they are not without their own merits, Jordan, as I'm sure you're well aware."

"Gabriel -- undefeated AWA World Television Champion. Despayre -- undefeated AWA International Champion. Sinful Obsession -- undefeated AWA World Tag Team Champions. Gabriel -- the first ever Sin City Wrestling Heavyweight Champion, and we all know the circumstances of that championship loss! Are you beginning to see a pattern here, Jordan? Are you starting to wonder just why they have the stellar records that they do? Well, just it back and wait my friend."

"When the time comes, all will be made clear."

---

"Oh now this is what I'm talking about!"

Rage said aloud with approval as the tour entered the Royal Mews and they laid eyes on the various vehicles and horse drawn carriages used for state purposes by the Royal Family. Shane looked at Rage with a quirked brow and shook his head.

He asked, "Since when are you interested in old cars?"

Rage replied, "Bitch, please! There's a shit load you don't know about me!"

"Yeah," Shane replied, "Like how you've made it to the end of the tour without getting a piece of ass."

Rage turned and glared daggers at Shane who walked on with Fantasia on his arm, oblivious to the seething cauldron threatening to boil over. He turned back and started browsing around the variety of pony carriages, a Glass Coach, a Gold Stage Coach, a 1902 State Landau, and the collections of Phaetons and Victorias.

There was so much to please the tourist eye when Despayre approached the tour guide and raised his hand as if asking for permission to speak, "Excuse me, but where are the horses? I see the carriages but where are the horses that pull `em?"

The tour guide smiled her best and said, "I'm afraid the horses are in the stables. We won't be seeing them today so we might..."

"Boring!" Despayre called out and spun around to rejoin his friends in the Sins as the tour guide blinked.

---

The tour had went through the state rooms where the Royal Family had entertained world figures over the years, and now was on it's last stop, the 42 acre gardens of the Queen's. It was a virtual oasis of flora and wildlife, where the tourists were able to walk along the path and enjoy everything to please not only the eyes but the scents as well. One might even see the large 19th-century lake which is graced by a flock of flamingoes, the Waterloo Vase, a helicopter pad, and a tennis court.

Shane came up behind Fantasia and reached around to present her with a freshly picked lilac. She looked at it and blinked back at her man with surprise, before hissing between her teeth, "Shane, you twat! Did you just pick that out of the Queen's personal gardens!?"

"C'mon, what's the big deal?" Shane shrugged, shaking the flower in front of her to coerce her into taking it. "When's the last time I bought flowers?"

Fantasia just looked around to see if anyone saw, then looked back up at him and leaned in to answer, "Whenever you think it's going to get you some, and it always works so..." She looked back at the flower and the understanding dawned upon her and she graciously accepted it, saying, "You won't be able to walk right tomorrow sweet cheeks for getting me a flower from this garden."

Shane turned and said, "I'm counting on it."

Synn looked up from inspecting the Napolean Vase and said, "Joshua, are you enjoying... Joshua?"

The questioning tone of the words called the attentions of Gabriel, Rage, Shane and Fantasia to look up and about, but Joshua, aka Despayre, was nowhere to be found.

"Joshua....!"

..........

Despayre walked down the long hallway of the ornately decorated wing of the Palace, his head leaned back and taking in every single richly decorated sight that was before him...

---

"Now I don't want the Aristocrats to think I went and forgot about them. Oh no, how could I? After all, since our first meeting in the ring, haven't we become the very best of friends? Hm? no? Yeah, somehow I'm not surprised. What does surprise me is it's not you who are opposite the ring from us and that third team, wearing the championship gold."

"As much as it galls me to admit it, if ever there was another team destined to be champions -- other than Sinful Obsession -- it would be the Aristocrats. Chett "Hangman" Hawkins and "Big" Steve Scanlon are a formidable combination of men and styles blended to be a threat to anyone they find themselves up against, and yes, that includes Gabriel and Despayre. When our two teams met, you gave my men a fight that I am reluctant to admit I did not see coming. You fought them to the bitter end, and for the Aristocrats, the end was indeed bitter. For you see, as hard as you fought, in the end, it just wasn't hard enough. After all, who was it that won that match? I do believe it was Sinful Obsession."

"And that was in a standard tag team match, with nothing on the line save for pride. Now try to imagine it gentlemen. If that was the end result with nothing up for grabs, just try to imagine what these two are capable of when championship gold is on the line. Gabriel is, after all, the Sin of Greed. he will settle for nothing short of adding more glory to his already swollen resume', and Despayre just wants to succeed when others believe he might fail. He demands to prove himself with his best friend at his side. Winning the SCW Tag Team title was written in the diaries of the Fates themselves from the moment they signed their contracts. All it would take was a bit of time."

"Despayre is patient. He waited while Gabriel took his rightful spit as King of the Mountain, knowing this time would eventually come. Despayre has become anxious ... hungry. He is a predator and come bell time, he will be unleashed."

"Gabriel and Despayre have waited long enough for their crowning moment gentlemen. The wait is now over."

---

"Excuse me." Despayre said timidly as he held Angel close to his body and approached an elderly gentleman in a suit and tie. "I think I'm lost. Is the Queen on this part of the tour?"

The man looked up from the table he was signing a paper on and blinked from behind his glasses. He looked toward his left, then right, then focused on Despayre.

"I'd say you were lost young man." The elderly man said in a thick British accent. "The main tour should be in the garden by now."

"I know, that's where I was." Despayre tried to explain. "I was with my friends when I thought I saw the Queen coming inside and I wanted to say hi and introduce us, but I think I took a wrong turn and... " He looked down sheepishly and whispered despite himself, "<span style=\'font-size:9pt;line-height:100%\'>I'm sorry.</span>"

The older man looked at Despayre with a critical eye. He had served as a member of the staff of Buckingham palace for over thirty years and his was a well trained eye for any signs of trouble, and although he saw there was a unique nature to this young man before him, he could read nothing that should involve the calling of the palace security.

A door opened and a regally intoned voice spoke, "Is everything alright Harold?"

Despayre turned to see who had stepped out of the next room and spoken, and he froze. The lady was elderly with short, white hair, glasses on the demure nose and clad in a tasteful business dress. Despite her advanced years, her eyes shone with wisdom and her stature told she was one to be respected. Despayre was looking at Queen Elizabeth herself!

"No mum." Harold addressed the Queen with a respectful nod. "I was just chatting with this pleasant young lad. Seems he accidentally separated himself from the tour group and was trying to find his friends. I thought it best if I looked them up for him. Save a bit of time and headache."

"Yes, quite." Queen Elizabeth agreed and she turned and looked the young wrestler over who was by now doing everything to avoid eye contact with the world's most powerful woman, aside from standing behind the suit of armor he was next to. The Queen as well was a marvelous judge of character with her years of experience in her office, and she too could see the innocent nature of Despayre.

Just as her attendant of so many years was about to step up to Despayre to escort him away, she raised her hand to stall him. "It is almost tea time. Perhaps you would be so kind as to bring have Mary fetch it if our young man here would care to wait?"

"Certainly mum." He looked to Despayre and asked, "Might I ask what your friends look like so I will know them?"

Despayre paused, thinking. He said nothing at first and frowned for just the smallest of moments before he finally spoke up, "Tall. One is bald and looks really mean. One is a pretty redhead."

Harold smiled and gave a nod before he turned to carry out his duties. Two other men stood nearby in the Queen's private office, watching and aware. Innocent or not, their duty was the protection of the Royal Family and were keeping a close eye on Despayre.

The Queen held her hand out toward the open door where the men were and she inclined her head, "Would you join me?"

Despayre glanced up to see where she was indicating and he slowly took a single step forward and then followed her into the room, where one guard remained outside, the other retained his station behind the closed door.

"Please, have a seat." Queen Elizabeth said, motioning toward a small sofa in her study. Despayre looked at it, then at her. She shook her head slightly to ask, "Would you rather stand?"

"No." Despayre said meekly. "But it's ladies first."

This brought a genuine soft smile to the Queen's face as she nodded and walked around to the other side of the sofa and had a seat. As Despayre followed suit, taking a spot on the other side, she remarked, "I see somebody raised you properly."

Despayre looked down at the teddy bear held closely against him and shrugged.

"What is your name?"

"Despayre."

"Despayre?" The Queen frowned. "Is that your real name?"

Despayre shook his head, "No. It's my wrestling name."

"I see." The monarch said in observance." "What is your real name?"

This time Despayre lifted his eyes to look at her and his face flushed a charming pink as he answered her, "Joshua."

"Joshua." The Queen repeated, leaning back against the sofa with her hands in her lap. "I do like that name. Very dignified."

This compliment from such a woman made Despayre sit up just a little bit straighter.

---

Synn is standing with the others, each one bearing a worried expression as Synn spoke to a man in a business suit. Synn held his hand at chest level, palm down, and said, "He's about this high, with really long, black hair. Half of his head is shaved... Don't look at me like that. He really looks like this."

Shane added, "And he'll be carrying a teddy bear."

Gabriel looked at Fantasia and asked, "Why does he keep looking at us like that?" to which Fantasia shrugged.

"A teddy bear you say?" The voice drew their attention behind them and they saw the older man wearing a smile approach them. "Would you be the friends of Joshua?"

Synn was the first to answer, quickly approaching Harold. "Yes! Is he alright? What happened? is he...?"

Harold held a hand up and said, "The young man is quite alright. He got a little lost, took a wrong turn or something such. He's quite fine and having a bit of tea while I searched for you. Come with me."

Harold turned and headed up the path and the Sins had little else options but to follow.

---

Queen Elizabeth was now seated next to Despayre, both with cups and saucers in hand as they carried on a conversation.

The Queen said, "Such a shame the state this world is in." She shook her head as she took a sip from her cup.

Despayre followed suit and agreed, "It is. it really is. You know what else is a shame?"

"What's that?"

"When you sit down and your thighs squish out to twice their normal size. That's a shame."

The Queen paused a moment, baffled by this as she took a moment to contemplate his statement. Then she nodded and sipped at her tea when there was a knock at the door.

"Yes?" She called out and the security in the room reached over and opened the door. Harold leaned in and smiled,

"Ma'am," He said. "We've found Joshua's friends. Shall I show them in?"

"Yes, please." She answered, standing up. Watching for a second, Despayre did the same as the door opened wider and Harold stood inside and the Sins promptly walked in, with Synn at the helm.

"Joshua!" He scolded. "Why did you wander off like...?" And he froze immediately when he saw who else was in the room. All of them did so. Fantasia's eyes went wide and she gripped Shane's arm tightly. Rage muttered, "Holy sh..." before Shane wrapped an arm around his head an clamped a hand over his mouth. The two Brits in the group, Shane and Gabriel, held the most reverence of them all as they each found themselves long enough to place their hand on their heart and bowed humbly at the waist. Humbly being the operative term. Both Gabriel and Shane were indeed humbled by the sight of the Queen of England.

"Joshua..." Synn managed to say. "Are you actually having tea with the Queen of England???"

Despayre lowered his cup from his lips and blinked, looking at each in turn before asking, "Doesn't everybody?"

Shane looked at Gabriel and flopped his arms at his side, repeating, "Doesn't everybody!"

"Mother..." The door opened wider and the experience was compounded when in walked Prince Charles and Camilla. "I am told we have visitors?"

"Uh oh..." Despayre whispered. "It's the social climbing shrew!"

"Joshua!" Synn scolded at the same exact time Shane and Gabriel reprimanded, "Despy!"

Queen Elizabeth turned her head and said simply, "Joshua. We do not speak of the Duchess in such a manner."

Despayre looked back and forth between them before he said, "Why not? You did."

---

The Ashburn Hotel...

The door of the hotel lobby was opened by the doorman and the members of the Seven Deadly Sins walked in, their conversation excited and loud.

"I still can't believe it!" Shane said with a wide smile on his face. "I always thought Despy was capable of anything ... but dude!" he clapped Despayre on the back, almost sending the much smaller man tumbling forward. "You and the Queen herself!?"

"It's no big deal." Despayre reasoned with a smile, bringing the smiles to each of the others in turn.

"No big deal he says." Synn mimics. "The man has tea with the most powerful woman in the world, and he says no big deal."

A hotel clerk approached the group, and spoke specifically to Synn, "Pardon me, sir?"

"Yes?" Synn said, glancing over toward him and frowning at the disruption of their conversation.

"A woman in the waiting area." The clerk said. "Said she's waiting to see you? She says she knows you."

Rage asked, "Who the hell would that be?"

Synn shrugged as he turned to head for the waiting area of the lobby with the others in tow, "Most likely one of those comely lasses Ward or Underwood use to interview us. They told me they scheduled us something and..."

"MOM!" Despayre suddenly cried out from out of nowhere and he tore past the others.

The heads of Synn, Gabriel, Rage, Shane and Fantasia whipped around to spy Despayre jumping into the waiting arms of a woman across the lobby. Gabriel turned his head quickly to look at Synn whose color had drained completely from his features. Gabriel looked back to watch as Despayre embraced the woman with heartfelt enthusiasm and he could find only one thing to say to fit the situation...

"Oh fuck..."

TBC....

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - Broodmoore Mental Facility
2009

“No, please!” His whining cry rang on the hollow halls of the facility that he had been forced to call his ‘home’ for the past several years. The place where they had promised his family that they would be able to help him; to ease - if not cure outright - the fragile mental state that he had been slowly deteriorating towards ever since the car accident when he was only roughly five years of age. The accident where he had suffered such severe brain damage that it all but destroyed the part of his brain that allowed him to mentally mature. The accident that, for lack of a better explanation, trapped him in the mental state of a toddler. Imagine, the body of a teenager, but the mind of a small boy. And the older he got, he would always remain in that very same mental state. In fact, the more years that would pass, the more potentially dangerous he would become. After all, what kind of damage could a fully grown man with the emotional instability of a boy wreak on those around him? It was why his Grandfather forced his mother to bring him here, when his animalistic actions grew too intense, and they were unable to handle him at home.

They promised that they would help, but they either lied or were grossly mistaken. They didn’t help. If anything, they made him even worse. Caused him to regress to an even worse animalistic state where there was less child now than there was animal. Their methods were -- brutal, to say the least. And when he fought back, they would either restrain him, physically punish him - or both.

It was why the orderlies remained immune to his pleas when they came to his room to bring him to where the ‘Bad Doctor’ as Joshua called him, had instructed them. They had him firmly by the arms, and even if Joshua had put his every effort into getting loose, there was little chance of success. He was half their size, and where would he even go? Their grips were so tight on his pale, skinny arms that they were already hurting him, and causing bruises to form. He was clad in his hospital pajamas that he wore to ruin, and trying to bury his stocking feet against the floor was woefully unsuccessful.

“Please, let me go!” He cried, but they did not listen. “You’re hurting me!” His cheeks were wet with tears from both the pain of their grips, as well as the fear of what was to come. There was always the fear. Every time they came for him, they took him to the doctor’s ‘special room’ on the second floor, and he always left the worse for wear. Battered. Beaten. Bruised. More so mentally than physically, but that was even worse.

They pulled the fifteen year old around the corner of the hallway, and that was when he realized he was not being taken upstairs. They had passed by both the stairs and the elevators, and were going closer toward the front of the facility. There stood Doctor Silkworth, the “Bad Doctor,” beside a private visitation room. The memory lingered faintly in the back of his mind, the last time he had been brought up here. It seemed only recently that he had sat across from a table, across from his mom and grandma. But it had been longer than his mind was able to process. In truth, he had a difficulty in deciphering time. As of late, he was only allowed out of his private room when he was allowed to shower, his meals, or to be brought to the doctor. He was never allowed to go outside, and it was a rarity he was ever brought to the recreation room for movie night. Doctor Silkworth said it was because of his behavior, but Joshua knew the truth; the Doctor hated him.

Ever since he got hold of that pencil that one time and stabbed that nurse through the palm of her hand in a fitful rage.

“Joshua?” Dr. Silkworth said in that dreadful voice, causing the lad to start and look at him with total fear in his eyes. A look that the doctor found privately satisfying because he believed that if the patients feared him, they would be more susceptible to proper treatment, not fighting against it. The Doctor surprised him with, “You have a visitor.”

Words that made his little heart soar, as he asked, “Mom!?” But when the Doctor answered in the negative, shaking his head, that soaring heart came crashing down.

The orderlies brought him inside of the room and forcibly sat him in the chair at the table, on the far side of the room so he would be facing the door. One of them stretched his arm out while the other secured him as was the hospital protocol, handcuffing his wrist to the lock on the table’s surface. He looked at his lashed wrist, then up at the doctor as he stepped outside along with the orderlies. A curious thing as usually the doctor remained inside of the room for the visit, at least at the very beginning to ensure he would behave himself. So why…? But then the door opened, and inside stepped a total stranger. He had to be the tallest man he had ever seen, and had a way about him from his facial expression to his posture that practically screamed “WARNING! WARNING!”

The man was Synn, and he was visiting the teenager that he had only recently discovered that he was his son, his flesh and blood. The doctor stepped in the frame of the door, and it was enough to give the poor kid a jolt as the doctor said, “Joshua, you’ll behave yourself?” And he raised his eyebrows, making it more of a statement than a question, prompting the boy to remain silent but nod in the affirmative. Only then did the doctor nod as if pleased with the control he had over him, and he stepped outside, closing the door firmly behind him.

Joshua looked up to steal a glance at the man he did not yet know was his own father, before he hurriedly looked away. As if the man would be upset or insulted for merely being looked upon. But the man said nothing, not yet. He calmly walked over to the table and as he extended a hand toward the visitor’s chair, he paused when the teenager flinched. Synn waited a moment or two, giving the boy a chance to calm himself, before he pulled the chair out and took a seat opposite of him. Synn watched as the boy all but hid as far into the chair as he was physically able, shielding himself from the stranger across from him.

“Joshua,” Synn finally broke the uneasy silence between them. “May I call you Joshua?” When the boy did not answer him, Synn struggled privately. Under most circumstances, Synn prided himself on always being in control. He had every minute detailing of his life, both personal as well as professional, laid out before him at all times, and he did not like when anything went astray. Some called him a control freak of the highest order, but such was life. His life. And yet, here he was. In Canada at the behest of someone he had not spoken to in over fifteen years. Sitting across from his son.

His son.

The moment that realization struck him, all control over his life went out the proverbial window. This sad sight before him, this frail, small lad, had done the seemingly impossible. He made Synn what he never expected to be. He made him a father. And to make matters even more complicated, without having spoken to him, the very moment Synn laid eyes on this boy, he was bound and determined to save him from this place. Even if he had to bring the walls down in order to do so and take out every single person inside who had brought harm upon his son!

He had awoken something in his heart.

Synn fished for something in his pocket, and once he had retrieved whatever it was, he reached across the table and a fearful by nature Joshua shot back in his chair, but it was only the handcuffs on his one wrist that prevented him from toppling over completely. Synn paused, blaming himself for perhaps moving too soon and without explanation. He then calmly held up a key, and motioned with a head lilt toward the handcuffs. Joshua’s wide eyed strayed from this stranger to his locked wrist, and then back again.

Synn said, “I see little need for you to be chained while we have a talk.” Joshua stole a quick glance past him and toward the door where the doctor had vanished, prompting Synn to add, “Don’t worry about him. I got this from one of the employees.”

With that being said, Synn stood up from the chair and started to unlock the cuff from around Joshua’s wrist. But the moment he was freed, his childish, more animalistic instincts took over. Joshua grabbed Synn by the nearest wrist and bit down on his hand - HARD! Having expected this possible reaction, Synn gritted his teeth tightly, ignoring the pain just long enough to reach over with his free hand and dig his strong fingers down into the soft crevice between Joshua’s shoulder and neck! The painful nerve hold caused Joshua to immediately stop biting, his eyes tightly shut and his mouth wide open in a silent cry of sharp pain! He fell back into his chair, and curled up into himself! He drew his knees up against his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs, his face hidden as his forehead rested down on his knees with his long, black hair shielding his face. But although he gave no further outward sign, the way his small shoulders spasmed was evidence enough the boy had been driven hard to tears.

Slowly, Synn resumed his seated position and he gave Joshua a few needed moments until he finally asked, “Are you alright?”

It took seemingly forever, but finally Joshua’s head rose up and his pretty, gray eyes were bloodshot from the salty tears, and his face flushed with the fresh tears staining streaks down his face until they pooled at the cleft in his chin.

“Y-you hurt me!” The boy cried in a charged accusation, but Synn remained stoic in his seat as he replied, “Joshua. YOU hurt ME first.”

Joshua didn’t answer this accusation. He did not or could not, because Synn spoke the simple truth. And when a child was faced with an unpleasant truth about his or her own actions, they reacted just as Joshua now did; he turned his head away so as not to face the truth of the situation, and he aid the side of his head onto his rested forearms. He then downcast his face into his arms and rocked his head back and forth.

“Joshua,” Synn said. “Look at me when I’m talking to you.”

Joshua did not do as requested, but Synn heard his soft and shaky voice murmur, “Are you a doctor?”

“No, Joshua.”

“Do you work here at the hospital?”

“No.”

Joshua’s eyes then peeked up over the surface of his forearms and his gray eyes met Synn’s own emerald green ones as he whispered hoarsely, “Then stop telling me what to do!”’

Synn just stared down at the small teenager, and as their eyes were locked, with the pained defiance he saw in those gray eyes, there was no doubt in his mind. Deep down inside, the two were so much alike. Joshua Young indeed was his son. Then in a tender, childlike moment, Joshua wiped at his tear stained cheeks with the back of his hand and he drew in a shaky breath, but found his voice enough to ask, “Are you angry with me?”

It was such a simple question, as what child wanted an adult to be mad at them? They sought acceptance from the older generation. If anything more, they wanted them to be proud of them. Sometimes, even strangers.

“No, Joshua.” Synn shook his head in the negative. “I’m not angry with you.”

Joshua turned his head onto its side to better look at the man across from him. He asked, “Are you going to tell on me for biting you?”

Synn just smiled, “No.”

“How come?”

Synn drew in a deep breath and exhaled silently through his nose, and then answered, “Because as much as you hate your doctor, I find myself with a strong dislike toward him as well.”

“Why?”

“Because I find him to be something of a pompous bastard, if you truly want to know.”

Joshua’s eyes opened wide, almost as wide as his mouth when it fell open. To say he was surprised would be a vast understatement. Shocked, might be a better choice of words. NOBODY at the hospital ever spoke to or about Doctor Silkworth the way this stranger just had! Seeing the shock evident on the boy’s face, Synn sought to try and further this slight advantage he had found. He tilted his head to the side to better look into Joshua’s face and he said, “I am sorry that I hurt you just now.”

A soft laugh gently escaped Joshua’s smiling lips, but it wasn't a laugh of amusement. It was one of resignation. Acceptance of the inevitable. Where he has been told the same thing many times before, but was now immune to the bitter disappointment of betrayal. He sighed, all manner of innocence lost in his eyes as he looked away from Synn and mumbled, “I’m used to it.”

This revelation brought a frown to Synn’s face, and he asked, “What do you mean?”

“Nothing.” Joshua resumed burying his face into his forearms and he went radio silent, pretending as if he had not spoken a word. But it was an opening that Synn knew he had to press, albeit gently or else risk losing what ground he had gained with his son’s fragile psyche.

Synn said, “Joshua? Please don’t do that. You brought something up, so please share what you wanted to say. Not doing so wouldn’t be very fair of you.”

After a handful of delayed moments, Joshua finally looked up, and Synn had just barely noticed his eyes shift quickly to the door and back. He read his concern quite readily and Synn said, “Do not worry about him. Whatever you have to say to me, stays between just us.” Synn motioned between the two of them.

Again, it took a few moments of silence between them, until Joshua whispered, “Promise?”

“I promise.”

“Pinky swear?” The boy said with an innocent gesture, extending his arm over toward the man with his pinky extended, which took a monumental effort of trust on his behalf. Synn looked at his extended pinky, then at him and smiled. He reached out with his own hand and their pinkies locked.

“Pinky swear.” Synn yielded. They released the binding gesture of promise and Joshua huddled back against his chair, but this time did not hide within himself. Synn relaxed back in his own chair, his chin propped on his curled fingers.

He said, “Now please tell me what they’ve done to you.”

Joshua took in a deep breath….

---

Las Vegas, Nevada - Now

The front door of the household swung open with its usual loud clatter, and out into the warm, evening air raced Despayre with an excited expression on his face. In the curl of his right arm, he carried his best friend Angel, and under his left arm, he carried a brand new and unopened edition of the classic board game, CLUE: Master Detective. Once she had gotten word that he had received his first vaccination shot, his ‘pal’ Mrs. Colleen O’Heaney invited him over for the evening meal. The first time he had been allowed to visit the elderly woman in her home ever since the Covid outbreak had first reared its ugly head across the world. Given her age, she was a chief risk, and it ate away at poor Despayre not being allowed to visit her as often as he liked.

A sentiment that had been lost on most, if not all, of the remaining members of his makeshift family of the Sins and the GO Gym. Mrs. O’Heaney was viewed as the meaning, orneriest person in the neighborhood, but Despayre just so happened to adore her. And whether she wanted to admit it or not, she herself had a growing affection for him as well. It just was not in her nature to admit to such a thing. But he had given her little choice but to let him be her friend, and more than once he was right there when she needed someone the most.

He had earned both her trust as well as her friendship.

He skidded to a halt at her doorstep and was about to barge inside as he had the habit of doing so, whether it was his home or not. But instead, he paused briefly as if in contemplative thought. He then carefully reached up and delivered a knock on the surface of the door. And after a moment, the door was opened from the inside and the smiling young man gleefully bounded inside as the door closed behind him.

---

Synn: “Those closest to me know what kind of man I am. They know I can be quite prideful when it concerns me, but I have found in recent years that I can be even more so when it comes to the accomplishments of those very same people who know me so well. The men and women that were once under my care as members of the Seven Deadly Sins and their careers inside of the ring. Their accomplishments after those same in-ring careers came to a slow yet satisfying conclusion. The fact that Gabriel, my proverbial crown jewel where the Sins are concerned as well as his lovely wife Odette, have passed on so much of their collective knowledge to the ‘next generation’ of wrestling stars. A new generation where so many have followed the traditions set by their mentors to rise to be the best. Names such as Evie Jordan and Fenris, and London Underground come immediately to mind. But I have to say, that as proud as I am of so many, perhaps it is for selfish and personal reasons that my pride for Despayre remains so prominent.”

“Despayre had not competed in over two years when he decided to finally follow through and enter the 2021 Blast From the Past tournament. I knew for the last several years how much he wanted to enter his name, and each year he allowed the time to lapse away until it was too late. Each time I encouraged him, and each time he simply allowed the spot to be filled by another. He never did explain why, when everyone in our little circle knew how much fun he had in tag team wrestling, and an event such as this was practically made for him. I thought briefly he was concerned about not doing as well as he had been known for in the past, but you know? That never really was a concern for him. Wins, losses … championships. Aside from the titles he shared with Gabriel, those things were just words. Whether it be singles or tag team matches, Despayre’s primary reason for doing so was to have fun, and to share that fun with others. And this year, I was happy when Despayre’s best friend and ‘big brother’ Gabriel helped me in convincing him to finally put his name down.”

“And once he did, all doubt was erased. With Amber at his side, Despayre has erased any doubt where his return to the ring was concerned. Any accusations that he would be suffering from ring rust for his time away? Completely erased. Despayre and Amber have come so far, making it to this year’s Semi-Finals, and they have so much further to go before they can call themselves the 2021 Champions. The next step is Myra Rivers and (and this is where things might get complicated) Mac Bane.”

“Now those who know Joshua are well aware that he is not what you might call much of a talker, at least when it comes to his wrestling promos. Every once in a blue moon, a whimsy on his part might lure him into a little chat about whomever he is standing across the ring from, but more often than not, it would be either Angel or myself who would take up the proverbial gauntlet on his behalf.”

“What it all boiled down to was who could be the meanest in some of the things that had to be said this week where his and Amber’s opponents were concerned. I’m still not altogether certain how I should feel when the votes between Angel and he came back with my having won in a so-called ‘landslide,’ but then why argue fate. We are here, I am here, and some things need to be said.”

“It is, after all, the allotted task for a manager to do the talking where his athlete is concerned.”

“Myra Rivers is without a doubt going to be the toughest challenge for Despayre’s partner Amber Ryans to face. After all, we are talking about not only the longest reigning Bombshell Internet Champion in SCW history, but also the fact that she has set a record atop that in sheer number of defenses. Do you know how I know? Quite simple, really. Because Myra tells us as much - each and every time the camera is turned on and set in her direction. Now, I can’t nor would I take anything away from the accomplishments of Ms. Rivers, and I ask that Despayre not be judged for what I’m about to say because these are my words, my thoughts - not his.”

“Myra often reminds us that by wrestler standards, she is not as young as she used to be and the level of success that she has achieved in SCW is remarkable at her age. I have never understood why this age thing even gets brought up at all, when you take into consideration that she is not that old! Seriously, thirty five? You consider THAT to be an advanced age when there are athletes twice that age still going strong in all manner of sports!? Perhaps we might even agree in her outlook  if she did not take the time to state this each and every time. Granted, I said I would not take anything away from her victories, but why bring up your age every time you pull off another in an already long list of victories? False modesty, perhaps? Or to use so-called advanced age as an excuse in the event of a loss? An act of self reassurance. Whatever the case, this ageism … her bringing up so often her victories and record setting accomplishments… one has to wonder if Andrea Hernandez has had more of an effect on her than she has had on Andrea.”

“But Myra is for Amber’s concern. What Despayre has to face inside of the ring is about more than just a tall, lanky cowboy. His concerns are twofold; Mac Bane - and trust.”

“Trust.”

“Such a small word but one with the greatest of ramifications. Because without trust, you can not have a personal nor a professional relationship with someone that you have to depend on. In order to have complete trust in someone, you MUST have confidence in the honesty or integrity of a person or thing. Joshua does not trust easily, or at least, he didn’t used to. Nowadays? It seems to come more easily to him, even if he continues to have doubts or reservations. And his trust in Amber Ryans as his partner has been unshakeable since the very beginning, even when he realized when this week’s semi-Final match was against someone that his partner had a personal connection to. I only wish that I had that same luxury.”

“Mac Bane had not been around SCW for some time before he signed up for the Blast From the Past, And what time he did have previously was filled with promise. He had the world at his fingertips. He defeated Kedron Williams for the Roulette Championship, and when he did, so many people - myself included - felt that it would be the tip of the iceberg. Unfortunately, it was more like the iceberg that sank the Titanic, because a mere one week after winning the first of what could have been many championships, Mac Bane simply - left.”

“That’s right. After earning a shot at a major championship and winning it in convincing fashion, what does Mac do? He announces his departure from SCW, and the title is vacated and his accomplishments and reputation becomes a mere speck of the distant past. I myself was surprised when Mac signed up for the tournament this year, because to do so you have to put a certain level of trust (there’s that word again) in your partner, and urge your partner to have that same trust in you. And so far, Mac has proven himself a worthy partner for Myra as they’ve made it this far. Now, wrestling locker rooms are notorious for the proverbial grapevines of gossip, and word has it that some see Myra as being a fool for putting any trust in Mac for indiscretions he has had in his past in-ring career. Still, she chooses to trust him and he has done right by her. But how long can or will that trust last? Well, that I can answer; it will last until Sunday, March 14th.”

“Because the team that everyone dreaded is alive and well, and they are the ones facing Myra and Mac this coming weekend, and while the clash between Amber and Myra will be one to be remembered, I admit that I can not wait to see what happens when Mac steps inside of the ring with Despayre. Mac has a distinctive advantage in size and weight behind him, with a foot in height and over a hundred pounds in weight, but this is the part that I really enjoy; when has such a thing ever really mattered where Despayre was concerned? Goth. Shipman. Casey Williams. They all thought and said as much. They all went down in defeat to a young man barely half their size - if that. Each, and every one!”

“Mac, you had all the promise in the world when you were first here, and you squandered it on a whim. You could have moved on and become the Internet Champion had it suited your needs. You could have even made an attempt to become king of the mountain and possibly reign as the World heavyweight Champion. You just chose to piss it all away along with any real hopes and dreams that you once had to make something of yourself where it truly mattered.”

“The simple fact, Mac, is that when it comes right down to it, you are not committed where wrestling is concerned. In the end, all of the trust that Myra had for you to get her to the finals will have been proven to be mislaid. Your time is at an end, Mac. What happens next is up to you, but goes no further in this tournament after this coming Sunday.”

Las Vegas, Nevada - Monday February 15

Gosh golly gee! It sure has been a long time since we last visited this particular Las Vegas abode, hasn't it? Almost three whole years to be exact, and no we are not counting that time O’Malley and the missus showed up out of the blue to ask a favor of Synn. This here is more personal in nature, coupled with a touch of whimsy. This here is ALL about Despayre - and Angel. And in case you've been living under a rock, you ALWAYS include Angel!

The large, two story house built in modern architecture sat quiet as the sun had risen in this early midmorning hour. The sky had an overcast look of gray clouds with an almost wet chill, offering the threat of rain. Or if the temperature dipped any further as it had in other areas of the country, perhaps some Frosted Flakes of the snow-sort? Snow? In Las Vegas? One could only hope!

But I digress! We're here and inside of the home office of the head of this household (no, not Angel) but Synn himself, the father of the man of the hour (again, not Angel) but Despayre. Even during the so-called lock down that the vast majority of Americans foolishly and Arrogantly ignored, Synn took no chances with the well being of those in his home. While Despayre went about his own to keep himself amused, both at home and helping out now and then at the GO Gym, Synn maintained his own business workings. And now that Despayre had managed to talk his way into the 2021 Blast From the Past tournament, things grew more interesting.

As Synn busied himself on his desktop, his business phone rang and rather than interrupt his work, he put it on speaker, greeting the caller with a “hello?”

The voice of SCW Co-Owner Christian Underwood was on the other end, stating, “Synn, it’s Christian. I saw you and Despayre left early last evening. I wanted to be certain you were aware of his first round match with Amber next week.”

“Yes, sorry about the early exit. Joshua was convinced he was going to get gang-smooched by the Bombshells on Valentines Day. And then he went and had that run in with Amber Ryan so that sealed his exit.” Synn replied, “Who are the opponents?”

“Mark Cross and Krystal Wolfe.”

“Hunh.” Synn pulled his gaze away from the computer screen and focused on the phone for a moment. “That makes things awkward, but I suppose it’s the risk of this event. Still, a very formidable combination.”

“True.” Came Christian’s response. “I just wanted to make sure that boy of yours was aware. See you both on Sunday.”

“Goodbye.” Synn shut the phone off, and his emerald green eyes went to his office door and he said, “Alright Joshua, I know you’re out there listening.”

And only a split second later, the door opened and Despayre’s head popped through with an innocent smile but inquisitive look in his own gray eyes. He asked, “Do you have X-Ray specs or something? How did you know?”

“Because I know you.” Was all the explanation Synn had to offer. Despayre then popped the door open the rest of the way and practically leapt in, still wearing his sleepy time clothes of a plain t shirt and Looney Tunes pajama pants, arriving at his dad’s desk in a single bound. Such was his heightened level of excitement.

“I suppose you heard the news about your match next week?” Synn inquired, and Despayre fidgeted with barely contained elation, a smile that beamed and fidgeting near uncontrollably. Synn then followed up, “And the fact one of Gabriel’s students is one of your opponents?”

But Despayre then shook his head and countered with, “Krystal is Amber’s opponent! Mark is mine!”

“Still,” Synn started. “It could make things awkward?”

“I’ll be fine!” Despayre assured him, then his eyes popped wide open. “Oo! I hafta tell Missus O’Heaney the good news!” And he immediately did a U-Turn to leave when Synn spoke up…

“You know you can’t enter her house yet, correct? Not until you get your vaccination?”

“I know. I have a solution to that!” Which only gave Synn a sense of wondering dread while his boy raced out of the hall and to the left… then a second later he raced back the other way, stating, “I should change first!”

***

And just across the street, inside of an old fashioned Victorian style house, an oddity in this otherwise relatively modern neighborhood, the aforementioned Eileen O’Heaney was walking through her home’s interior with the aid of a cane. She always kept her home relatively dark because too much light hurt her eyes, and to cut back on bills, but it was near noon and she felt some natural sunlight would be pleasant while she watched her stories. Maybe an open window for some fresh air until her caregiver returned and would close it again against her wishes.

Mrs. O’Heaney took the cord and pulled the drapes open -- and promptly let loose with a surprised shriek! Her friend/antagonist Despayre was standing right there with his masked face pressed up flat against the window pane. He waved at her and even the mask he had to wear couldn’t hide his smile as she clutched her chest and promptly scolded the lad.

“Are you TRYING to give me a heart attack!? What on Earth do you think you’re doing!?”

But the heated words from the elderly woman who was known as the most hated in the neighborhood (by everyone BUT Despayre) rolled right off as he just called out, “I have good news!”

“And what, a phone call couldn’t suffice?”

Despayre pondered this for a moment before he shook his head in the negative.

“And why on earth not??”

“Because I wanted to tell you in person!” Despayre answered. “I haven’t seen you in forever!”

“Yes, it has been rather peaceful in the neighborhood.” The eighty-plus year old widow remarked, but again, it was lost. Especially when Despayre added, “I missed you.”

THAT was just hitting below the belt, as far as the old woman was concerned. Nobody in recent memory, not even her own family, had uttered those words to her. Few people had ever broken through the proverbial walls she had erected around herself after her dear husband’s death over forty years ago. This young man was one of the few exceptions, pestering her into having no other choice BUT to let him be her friend whether she liked it or not.

And truth be told -- she did.

“Well, out with it then!” She barked, both hands on the head of her Dane for support. “What's this so-called ‘good news’?”

“I get to wrestle again!” Despayre cried gleefully “Next weekend!”

“What are you going on about?” Mrs. O’Heaney asked. “I thought you retired? Two-three years ago?”

“No, at least not officially.” Despayre tried to explain, tucking his hands into his pockets by force of habit and he shrugged his slim shoulders “I kinda sorta just … stopped.”

“I see.” She observed with a critical brow. “And you're certain you won't get hurt?”

“I'll be fine.” Despayre smiled, obviously pleased that she had taken an interest in his well being. “Me and my partner Amber are wrestling a friend, Krystal, and Mark…” But whatever else he was saying was interrupted by a critical scowl.

Mrs. O’Heaney said, “Amber? Young man, are you telling me that you are wrestling a young lady?”

“No. No!” Despayre shook his head rapidly. “Noooo! My partner wrestles the girl on the other team. I wrestle the guy!”

“Oh, well that's fine then.”

“So…?” Despayre inquired hopefully. “Will you watch?”

She sighed in faux annoyance, coming get close to a full fledged eye roll. “I suppose. IF there's nothing else on.”

“‘Kay!” Despayre glowed. That's what she ALWAYS said and she ALWAYS watched. He gave her an excited farewell wave before he turned and ran back towards his house. JUST missing the wisp of a smile on the old woman’s lips.

---

Messterpiece Theater
w/Joshua Kooky

As the classical theme song from Masterpiece Theater played in the background, the opening shot is that of a book's spine where inscribed in gold lettering was "Messterpiece Theater". It rolled over and faded to a close up shot of a tabletop, polished oak and a silver bowl filled with purple Skittles. The camera pans to a bust of Duck Dodgers of the "Looney Tunes" franchise. Moving aside from that, a silver tray piled high with chocolate chip cookies and a glass decanter filled with ice cold milk. Moving further up the elegant table was a framed photograph of a teddy bear (two guesses as to who!) and just behind that, in a gold leaf frame, a picture of Queen Elizabeth herself. The camera panned over to a small row of books, personal favorites such as "Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree" and "Where the Wild Things Are."

The camera panned across a large display case, where rested several championship belts with golden emblems, such as the AWA International, AWA World Tag Team, NWA World Tag Team, SCW World Tag Team, and SCW Internet. Also in the case was an elaborate trophy for the Blast From the Past Memorial tournament, along with a Hall of Fame plaque and four Most Popular of the Year trophies.

A bookcase was set on the far wall, and there, seated in an old English chair before it and in front of a window looking out across the night skyline, was our host. Clad in a purple smoking robe and Taz slippers. A bubble pipe in his hand and a crystal goblet of Cherry Coke on the table at his left. With an open book on his lap, he looked up to the camera and smiled.

“Hello friends, and welcome to a very special edition of Messterpiece Theater. I am your host, Joshua Kooky. Tonight, we share with you a fanciful tale of bravery. Who doesn’t love the tales of brave and bold knights in shining armor who venture out into a land of fantasy and danger, and all to save a beautiful princess from a rampaging Dragon? That is the fable we have for you here this evening. A little tale I like to call -- ‘Despy’s Dragon.’”

Joshua Kooky blew some bubbles from his pipe and raised a glass in toast as the camera wavered to a new scene…

Have you ever had a really bad acid trip? No? Good! That stuff is NO GOOD! Well then, how about a really funky dream after eating Taco Bell and Lucky Charms for a late night snack? Yes? Okay then! In that case, we’re in business because a trip like that would explain why we’re seeing such a setting!

A painted background of a blue sky and smiley face sun. Clouds that did not move in the wind because -- there was no wind. We would have had trees but the budget (you understand) -- so we’re substituting ferns as a ‘clip clop’ sound was heard from deep within the woodland realm. Oops! There goes Despayre’s cat Sebastian scurrying across the scene. Alas! Well if you ask Jake Sullivan aka Rage, you’d know that this feline is a beast to fear! But it was through these ‘trees’ that our brave hero emerged atop his mighty steed!

Sir Despy, the fabled Silver Knight, rode atop his toy horse, bucking up and down to get the legs to flex and move him along his chosen path. Clad from head to toe in a shiny, silver knight’s armor, our hero rides along as he looks through the armor’s visor at the devastation that surrounds the countryside.

“Well I WOULD if I could see out of this thing!” He whined - right before he rode headlong into a ‘tree’ and fell over, horse and all. He rocked back and forth like a turtle trying to rise from its back, then finally threw himself over onto his hands and knees and used his toy lance to push himself back to a standing position.

“I meant to do that!” Sir Despy called out. “And I’m alright if anyone is concerned!”

Crickets chirped. A bird flew over the skyline. Sir Despy shook his head.

“So. Rude!” And with one last look at his poor, fallen steed, another grisly victim of the Dragon, before he moved on. “Gee I hope Dad can get the deposit back on that thing or he’ll have my head! Just glad I didn’t break Theresa’s fern or else she’d do worse than what this Dragon might!”

Sir Despy stood at the pinnacle of the cliff, looking out over the devastation of Lord Synn’s kingdom. Smoke rose up from the charred lands. The trees burned. Animals of the forest were simply -- gone. And it was up to him to save…

“Darn it!” Sir Despy complained audibly as he reached up to grasp his helmet and struggled to pry it off, but it just would not budge! He stabbed his toy lance into the ground so that he might use both hands to free himself of this contraption, but it did him little good because that helmet was stuck tight! So engrossed was he in freeing himself, he did not realize that he was in imminent danger! He did not smell the fresh brimstone from the Dragon’s breath! He did not hear the stomps as the Dragon’s clawed feet stomped the ground, drawing itself ever so much closer toward our brave and heroic Knight!

Then, from behind Sir Despy, the dreaded Dragon rose up, it’s visage truly a horror to behold (mostly because it looked like a Muppets reject but this is Despy here! Cut him some slack!)! It gnashed its yellow teeth, the sign of its last victim hanging from the dreaded fangs; a large Cross.

(Dragon? Cross? Hunh? Hunh?)

The Dragon leaned in close from behind and blew a gust of hot air against Sir Despy’s back, causing him to groan.

“I’ll be glad when this adventure is over and I can get out of this armor! It’s not even March and already hot out!”

Finally giving up on the helmet, Sir Despy grabbed at his lance and gave it a mighty tug, tearing it free from the earth a little TOO hard as he swung about in a spin and ended up with his weapon stuck right up the Dragon’s hooter! Sir Despy gave it a tug, then a harder one, but could not remove as the Dragon started to

Sir Despy then let go of the lance with one hand and lifted up his visor so that he might see…

“Gadzooks! It’s YOU! … Say can you let me get this loose? We’re on a bit of a time crunch here.”

And the answer came in the form of the Dragon’s roar and it pulled back, dragging our brave hero along the group until Sir Despy braced himself and Knight and Dragon were engaged in an epic tug of war!

“Oh come ON! Be a pal!”

“Roar! Growl!” Went the stubborn Cross Dragon, as it would come to be known because the narrator just thought of it!

“Fine! Be stubborn!” Sir Despy chastised the evil beast and he let go of the lance and instead looked behind a large boulder and pulled forth -- a fire extinguisher? Sir Despy looked at the camera and shrugged.

“Oh what else would you have been expecting!?”

And he squeezed the extinguisher’s trigger -- and promptly sprayed himself right in the kisser in a cloud of mist and foam! Sir Despy was blinded! The Cross Dragon blinked and watched in bewilderment, all signs of its evil forgotten as it gazed at the silly but loveable Knight who swung blindly and then fell off backward over the cliff - plummeting - a foot at most and landed with a whuff, the air driven from his lungs!

With a formidable growl, the Cross Dragon lurched over the edge of the cliff to finish the Knight off, when a sword was brought down over it’s reptilian noodle, and the beast finally went down, defeated! The camera pulled out to reveal the sword being held by -- the Lady Amber!?

Sir Despy was standing once again, straining with his helmet, trying to pry it off of his noggin’ and see what was amiss, when Lady Amber approached him, her princess gown torn and charred from the Dragon’s rank breath when she had been taken captive. She watched him briefly and she cleared her throat, causing him to stop and he looked -- everywhere.

“Sir Despy?” Lady Amber called. “Is that you?”

“Well I don’t know!” He whined. “I can’t get my helmet off to see!”

With a resigned sigh, Lady Amber reached over and flipped the small latch that held the helmet secure so it did not fall off amidst battle, and it fell to the ground with a clatter. Sir Despy looked down at that confounded helmet, then at Lady Amber…

“I knew that.”

“I’m sure you did.” Lady Amber declared. “Then perhaps you can explain something else to me?”

Sir Despy raised his eyebrows in comical questioning, and the Lady gripped her pink princess gown and held it out.

“WHY am I dressed like this!?”

“Well, you’re a princess - obviously! Every other team has been working together somehow. I bet Mark and Krystal are doing something together. You even hosted that ice cream social for me, remember?”

Lady Amber closed her eyes and smiled politely, nodding. A supreme effort on her part (the smiling, not the nodding).

“You see?” Sir Despy explained. “So I figured we had to do something together too! Only…”

He looked down at the defeated Dragon at the hands of Lady Amber and he whispered, “You can’t do stuff like that on Sunday! We’ll end up disqualified.”

“I… I am so lost!” Lady Amber rubbed her temples with her fingertips, earning her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder as the credits started to roll.

“That’s okay!” Sir Despy said with a comforting smile. “There are other things to wonder about.”

“Such as…?”

Sir Despy leaned in close to Amber and pointed at the screen.

“Like whose names are those?”

Lady Amber turned to the credits and frowned, “What the f…”

---

The echo of footsteps were heard across the small stage, the echo reverberating against the walls. They grew louder, getting closer and onto the stage emerged -- Angel? Clad in a powder blue business suit with matching bow tie, the Teddy Bear of the Millennium strode casually to the podium that just so happened to be just his size. He took his place and shuffled the papers before him.

“Oh some now! You can’t be THAT surprised to see me! I mean, there’s been plenty of stranger things that have happened in Despayre promos over the past decade. Trust me, I should know. I’ve been there! Despayre wanted to be here himself, but you can blame Amber Ryan for the sugar crash he’s currently going through. Poor kid is out cold! And as far as Amber lending me a hand? Well, let’s be honest…”

Angel casually glanced back over both shoulders before motioning the camera forward and then cupping a paw over his mouth to whisper.

“I think I may have broken her!”

He cleared his throat.

“But I digress. This isn’t about Despayre or Amber… well it is, but this is more about the two who they’re going to be going up against in just a handful of days; namely Krystal Wolfe and Mark Cross. True. Despayre won’t be stepping foot inside of the ring against Krystal, and even if intergender wrestling was permitted in SCW, Despayre is far too much of a gentleman to participate in something so barbaric. Besides, he knows Krystal from her days as one of the earliest students at the GO Gym. Evie being the very first, of course.”

“Despayre was there from day one, watching every step of Krystal’s journey. True, he may not have been hands on with her training. That was left mostly to Odette since Despayre has pointed out time and again he has never assisted with in-ring training with one of Gabriel and Odette’s female students. Chances are, when Krystal was in the ring, learning the ropes (Get it? Ropes? Wrestling ring?) Despayre was either off fighting the vending machine for a snack or he was watching something on his phone beneath the ring. Or -- he just might have been paying close enough attention to everything that went on inside of the ring with Krystal, thinking maybe a day like this might come? A day where he might not be an actual opponent for the young lady, but someone at his side would be. And in watching how she trained, learning her strengths and weaknesses -- he’d be able to pass along those valuable little nuggets of information to someone like -- say -- Amber Ryan?”

“Loyalty is one thing between those that set foot inside of the GO Gym, but when you’re on opposite sides of the ring, with a chance at the World Championships? Then it all becomes the spirit of competition! And any juicy gossip he might have that could be useful to Amber? You can bet the boy is going to spill the beans! After all -- he can’t keep a secret like I can!”

“And The Dragon? Well, we’ve all seen what this man has been capable of inside of the ring, in both SCW as well as SCU. I mean, hello! 2020 Blast From the Past Champion? Ring a bell there? The irony is the fact that in 2020, Mark was also teamed with a graduate of the GO Gym, Evie Jordan. And who doesn’t know Evie! And I’m willing to bet that Mark is banking on making a little history two-fold. Not ONLY by tying Evie by becoming a two-time Blast From the Past winner, but also by doing so back to back years AND -- both times being teamed with a partner from the GO Gym? Pretty impressive, wouldn’t you say? Or, it would be if when Mark has the ultimate chances to follow up, he didn’t -- well, choke.”

“Now some have tried to go and claim that Evie carried Mark to the Blast From the Past championship, and much as I respect Evie, that’s just not true. I’ve done my research!”

Angel tapped a paw to his head.

“This is ALL about a team effort, and as much as the Dragon annoyed Evie, they were just that;  a team. CC 262, Mark beat Mister TNA to get that first step closer. Climax Control 264, Evie beat Tallyn to go to the Semis. Climax Control 265, the Dragon pinned Teddy Warren to get his team to the finals. And at Blaze of Glory VIII, Mark pinned Javi Gonzales to win the tournament for his team. Pretty impressive for them both, wouldn’t you say? But when it came time for Cross to try and add the SCW Championship to his SCU Underground laurels, well -- Ben Jordan proved that SCW is where the big boys play. And you know, ever since Ben defeated the Dragon, things have kind of been hit and miss for Cross in his SCU stomping grounds. Have you noticed that?”

“About his biggest news to date has been riding the coattails of that group, GRIME. Anything for a little extra notoriety, amIright? Or how he makes some waves on Twitter by annoying random Bombshells that have taken a liking to his opponent this weekend; Mikah, now Amber? Is that supposed to impress? Get under the skin? Are those what the Dragon might consider mind games? Who knows! Because if he knew Despayre half as well as he might imagine, mind games?”

Angel shook his head, eyes closed.

“They don’t work too well on my boy. Despayre is a being of pure instinct. Anger? Fear? Nerves? He’s encountered all of the above in the ring with some of the cruelest and most calculating individuals in the sport; Goth. Chris Shipman. Sean Jackson. And only Sean passed the test in their cage match and walked away the winner. More often than not, Despy is the type to survive even the most insurmountable odds so he can walk away the winner. Remember ‘Dragon,’ everything you’ve accomplished in SCW - so has Despayre. And more! 2016 Blast From the Past Champion with Crystal Millar! Two-time Internet Champion! Three-time World Tag Team Champion! And only two people, in all these years, have EVER pinned Despayre’s shoulders to the mat; Gabriel Stevens himself and J2H. Mark Cross is not going to be the third.”

"Connor Murphy. The GIANT Casey Williams. Goth. Those are the men Despayre beat in `16 to get his team to the finals! Not bad, huh?"

“The sad fact about professional wrestlers is they see someone smaller than them in the ring and think it gives them an automatic edge. That’s been the case ever since Despy first set foot inside of a ring back in AWA. From his singles career to the time he spent teaming with men like Gabriel, Jake and Big B, the men they faced took one look at him and wrote him off. They just assumed because he was small, that his partners carried him. They think because Despayre is so little, it’s going to be easy pickings -- only to find themselves being picked apart by this little force of nature. Maybe Krystal and Cross will assume this as well between Despy and Amber? Who knows? But if they make that same mistake so many others have made over the years, then woop!”

Angel jet a paw back over his shoulder.

“The Dragon and the Wolf will be out of this tournament faster than Mexican water through an American tourist! And all of Mark Cross’s plans to emulate Evie will be tossed out the window and his dreams left scattered in the wind. And you know what I don’t think the Dragon has picked up on if that happens? The further Despayre and Amber advance, the more likely it’ll be that Despayre actually fulfills Cross’s own dreams and goals! Because winning the 2021 tournament will make Despayre a two-time champion himself! Pretty nifty, huh Dragon?”

“You think just because ‘the Dragon’ has seven inches and about seventy pounds on Despayre, it’s an automatic win? Ask wrestlers like Rage aka Jake Sullivan. Or Casey Williams. Both men dwarfed Despayre in the ring, and both were defeated. Even a maker of the stars like Gabriel Stevens can’t explain how someone so little can take down men two-three times his size! I’m sure both he and Synn are working overtime making sure my boy is ready for his first match in over three years.”

“Ring rust? It won’t be an issue. I know after nearly three years out of competitive wrestling that’s going to be another natural assumption. How can someone, anyone, be at their peak capacity when they haven't wrestled since 2018? It's simple, really. You have a support group of those who love you."

"What exactly do you think Despayre has been doing in the GO Gym all this time? True, he might not have been on tour like the lot of you, but he has still been inside the ring. Sparring. Helping Gabriel and Odette train the next generation of stars when they need it. Heck! He’s helped with Superstars like Fenris! Did your partner Krystal share THAT little nugget of information? No. Hm, shame. Maybe you should have a chat with her about opening up the lines of communication like Despayre has been with Amber. Now THAT’S teamwork!”

“My point is, Despayre has everything he needs around him to make sure he’s ready for the Dragon on Sunday. You don’t think he takes bumps when he’s in there with GO students? You don’t think Gabriel and others haven’t indulged the lad with sparring matches every now and then just to keep his (and their) own ring skills sharp? You just don’t get as far as the Seven Deadly Sins and GO graduates have by not being ready for anything and everything that this business can - and will - throw your way! And here’s a little nugget of information for you Mark, since Krystal probably hasn’t been sharing much; Gabriel and Synn have both stated they don’t try to get Despy to focus on an opponent, or the matches he’s in. Oh sure they might point out a weak point like any good friend or trainer would do, but the secret to Despy’s success is they simply. Turn. Him. Loose!”

“It’s worked for him pretty well so far! Sunday will be no different. And don’t worry about Despayre usurping your dreams and goals. He’s a nice kid, just ask anyone. I’m sure he’ll let you live vicariously through him.”

Angel paused for a moment in contemplation.

"Maybe I was wrong. I guess it IS all about Despy and Amber."

That being said, Angel took a single step back from the podium, turned and exited stage left. The spotlight winked out and …

Despayre sat upright in bed and rubbed at his sleepy eyes with his hands.

“Well!” He said, casting a glance over to Angel who was yet snuggled comfortably under his blankets. “That dream was certainly convenient!”

It's the Grand RE-Opening for the Golden Ring Casino! For the first time since this whole Covid-disaster struck and the best locations around Las Vegas were forced into closure, Daniel Morgan finally felt it relatively safe to open the doors to his pride and joy in the famed "City of Sin" and allow people in at minimum capicity.

And of course, you know what that means? No, not people losing their money to the many games and slot machines that dominated the Golden Ring.

It also meant stars from Sin City Wrestling appearing, both to gamble away their money and use their fame with the fans to sign autographs, pose for pictures and sell merchandise. Also, it meant that stars such as Dani Weston and Christina Rose would be taking up their mantles under Daniel's employment once again.

And Despayre.

Wait... Despayre?

Yes indeedy! As the gamblers meandered about the Casino floor, Daniel walked alongside the aforementioned Despayre with his arm around the young man's shoulder. Technically speaking, Despy was not in Daniel's employment. But there was no better when it came to someone catching a would-be gambler trying to cheat the systems. Daniel knew this, and allowed Despy to "help" as a means to keep the young man busy when he wasn't at the GO Gym.

Daniel: Alright Despy, you know just what to do.

Despayre nodded enthusiastically with a smile, holding Angel tight against his chest.

Daniel: It's no different than before we had to shut down. Just keep an eye out and let me or one of the others know if you see someone doing something they ought not to be doing. ... And be discreet.

Despayre salutes Daniel, practically giving himself a karate chop in the forehead.

Despayre: Ow! ... I mean, yes sir! I can be discreet with the best of them.

Daniel gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder just as an elderly matron, obviously one of the one percent, passed by and Despayre whipped a forefinger up in her direction, causing her to jump.

Despayre: I'm onto you!