September 4
Violent Conduct
Following the Internet Title match

With one last glance around the arena, Lachlan Kane lifted the Internet title high above his head to another thunderous cheer from the crowd as the smile grew on his face. He laid the title over his shoulder as he turned to head into the backstage area, where he snagged a towel and a bottle of water from a waiting table just inside the curtains. He swiped the towel across his forehead before slinging it around his shoulders as he uncapped the water and downed half of it in one swallow. As he descended the stairs to the main floor, the crew gave him a little round of applause and a few of them clapped him on the shoulder in congratulations, while he just grinned bashfully and thanked everyone.

As he turned the corner to head back to the locker room, he heard footsteps approaching from behind, and then a familiar female voice called out to him.

“Way to go, bro!”

The grin on his face grew broader as he turned around just in time for his sister-in-law Bella Madison to launch herself at him in a tight hug. He laughed as he caught her and returned her hug, looking over her shoulder to see his brother Malachi leaning up against the wall with his arms across his chest and a smile on his face as well.

“You know, I heard rumblings that a certain sassy little starlet was making an appearance tonight, but I was so caught up in preparing for my match that I didn’t have time to check,” Lachlan said. “Is this just a guest appearance, or…”

Bella’s smile was bright and happy as she rocked on her heels. “Nope. I’m back baby! Doctor cleared me to get back into the ring, so what better way to announce my comeback than on one of SCW’s biggest events of the year!”

“That’s awesome! Good to hear!” He shot a look at his younger brother, who had just walked up to join them. “And what about you? You coming back to SCW?”

Mal shook his head as he put his arm around Bella’s shoulders. “Nah, I didn’t want to take the spotlight off her. She’d kick my ass if I did.”

The brothers laughed while Bella glared at her husband playfully. “Don’t even start, Oscar.”

The trio started off down the hallway to the locker rooms. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s gonna be great to see you back in the ring, but what about the whole baby thing? Thought you two were hell-bent on getting that going?”

“Oh, we still are, don’t even worry about that.” Mal nudged Bella lightly in the side with his elbow, giving her a coy grin.

She rolled her eyes a bit. “Yes, but the doctor did say it could take a few months for that to happen. I didn’t want to just be sitting around on my ass waiting, so I figured I’d at least keep myself occupied while I did. PWE has been great so far, and my training at Wolfslair is going well, but there’s just something about SCW that keeps me coming back…”

“I know what you mean.” Lachlan looked fondly at the title draped across his shoulder.

“Hey, we should round up the rest of Wolfslair and head out on the town! After all, we got a hell of a lot to celebrate tonight!” Bella said, clapping her hands together with an excited sparkle in her blue eyes. Lachlan glanced over to his brother, noticing a slight frown overtaking his face before it changed back into a neutral expression.

“Sounds like a plan,” Lach agreed as they approached the men’s locker room. “Let me get changed and I’ll meet up with you in a bit.”

“Alright, see ya!” Bella grabbed Mal’s hand and practically dragged him off, but before he stepped into the locker room Lachlan overheard Bella say, “Hey, maybe we should check out that curry place that Milo liked so much!” followed by an uproarious laugh from Malachi. Shaking his head with a little laugh of his own, Lachlan entered the locker room and shut the door behind him.

—-----

September 6
Just outside New York City

“As beautiful as India was, there’s nothing like being home,” Malachi said.

“I’d agree, but I’m not quite there yet,” Lachlan laughed.

“Well, at least you’re on the right continent. Besides, Alanah was quite insistent that we all come over before you jet off back to Orlando,” Bella said.

The three of them were currently driving out to the home of Lachlan and Malachi’s younger sister Alanah, which was situated in King’s Point, New York. She, along with her husband Jack, were very hush-hush on the reasoning, but they had said that they wanted them all to come over after they got back from India.

Mal pulled the car up to the large home, glancing around at all the other vehicles that were parked in the large driveway. “What the hell is our sister up to this time?”

“With her, who knows? The girl loves to host family get-togethers for any reason she can think of,” Bella said as she exited out from the passenger seat. The two brothers followed suit, and they made their way up to the front of the house. They didn’t even have to knock on the door before it flew inward and Alanah stood in front of them, smiling brightly.

“You all made it!” she squealed, hugging each one of them in turn before leading them into the living room where Jack was playing with the couple’s one-year-old twins Patrick and Elise. Also in the room were Jack’s parents Levi and Emma, his brother Charlie and sister Rosie, as well as Lach, Mal and Alanah’s mother Aileen. Everyone mingled and talked for a few moments, and soon the group was made bigger with the arrival of Mack McKane and Mattie Cormier, Jack and Alanah’s best friends. Once everyone was settled into their seats and the conversation died down a bit, Alanah and Jack stood at the front of the room with large smiles on their faces.

“We wanted you all to be here in person for the announcement we have for you…” Jack started, doing his best to maintain his composure. But beside him, Alanah was practically shaking with excitement until she finally just burst with the news.

“We’re having another baby!”

The room was silent for a second, everyone gaping at the young couple before they exploded into cheers and applause. Levi and Emma were up like a shot and hugging them both tightly, while Rosie was being her usual dramatic self and play-fainting on the couch. The room was nothing but chaos and excitement for a few moments, while everyone took their turn to congratulate the happy couple. When it was finally Lach’s turn, he beamed at his little sister as he hugged her tightly.

“Well, you’re really going for that big Irish family thing, aren’t ya Lanah?” Lachlan joked, poking her lightly in the side.

She giggled as she swatted his hand away. “You know I’ve always wanted to have a big family. I had kind of hoped to wait until the twins were a bit older, but I guess fate had other plans.”

“Well, I couldn’t be happier for the two of you. Seems like the pregnancy bug is going around, isn’t it? Sierra, Kallie, now you…”

Alanah’s face fell slightly as her brown eyes darted over to the side. Lachlan followed her gaze to see her looking at Bella and Mal, who were chatting in a group with Mattie and Mack. “I just…I kinda feel bad for Bella and Mal. They’ve been trying so hard…”

He wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. “Hey, when the time's right it will happen for them. Besides, Bella just made her comeback to SCW. She’s got enough to keep her busy until it happens for them. And when it does…may the good Lord help this family.” He lightly poked her in the side again. “You and Bella pregnant at the same time? Jack and Mal will have no choice but to call a truce and team up against that onslaught of hormones.”

Alanah giggled slightly. “You’re right.”

“Of course I am.” Feeling a tug at his pant leg, Lachlan glanced down to see his nephew Patrick staring up at him with a wide grin. He bent down and scooped him up into his arms, giving him a kiss on his plump cheek. “You hear that, Paddy boy? Not only are you gonna have a new cousin, but now you’re gonna be a big brother too!”

The baby simply babbled away as he stuffed his fingers in his mouth. Alanah smiled at her son as she kissed his forehead, and then smiled at her brother. “I’m glad you could be here for this.”

He returned her smile and hugged her tightly once again. “Anything for family.”

—----

“Todd Williams…this has been a long time coming, mate.”

A slightly sinister smile crept across the face of Lachlan Kane as the scene opened up on a shot of the brand-new Internet champion, dressed in his signature black leather jacket with a white T-shirt underneath, dark coloured jeans and Vans sneakers on his feet. His title was draped across his right shoulder, and it gleamed even in the low light of the room that lent a foreboding atmosphere to the setting.

“You certainly have a talent for making enemies around this place, don’t you Toddy boy? The way you run your mouth off at anyone and everyone, I’m honestly surprised you aren’t laid up in a hospital bed every other week. And I know that it may be hard to keep track of everyone you piss off on a daily basis, but let’s think back to just about two months ago, shall we?”

He paced the floor a few steps, his footfalls echoing in the room. “Back in July, you decided to start running your mouth about my sister. You remember her, don’t you? Alanah Russow, who you happened to get teamed with in the Blast From The Past tournament. You said, and I quote…” He slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone, tapping on the screen with his thumb a few times. “‘Truth be told, if I didn’t get paired with sorry ass Alanah in SCW I would be champ right now, and that shit wouldn’t have gotten passed around like a hot potato. Weak ass superstars division.’” He slid his phone back into his pocket, and when he looked back up to the camera his blue eyes were hardened with barely contained fury. “I don’t know just how much you know about me, but one thing you definitely should know is that I am a family man to my very core. I will always defend and protect my family, no matter what. Now, under normal circumstances Alanah is more than capable of defending herself, believe me. But sadly, as much as she would have loved to come to SCW and shut you up herself, there are two things currently preventing her from doing so. One, she is currently pregnant with her third child. And two, SCW sadly does not allow intergender wrestling.” He sighed slightly, shaking his head. “It’s a real shame, because I know quite a number of people - myself included - who would have loved to see her get in the ring and absolutely crack you in the mouth for what you said about her. And so, the task now falls to her oldest brother, the new SCW Internet champion…me.”

The smirk on his face grew somewhat malicious as he adjusted the title on his shoulder. “Now, I know that this match isn’t some sort of grudge match by any means, but rather it’s supposed to be an opportunity for you to claim a shot at my newly won title at the next pay-per-view event in October. But boy oh boy, did you draw the short straw for this. You really think I’m going to let you just walk into that ring on Sunday night thinking you’re about to get a title shot at me?” Lachlan let out a short bark of laughter. “Well, I guess that’s why you call yourself ‘The Dreamer’, isn’t it? Because that’s about the only place you’ll ever get even a sniff at this title - in your damn dreams.”

The tension he carried in his body softened somewhat, as did the hardened look on his face. “But for argument’s sake, let’s set aside my personal feelings about you and look at what you’ve done to even merit an opportunity like this. In the research that I did, the only things I could come up with was a fluke win over Alex Rush, before you got your ass absolutely handed to you by HBC at Violent Conduct, and parading around with Cryst- uh, I mean Rosa.” He snickered slightly with a roll of his eyes. “Not exactly a great track record. But, I guess Mark and Christian wanted to toss you a bone. Or they’ve had it with your shit just like everyone else and they want to see you get ripped apart on Sunday night.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Either way, the result of the match is going to be the same - you, flat on your back, broken and beaten. And me, standing over you with my arm raised in the air. And then, it’s on to the next one who wants to step up to the Crowned Prince of SCW.”

With one final smirk to the camera, he lifted his left hand towards the camera with his thumb and index finger extended outwards as the camera slowly faded to black.

August 12
Orlando, Florida

He had never felt so nervous in his entire life.

Not before a major match, not before he moved halfway across the world to Japan when he was only 20, not even when he had first asked Sierra to be his girlfriend four years ago. He paced the floor of the waiting room, hands clenched tightly inside the pockets of the sleeveless grey Wolfslair hoodie he wore.

Sitting in a chair across from where the Irishman was pacing, his mother-in-law Amelie watched him with an amused smile on her face as she idly flipped through a magazine. “You’re going to wear a hole in the floor, chéri,” she commented.

That stopped him in his tracks, and he glanced at her with a sheepish grin as he dropped into the chair beside her, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Sorry. Just…”

“Nervous? I couldn’t tell.” Amelie chuckled as she reached over and patted Lach’s hand affectionately. “Deep breaths, son. Everything is going to be fine.”

He tried to take a few calming breaths like she suggested, but his hands were still tightly clenched to the point where his knuckles were bone white. “But what if it’s not the answer we want? If that happens, I’m pretty sure Sierra’s going to be disappointed. And I’ll feel like I let her down.”

She fixed him with a motherly stare that he recognized as one his own mother had given him plenty of times as he grew up. “Lachlan, since the day the two of you came together as a couple, you have never let her down. The years she’s been with you have been the happiest I have seen her in a long time. And the way you’ve taken my granddaughters into your heart and spoiled them with love…I will forever be grateful for your presence in all three of their lives. And nothing will change that”

Lachlan’s cheeks flushed faintly pink with the praise, and a shy smile appeared on his face. “Thank you.”

“And while it may be disappointing at first if you don’t get the answer you want, you know you can always keep trying.” She nudged him in the side while giving him a little smirk.

He gaped at her for a moment, acutely aware that his mouth was hanging open like a hooked fish. Amelie let out a laugh at his expression, and after a shocked moment he laughed along with her. But his laughter trailed off as he thought of the other possibility. “But then…what if it does happen? I don’t know if I’m ready. And I don’t really have anyone to talk to about it…” He glanced down at his hands, twisting his fingers together in his lap.

“Oh, I think you have more people than you think that you can talk to about this,” she reassured him, putting a comforting arm around his shoulder. “And no one is ever really ready for this. You can prepare all you want, but it’s just one of those things that you have to experience.”

“Just throw yourself into it?”

“Basically. But I know that you’re going to be just fine. You have so many people who are ready to help you in any way you need. You only have to ask.” She patted his cheek affectionately, and he felt a little of the nerves fade away. But they returned in full force when he heard the sound of a door opening somewhere to the back of the office. He was immediately on his feet as he watched Sierra walk out from the back of the doctor’s office, followed by a kindly looking woman with a short blonde bob in a white lab coat. “Thank you for getting me in on such short notice, doctor,” Sierra said.

“Oh, it was no trouble at all,” the doctor replied. “I’m looking forward to helping you along with your journey.”

The way the two women smiled at each other made Lach’s heart stutter in his chest. A hopeful feeling flooded his body and made him feel warm as he glanced between the two of them. “Wait…does that mean…are we…?”

Sierra smiled at him, resting a hand on her stomach. “Congratulations…daddy.”

And that was the last thing he remembered before his world went dark and he hit the floor.

—----

The scene opened up inside of a large room decorated to resemble a fine art gallery. It was a spacious room, with white painted walls and a light wood floor with bright lights highlighting the photos hanging on the walls in ornate gilded frames. The sound of footsteps on the wood floor echoed through the space, growing louder until Lachlan Kane entered the room. The man beloved by almost all of SCW stopped in the centre of the room, smirking towards the camera dressed in a finely tailored navy blue suit with a crisp white dress shirt and a black silk tie, with polished black leather shoes to complete his look. He straightened out the cuffs of his jacket before clasping his hands in front of him and staring down the camera with his bright blue eyes.

“Just when I think I’m out, this place just pulls me right back in.” He chuckled, the deep sound reverberating off the walls surrounding him. “I had only promised Mark and Christian that I would do a couple of shows for this India tour, just as a way to shake off a bit of ring rust after being away from the ring for a few months. I certainly never planned on gunning for a title…but here we are.” He stretched his arms out to the side briefly before lowering them to clasp in front of himself again. “What can I say? I love what I do. I love being in front of a crowd, hearing the cheers and screams as they watch me make magic in that ring…” He sighed happily. “It’s a natural high that’s better than any drug or drink out there.”

“So, once again I find myself in the title chase here in SCW. Now, in the past this fairy tale has only given me nightmare endings, as I’ve gone for every singles title in this company and every time I have walked away empty-handed, with nothing but frustration and bitterness in my heart. And most of the time, I have not dealt with those losses in the best way. I won’t pretend otherwise. It’s not exactly something I’m proud of.” He shook his head slightly in shame, before his eyes snapped back up to the camera lens burning with fierce determination. “But that was then, and this is now. This time, I’m the one holding the book and the pen, and I’ll be the one to write my own ending to this story. That ending being this - ‘The Uncrowned Prince of SCW Lachlan Kane finally claimed his rightful throne, defeating the Internet Champion Goth.’ The End.”

His stance relaxed somewhat, but the intensity and passion still burned in his eyes and on his face. “Now, I’m not about to stand here before you and boldly claim that it’s going to be an easy victory. I am fully aware of Goth’s legendary status in this company. A two-time World champion, three-time Roulette champion, Tag Team champion in both the Men’s and Mixed divisions, a now two-time Internet champion, Hall Of Famer…this man’s achievements list is longer than my entire career. So for me to try to claim that this match is going to be a cakewalk for me would be absolutely asinine to say. I know without a shadow of a doubt in my mind that this match is going to test my every limit. It’s going to push the boundaries of my pain tolerance and stamina. It’s going to leave me a battered, bloody mess in the middle of the ring.” A little smirk appeared on his face, looking somewhat wicked. “But that’s exactly what I want. I want to know that I walked into this match and stood toe to toe with Goth and didn’t back down. I want to know that when I become the new Internet champion, I went through hell and back to do it. I want my first singles title run in SCW to start off with an absolute war. So that when I look down at that title hanging on my shoulder, I’ll know that I did whatever it took to earn it.”

He unclasped his hands and moved them into the pockets of his dress pants, pacing a few steps in the centre of the room underneath the softly glowing spotlight. “Now Goth, I can imagine that you’re probably looking at my track record here in SCW with singles title matches and thinking that it’s a foregone conclusion that you’re walking out as the champion. And you know…I honestly wouldn’t blame you for it. Every time I’ve had an opportunity to claim a singles title, I’ve failed, as I talked about before.” He began walking around to each of the pictures on the wall, every one displaying his various title shot failures for the world to see on a five by three foot canvas and elegantly framed in gold. He stopped to gaze reverently at each one, almost looking like an art critic studying some Renaissance masterworks. “Internet, Roulette, World…hell, even when Sierra and I tried to reclaim our Mixed Tag titles, we fell short. But this time is going to be a hell of a lot different. In my time away from SCW, I have become more dangerous and precise than I have ever been in my career. I’ve already gone through absolute hell in other places, and I’m more than ready to do it again to get my hands on my first singles title. If you want an example of my work, I’ll direct you to PWE’s pay-per-view event Magnificence. I tapped into a side of myself that no one was expecting, and I absolutely destroyed my opponent in that match. We destroyed each other…all because of a simple grudge. There was no title on the line and nothing to gain in that match. Well, nothing tangible anyways. Now, if you look at what I did in that match when there was no prize at the end, see what kind of pain and torment I inflicted on my opponent just because…what do you think I’m willing to do when there’s a title on the line?”

He moved back into the centre of the room, and slowly raised his right hand up until it was level with his shoulder. With a snap of his fingers every picture on the wall behind him immediately burst into flames. The red and orange flames licked around the edges of the frames, while the pictures burned to ash piles that drifted gracefully to the floor. The light coming from behind him cast his face into strange, almost grotesque shadows, though it did not dull the brightness of his eyes as they stared towards the camera lens. “My past will not define me. The Uncrowned Prince of SCW is coming to collect what is rightfully owed…”

Wolfslair Training Facility
Orlando, Florida

“LACHLAN O’CONNELL!”

The powerful feminine voice echoed through the Wolfslair facility, loud enough for every person currently in the area to stop dead in their tracks and turn to stare at the person whose name had just been yelled out. The person in question, better known in the wrestling world as Lachlan Kane, froze in place in the middle of the training ring. The small group of students he had been working with all stared at him wide-eyed, not a single one of them even daring to breathe. In front of him, his younger cousin Alfie (who had been helping him demonstrate the correct way to apply a rear-naked choke) let out a low whistle under his breath. “Ooooo, she busted out the government name. You’re in deep, cuz.”

Lach narrowed his eyes at the younger man, who simply put his hands up and walked off. Grabbing a towel from the ring ropes, he mopped the sweat from his forehead as he turned to see the imposing figure of Sierra Williams cutting a swath through the gym. Her green eyes were laser focused on him, and her strides were purposeful. He hopped out of the ring and down to the floor just as she reached him, and he could see the fury in her eyes as her nostrils flared. “Hello, my darling wife. What do you need me for?”

“Don’t get cute with me. What the hell are you trying to do?”

He blinked a couple times at her, tilting his head like a confused puppy. “I’m pretty sure I was in the middle of teaching a class. Unless I’m in some weird fever dream after knocking myself unconscious again…”

She whipped her phone out of her pocket and held it up to his face, the screen showing a tweet from SCW co-owner Christian Underwood welcoming Lachlan back to the company for the India tour. “This! Not to mention that rumour I heard about you, Aiden, Milo, and Kallie’s brother forming some kind of team and heading off to that Wrestleverse place! I thought you were only going back to PWE!”

Out of his peripheral vision, he could see almost everyone in the gym was trying (and failing) to look busy, and had the sneaking suspicion that they were all eavesdropping. So he put an arm around Sierra’s shoulders and gently started to lead her to the back offices. “Let’s take this conversation away from prying ears, shall we?”

She grumbled but allowed him to lead her towards the back of the building, but just before he stepped into the office behind Sierra, he turned to look at the group of students milling around the centre of the training ring. “OI! You lot! Let’s see some lock-up drills!”

The group immediately snapped to attention and paired off to work, while Lachlan entered the office and closed the door behind him. Sierra stood with her arms folded tightly across her chest, her expression no less pleased than it was a few moments ago. “Explain. Now.”

“Look, I know I said I was only really going to go back to PWE, but that was before you decided to go on this…impregnation vacation.” He resisted every urge to snicker, though he saw a slight twitch in Sierra’s lips before she resumed her frown. “I was chatting with Christian and Mark on the boat a few times, and they mentioned that they’d love to have me on the India tour, even if it was only for a few shows. And I admit, I got a little nostalgic talking with some old friends, and I thought that it would be a great way to put a little more money in the bank since you’re not wrestling right now.”

“I’m still here at Wolfslair as a trainer until I get a positive test, you know.”

“I do know that. But when that time comes and you can’t train anymore, I want to make sure that my family is well taken care of. If that means going all over the world and working as many shows as I can, then so be it.”

He could see her expression soften the slightest bit. He had never been quiet about the fact that he would do anything for his family, and she had told him that was one of the things she loved most about him. “But I just don’t want you to overwork yourself. What if you get hurt?”

He stepped closer to her and rested his hands on her shoulders gently. “Love, in our line of work you know that can happen at any given time. But I promise that I’ll do my best not to overload myself too much. The SCW thing is only the one show right now for the tour. Just something to shake off the ring rust until PWE comes back.”

“Well, what about this Wrestleverse thing? That came out of nowhere. And the whole team thing, what’s that about?”

“That one was actually not my idea.”

Sierra raised an eyebrow as she stared at him. “Why do I get the feeling this is a whole-ass story?”

Lachlan grinned sheepishly as he wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Well, it started when Aiden and I were shooting the shit in the Wolfslair group chat…”

“Por el amor de Dios…if it involves Aiden, I already know this is going to be a bad idea.[/color]”

—------

“Hello there.”

A very distinct, familiar Irish brogue opened up the scene, and it would be safe to say that if this scene took place inside of an SCW ring, the cheer rising from the crowd would most likely be deafening. However, the visual that followed the voice was that of a beautifully landscaped backyard in Orlando, complete with a pool. Sitting in a lounge chair beside the pool, sunglasses on his face and a broad smile on his lips was one of SCW’s most beloved competitors, the Irish Scrapper Lachlan Kane. He gave a little wave to the camera as it focused in on him.

“Been a little while, hasn’t it folks? Last time you all saw me around was during the Blast From The Past tournament, which as we all know didn’t quite work out in my favour.” He lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “Ah well, it’s a lesson learned I suppose. But don’t go crying for me, faithful fans. I haven’t been idle in my time away from SCW. I’ve been keeping myself busy with other ventures. But when I heard that SCW was doing a tour of India…well, I was certainly intrigued. It’s one of the few countries I haven’t had the opportunity to wrestle in, so when the offer from Christian and Mark came in to join them for a few shows I jumped at the chance.” He raised his sunglasses to the top of his head, showing off his blue eyes that were enhanced by the sparkling water next to him. “Now, I don’t want you all to get your hopes up about a full-time return for me, because I don’t want to let you all down. I’ve had my time in SCW, and I’m content with that.” A mischievous glint shone in his blue eyes, however, as a small smirk turned up the corner of his mouth. “But, you know the saying in this business…never say never.”

He gave a cheeky wink before schooling his expression back into his ‘battle face’, though a hint of a smile still played on his lips. “But I’m not here today to be a tease. I’m here to do that ol’ song and dance we do here in the world of professional wrestling, where we stand in front of a camera and talk about our upcoming match. Well, sit, in my case. And boy, do I have a doozy lined up for me in Mumbai. The one and only Hitamashii. A veteran of the now defunct SCU, a multiple-time champion, a genuine badass…until he moved up to the big leagues, it seems.” Lachlan gave a small shake of his head. “Now, I know you haven’t had the best go of it since you moved up to the main brand, and I feel for you. Trust me, I’ve been where you are now and it sucks. Feeling like there’s no point in going on, like everything you do in the ring isn’t worth a damn. But as someone who’s been there too, my advice is to just keep getting back up and facing your challenges head-on.”

The faint smile on his lips turned into a full-on smirk now. “Though I will say this to you, your challenge this week isn’t going to be some walk in the park. I’ve been out of the ring for a little bit now, and I’m looking to knock a little rust off. So believe me when I say I’m not coming to play with kid gloves on. I’m out to show that I’m still one of the toughest, most resilient, and most exciting stars this company has ever seen. Don’t worry man, I still think you’ll hit your stride soon enough and start racking up the wins in SCW. But it’s not gonna start this week, sorry to say. But maybe you can take some solace in the fact that you probably won’t have to face me again, since this is just a one-time thing.”

He rose up from the chair he had been sitting on and turned to go back into his house. But just before he did, he paused and gave a glance over his shoulder, a somewhat mischievous smirk gracing his lips. “Then again…the Uncrowned Prince of SCW would love to settle some old scores and claim some elusive gold.” He chuckled slightly. “Never say never…right?”

February 11
Brooklyn, New York

“Maybe this was a bad idea,” Lachlan Kane sighed, poking at his scrambled eggs. It was the early morning in New York City, and he had already been out for a run with his brother Malachi and gotten in a quick workout at his brother’s temporary gym. Now, he was sitting in the kitchen of his own apartment trying to eat some breakfast, but his mind was focused on the upcoming Blast From The Past tournament.

Sierra Williams looked up from her cup of coffee at her husband, raising an eyebrow at him. “What do you mean?”

“This whole Blast From The Past thing. I thought it would be a good way to get me back into SCW, but now I’m not so sure.”

“Why? When you put your name in the running, you seemed pretty excited about the prospect.”

He sighed again, pushing his plate away. “Yeah, I was. But then…”

Sierra gave a little smirk. “You got paired with the biggest bitch on the roster?”

He gave her his own smirk. “That’s funny, I don’t remember you signing up for the tournament.” They both laughed, but Lachlan’s face fell back into a slight frown. “I dunno. Other than you and Malachi, I’ve never really been a tag team kind of guy. Not to mention pairing with someone I’ve never had any interaction with whatsoever. This could end up being a massive disaster.”

“Or, it could be your ticket straight to a World Title shot.” Sierra leaned over and put a hand under Lach’s chin, forcing him to look up at her. “You know that I’m your biggest supporter, and I’ve said from day one that you deserve to be in the World Title picture. If this is a way for you to get there, I think you should take it. You don’t have to be best friends with Mikah, you just have to work with her long enough to beat every other team in the tournament. And if you work like you did when you and I were the longest-reigning mixed tag champs, this tournament will be a cakewalk.”

He gave her a smile and leaned over to kiss her cheek. “What would I do without my best girl always hyping me up?”

She turned to kiss the tip of his nose. “You’ll never find out. But, I just need you to tell me one thing.”

“Anything, a ghrá.”

“Promise me you’re not into blondes.”

He laughed loudly, pulling her into his arms and kissing the side of her head while he cradled her to his chest. “You have absolutely nothing to worry about. My heart will forever belong to my beautiful, spicy French-Canadian Mexican spitfire. And woe befall anyone who tries to come between us, because I know you’d rip their limbs off and beat them to death with the wet ends.”

Sierra smiled, a little bashfully as she snuggled a little more into his chest. “Flatterer.”

---------

February 12

Despite the fact that most days he was up before the crack of dawn, Lachlan Kane considered himself a night owl. He loved the peace and solitude that nighttime usually brought with it. The beauty of looking up at an inky black sky and seeing hundreds of thousands of stars glimmering overhead, like a blanket made of diamonds.

Even on a chilly night like this, he loved to sit up on the rooftop of his apartment building, staring out across the waters of Lower Bay as they sparkled and shimmered. His mind was alive with so many thoughts about his career as of late, the biggest one being his imminent return to SCW after a self-imposed hiatus. He figured the Blast From The Past tournament would be a good way to ease himself back into the company, and see if he still held the same passion for the company that he once did.

He sat on the edge of the rooftop, his feet dangling over the side as he rested his hands on his knees. It was a chilly night, but not unbearable, so he dressed for the weather in his favoured black wool peacoat, dark denim jeans, and his ever-present Vans sneakers. Bringing his hands up to his mouth to breathe a little warm air on them, he rubbed them together as he beamed his boyish grin towards the camera.

“Well, hello hello all you SCW faithful. It’s been a minute since you’ve seen the likes of me, hasn’t it? And before anyone comes out with their conspiracy theories, I just want to set the record straight that I was the one that walked away. I needed to take a break and reevaluate my career. Mark and Christian have been nothing but incredibly kind to me in my time at SCW, and I will forever be grateful to them for giving an unknown Irish rookie a chance in their company. It was in SCW that I had my first taste of gold in the States...and it gave me an appetite. One that I’ve been trying to sate for some time now, alas with very little success.”

The grin on his face turned a little more cocky. “But that’s all about to change. See, this Blast From The Past tournament is a golden opportunity...literally. The winners of this little shindig get a front-of-the-line pass for a World title shot in their respective divisions. I mean, when you dangle a steak in front of a starving man, you know he’s going to take a big chomp out of that. So when the opportunity was waved in front of my face, I admit at first I wasn’t really considering it. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it could be my redemption arc. My way of getting back into the title picture. So, here I am.” He spread his arms out to the side, before dropping them back into his lap.

“Now, I would be remiss if I didn’t address the fact that this is, in fact, a mixed tag team tournament. So by the luck of the draw, my partner ended up being a certified, bonafide SCW Bombshell legend. Now Miss Mikah, I hope you won’t tar me with the same brush you did my brother. I know you had your issues with him in the past, but I’m not him. I’m ready to put the work in to take us all the way to the finals. So if I can count on you, you sure as hell can count on me. Let’s take this tourney by storm and shoot to the top of the ranks.” He gave a cheeky little wink to the camera.

“Which now brings us to our opponents for our opening round match. We’ve got an SCU alum and current GRIME champion making the jump over to the big time, and a true Blast From The Past coming back to the spotlight after so many years away.” He let out a low whistle. “Well, we certainly have our work cut out for us in this first round, I won’t lie. And judging by the calibre of talent in the pool, it’s not going to get any easier from here. But when you’ve got a legendary Bombshell paired with a man who pretty much is an expert in the field of mixed tag teams...well, I think we’ve got the deck stacked squarely in our favour. And remember...it’s not cocky if you can back it up. And we’ll certainly be proving that point come Sunday night. See ya then.”

With a jaunty little salute, Lachlan rose to his feet and jumped down off the ledge to the graveled rooftop, the tiny stones crunching under his feet as he walked away to the steel exit door at the other end of the rooftop. With a heavy CLANG! as it swung shut after his retreating form, the scene immediately cut to a pitch black screen.

August 2
Following the Ultimate X match

Sitting in a deserted hallway in the ship’s interior, Lachlan Kane pressed his face into his hands, letting out a defeated sigh. Another title opportunity...another failure for the young Irishman. He just didn’t know how much more he could take of this. A deep ache welled up inside his chest, threatening to overtake his emotions as he sat and took deep breaths, attempting to keep himself in control…

Something soft and warm draped over his head, and he looked up to see his wife Sierra crouched in front of him. She smiled softly at him, gently rubbing the towel across his soaking wet hair. “Heya.”

He gave her a sad half-smile, but it quickly fell from his face as his blue eyes turned down to the floor. “I don’t know if I can do this anymore, Si,” he admitted quietly. “I keep trying, and trying, and it just feels like I’m sinking in quicksand. I’m stalled out. I just...” He let out another deep sigh, his head hanging low. “How much more disappointment can I handle?”

She tucked her hand under his chin to bring his face up to hers and shushed him with a gentle kiss to his lips. “Let’s not talk about that right now,” she said, pressing her forehead against his. “Let’s just get you cleaned up and changed, head back to Vegas, and get some sleep. We can talk about it later on, alright?”

He gave her another smile, this one genuine, and kissed her forehead. “Alright.”

-----------

The next morning
Las Vegas, Nevada

He and Sierra had arrived back in Las Vegas late last night, creeping quietly into their room so as not to wake their sleeping daughters. Jack and Alanah had been watching them while they had been on the ship, and when they arrived at the room they saw the two of them asleep on the couch surrounded by their three dogs. Rather than wake them, Sierra and Lachlan opted to let them sleep and headed off to their bedroom to do the same.

The early morning light shone directly into Lachlan’s face, and he groaned as he rolled over to the other side, stretching his arm out. But the other side of the bed was empty, and he opened his eyes groggily as he yawned. He heard movement out in the main area of their suite, and he swung his legs over the side of the bed and climbed out.

He ambled out into the living room, still dressed in his sleep pants and running a hand through his tousled hair. But the scene he saw before him made him pause. Sitting at the coffee table which was strewn with construction paper, crayons, markers, and other crafting items, his sister Alanah had his youngest daughter Olivia sitting in her lap and was helping the toddler draw a picture on a piece of pink paper, while his older daughter Jade was concentrating on her own drawing on yellow paper. When they heard his approaching footsteps, all three of them turned to look at him.

“DADDY NO!” Jade yelled, flinging herself over her drawing. “You have to go! It’s a surprise!”

Lach blinked his blue eyes in shock for a moment. “Uh, OK then.”

Alanah shrugged her shoulders at him. “You heard the little lady. Scram!”

“Alright, alright, I’m going!” he laughed a bit as he started to head out of the room, but not before leaning down to give Jade and Olivia a kiss on their heads. He made his way into the kitchen area, where Sierra was busy brewing coffee and Jack was sitting at the breakfast bar.

“Morning sunshine,” Jack said. “Rough night?”

Lach just gave him a withering stare and reached over to ruffle his hair. “Listen, ya little punk…”

Jack swatted Lach’s hand away. “OI! No messing with the ‘do!”

Sierra set a steaming mug of black coffee down in front of Lach, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Morning.”

Lachlan smiled gratefully at her, taking a long drink as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his side. “So, what’s with the Art Attack in the living room?”

“Well, the girls were pretty bummed when they watched your match,” Jack said. “They wanted you to win so badly. And they knew that you would be pretty upset too…”

“So they decided to try and cheer you up,” Alanah finished the sentence as she walked into the kitchen, flanked by Jade and Olivia. Jade immediately ran to Lach, waving her paper.

“We made you cards!” she declared happily as she climbed up onto the stool next to where Lach was standing. Olivia toddled over to him and held her arms up, and Lach picked her up and rested her on his hip.

“You did?” he said.

Jade nodded. “Yeah! We didn’t want you to be sad cause you lost again…” Her big doe eyes looked like they were about to fill with tears.

“Hey, hey, no tears,” Lachlan said gently, cupping her chin in his hand and smiling at her. “Let’s see your masterpieces.”

The smile returned to Jade’s face as she held up her paper. She had written WE LUV U DADY in bold pink letters across the top of the page, and underneath it drew what appeared to be him in the middle of a wrestling ring, standing up and holding a title belt above his head. “This is you winning the title, like you should have last night.” She pointed to the side, where she had drawn a group of people outside of the ring. “And this is me, and Livvie, and Mommy, and Auntie Lanah, and Uncle Jack. We’re all cheering cause we’re happy that you got to win the belt.”

He felt his eyes well up with tears, and he bent down to kiss Jade on the forehead. “It’s beautiful, stóirín. Thank you so much.”

She beamed her gap-toothed smile at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “You’ll win the title soon, Daddy. But even if you don’t, we still love you lots.”

He felt like his heart was about to burst out of his chest as he cuddled both of the girls close to him. Sierra, Alanah and Jack all looked on with warm smiles on their faces.

It was then that he realized, no matter his failures in the ring, no matter how hard he was on himself...he would always have the love and support of those who meant the most to him. And that was worth more than a hundred title reigns.

-------------

Present Day
Las Vegas, Nevada

The night was calm and peaceful...which was shocking, considering it was Las Vegas. But it suited Lachlan Kane just fine as he sat out on the balcony of his hotel suite, gazing out at the expanse of stars strewn across the inky black sky. Letting out a long exhale, he turned his blue-eyed gaze to the camera set up in front of him, appearing relaxed and at ease after his short break from in-ring competition.

“Well, back at it for another week. I know people are probably wondering just what my comments are regarding Summer XXXTreme. But in all honesty, there’s not much to say. You all saw what happened at the show, so I don’t think a refresher is needed. What I am going to do is look ahead. Now, what my future holds in SCW is anyone’s guess, really. I’ve gone for every singles title that’s available...and every time I’ve walked away empty-handed. That would be more than enough for anyone to call it quits...but I’m not just anyone.”

He leveled a determined gaze at the camera lens, his blue eyes flaring. “I’m the god-damn Irish Scrapper. And no matter how many times I get kicked to the ground, I will always get back up for more. This Sunday, El Dark gets to find that out first hand. I’ve got a lot of unresolved tension built up in me left over from the supercard, and unfortunately for him, he’s the one that got placed in my path for this week. Believe me when I say that it’s nothing personal, mate. Just a matter of business.”

He leaned back in his chair, turning his gaze back to the sky as the camera faded out to black on his silhouetted profile.

 June 21
Backstage at CC 271

Lachlan tore through the curtain that separated the main arena from the backstage, breathing heavily as the sweat beaded and dripped off his body. He pushed past groups of people as he stalked down the hallway, hearing his name being called behind him but choosing to ignore it until a strong hand grabbed his arm and forced him to turn around. He came face to face with Sierra, who looked slightly out of breath as she stared at him with wide eyes.

“What the hell, Lach?” she said. “I’ve been calling your name since we got back here. You just took off like a bat out of hell.”

Lachlan just shook his head and turned back around to continue walking. Sierra caught up to him, pulling on his arm again to get him to stop. “Lachlan, what the hell is your problem?” she snapped.

“My problem?” he said through clenched teeth, nearly ripping his arm out of her grip and whirling on her, fury blazing in his clear blue eyes. “What the hell was that out there, Sierra? I had that match well in hand.”

“I know, I know,” she said. “I just thought -”

“What? That I couldn’t win on my own?”

“NO! Lachlan, that’s not -”

“You’re just damn lucky the referee didn’t see you and disqualify me!” He ran his hands through his thick brown hair, pulling at it in frustration as he paced the floor a few steps. “You know how much I’ve been struggling, Sierra. This was the match that was going to put me back where I belong. I wanted to show everyone that if I could beat a current champion, then maybe I wasn’t a colossal fuck-up. That I wasn’t the failure that I’ve been for too long around here.”

Her eyes softened as she reached up to cup his cheek. “You’re not a failure, Lach. You’re an incredible athlete, and you deserve a title.”

He stared at her coldly, reaching up and grasping her wrist to pull her hand away from his face. “For so long, people have said that I can only win if you’re involved. This match was going to help me shake that stigma. But after what you did tonight...I guess you just proved them all right.”

He released his grip on her wrist, turning his back on her and stalking off down the hallway as Sierra stared after him with a look of regret on her face.


------------------

June 22
The following morning

The sun peeking in through the part in the curtains fell directly across the face of Lachlan, making him squint in annoyance as he rolled over on the couch and buried his face into the cushions, trying to get back to sleep. He had nearly succeeded, until he heard the patting of small bare feet on the tile floor coming closer to him. He rolled back over and looked up to see Jade standing over him, her ever-present stuffed unicorn clutched in her arms as she stared down at him with a bit of a frown on her face.

“Daddy, why are you sleeping on the couch?”

Despite his annoyance at being woken up early, he felt the smile creep across his face. I will never get tired of hearing that, he thought to himself as he sat up. Almost immediately Jade had climbed up and sat herself on his lap, and he smiled even more as he brushed back some of her sleep-tangled hair, before his face fell into a look of slight sadness.

“Well, your mum and I had a bit of a...disagreement last night.”

“You and Mommy were fighting?” Her eyes went wide, looking as if she was on the verge of tears. “Does that mean you don’t love her anymore?”

He wrapped her up in a tight hug against his chest, kissing the top of her head. “Of course not, mo stoirín. Just because we had a little fight doesn’t mean we don’t love each other.”

“But Mommy and my real daddy fought lots of times. They sometimes even had to go to see a judge. He tried to take me away from her.” She sniffled as a few tears streaked down her face. “I don’t want you and Mommy to break up.”

Lachlan gently cupped Jade’s chin in his palm and tilted her head up so that they were eye to eye. “Listen to me, Jade. I promise you that your mum and I are not going to break up. I love her, and you and Olivia, with all of my heart and soul. You understand?” He wiped away her tears with his thumb as he gave her a warm smile. “What would I do without my girls?”

She sniffled one last time before returning Lach’s smile, reaching up to wrap her little arms tightly around his neck. He hugged her again, hearing a noise that pulled his attention to the doorway leading to the bedroom. He looked up to see Sierra holding Olivia in her arms, giving him a small smile.

“Alright, how about we get you set up with some breakfast,” he said, standing up from the couch and leading Jade into the small kitchen area of their suite. Sierra followed them with Olivia, and after they got the girls some cereal she tilted her head towards the balcony.

“Can we talk for a minute?”

He nodded and they walked out to the balcony, closing the door almost all the way but leaving it part way open so they could still hear inside. Lachlan leaned against the railing, folding his arms across his chest and looking at Sierra expectantly.

She let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through her long hair. “Look, I know you’re angry because of what I did, but I won’t apologize for it. The guy’s a fucking douchebag, running around thinking he’s some kind of immortal warlock or whatever. He had that coming to him, and I knew you were too noble to do it.”

Lach let out a sigh of his own. “But now you just reinforced this belief that everyone has about me that I can’t win a match without you. You know how much I’ve been struggling since December, Si. Every time I get a real chance at a title, I just can’t seem to pull the trigger. I get so close, and every time…” He ran his hands down his face. “I need to know that you’ve got my back. Because after what happened...it just made me feel like you don’t think I can do this on my own either.”

Immediately, Sierra moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, resting her head on his chest. “Lachy, I do. I’ve told everyone over and over again that you’re one of the most underrated and overlooked stars in the entire locker room. And I know that you can do this.” She looked up at him, reaching up to cup his cheek in her hand. “I said I wasn’t sorry for what I did, but I am sorry that it made you doubt my faith in you.”

Lach let out another sigh, wrapping Sierra in his arms and kissing her forehead. “I know, macushla. I just need to do this. Not only to prove it to everyone else...but to myself as well.”

“You will.”

He finally smiled at her, and she smiled back before the sounds of the girls started to grow louder through the door.

“Well, better get in there and assess the damage,” Lach chuckled.

------------------

July 10

The desert heat of Las Vegas was relentless, even sitting in a shaded area at the poolside of the hotel. Even dressed in little more than a pair of swim shorts and a tank top and doing nothing more than reclining on a lounger, Lachlan could feel the sweat coating his skin as he watched Sierra and the girls enjoy themselves in the pool. He smiled at the scene, before his gaze turned deadly serious as he looked to the camera set up on the table beside him.

“So, I’m back in the saddle again this week, and going up against a guy that’s already familiar with my family in Caleb Storms.I know you haven’t exactly had the best run of things here Caleb. But I truly believe that with time, you could be something in SCW. Make a big name for yourself. Just...not at my expense. See, I’ve been struggling myself lately. I’ve been trying to pick up the pieces of my career since losing the mixed tag team titles, and coming within a hair’s breadth of every other title I’ve had opportunities at. So, you can imagine that I’m slightly frustrated. Add in to that what happened nearly three weeks ago….” He sighed, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. “I mean yeah, I may have won that match, just not exactly in a way I would have liked. I am on a mission to prove to everyone that I can be a solo contender in this company. I will do whatever it takes, face anyone in this company to prove it. And this week...the target just so happens to fall on you.”

He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, staring down the camera with a look of pure determination across his boyish face. “I don’t want you to think that what I will do to you in that ring come Sunday is anything personal, because it won’t be. It’s just that I need to show the world just what I’m capable of. I need to do whatever it takes to keep climbing this ladder and finally, finally reach the pinnacle of this company. So, if Mark and Christian decide that I need to beat you to start that journey, so be it. I won’t apologize for what I’m going to do, because I’ve come to realize that I need to start tapping into a place inside of me that I haven’t touched since my days in Japan. Something more aggressive. Maybe even a little bit darker. But if that’s what it takes to finally start getting what I deserve around here…”

He gave a little shrug of his shoulders. “Like I said before Caleb, I think that with time and the proper motivation, there’s a chance you could be something special here in SCW. But as for right now, the only thing you are is an obstacle in my path to glory. And much like my brother, I have a tendency to remove obstacles that block my path. You found that out firsthand with Malachi some weeks ago. And unfortunately for you, you’ll be getting more of the same with me on Sunday night. So if you learned anything from your encounter with Mal, I would hope that it was to stay down and know when you’re beat.”

With a final stare from his icy blue eyes, Lach reached over to cover the camera lens with his hand, cutting the feed straight to black.

 “Look for the light that leads me home.”

May 8th
Saxon Hotel
Las Vegas, Nevada

Another beautiful day in Las Vegas, and another day of being stuck in the hotel. It was starting to grate on Lachlan Kane’s last nerve as he sat in an armchair near the open window of the hotel room with his eyes closed, feeling the warm breeze come through. His mind was roiling, and had been ever since Blaze of Glory. He had been so close, fought with everything he had, left his blood, sweat and tears out in that ring - and still walked away empty-handed.

So what comes next?

To be honest, he was surprised he still had a job, after the abhorrent way he behaved, But luckily, Sierra had set him straight, reminded him that he was more than the losses that currently haunted his mind. She reminded him that he was a fighter - and a damn good one at that. He just needed to remind himself, not to mention the entire world. He wasn’t called “The Scrapper” for nothing, after all.

He heard the patter of small feet on the floor and opened his eyes just in time to see Jade come barreling into his lap. He grunted as the air rushed out of his lungs, but he gathered her up in his arms as she situated herself in his lap.

“Hi Lachy!” She beamed at him, clutching a stuffed unicorn that he had bought for her some time ago. It was a little threadbare, but still in good shape.

“Well hello there, stóirín,” he said, settling her more comfortably in his lap.

“You and Mommy are getting married soon, right?”

He nodded. “That we are.”

“Even if we’re stuck here in this hotel?”

“Well...I admit, we did have different plans. But the location doesn’t matter, all that matters is that I get to marry your mum. And besides, the hotel is really nice, right? The garden on the roof is going to be perfect.”

She scrunched up her face. “Yeah, I guess. I still get to be the flower girl, right?”

“Of course.”

Jade was quiet for a minute. “So, when you and Mommy are married, do I have to call you Daddy?”

He pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. “No, my love. You don’t have to call me that if you don’t want to. You can still keep calling me Lachy if you want to.”

“...but what if I want to call you Daddy?”

Lachlan smiled at her. “Well, I would like that very much. But like I said, that’s your choice. No one is going to make you do anything.”

They heard another set of footsteps coming towards them and they looked to see Olivia making her way towards them. She climbed up into the chair (with assistance from Lach) and smiled her little toothy grin.

“Daddy!” She declared loudly as she reached up to hug him around the neck.

It caught him off-guard for a moment, but he smiled and hugged the little girl tightly to his chest.

“Well, if Livvie’s gonna call you Daddy, then so am I!” Jade said, throwing her arms around his neck as well. He laughed as he attempted to balance both girls on his lap, kissing each girl on the top of their head.

A noise from the doorway drew his attention, and he looked up to see Sierra leaning against the doorframe, arms folded across her chest and a warm smile across her face. He beckoned her over with a wave of his hand. “Alright, you get in here too. It’s not a proper cuddlefest if I don’t have all three of my girls.”

Sierra laughed and made her way over to them, picking up Olivia and settling herself down on Lach’s lap with Olivia resting on her lap. Lachlan wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. “There, now it’s perfect.”

—————

Later that night….

“This close.”

Standing on the rooftop of the Saxon Hotel (a location quickly becoming his favourite for filming, as it was fairly secluded), Lachlan Kane held his hand up towards the camera set up in front of him, his index finger and thumb held a hair’s breadth apart, the gap between them barely visible. “I came this damn close to becoming the new Internet champion, and if you don’t think that didn’t light a fire under my ass, then you’d be dead wrong. I admit, I was frustrated when I did lose, and maybe I didn’t exactly handle it in the best way. Hell, that’s been my story since way back in December. I had the biggest opportunity of my life in front of me...and I let it slip through my fingers. And ever since then, my attitude hasn’t been the same.” He let out a heavy sigh. “Let’s just call it what it is...I’ve been a right prick lately. So many people have borne the brunt of my frustration, and that wasn’t fair. But rest assured I got my head back on straight with the help of those closest to me, and now I’m more than ready to start my journey back to title contention. I’ve been down before, but I always get back up again no matter what. I’m going to do whatever it takes, face whatever challenges I have to...and I will overcome. And it starts this Sunday night.”

Sliding his hands into the pockets of his faded jeans, he gave a little smirk to the camera. “So….Jack’d The Ripper, huh?” Lachlan let out a little laugh. “That supposed to be clever? You think some muscles and a cute little play on words is supposed to mean something to me? Let’s make one thing perfectly clear here….you’re not stepping into the ring with some defenseless little maiden. Nah, you’re coming face to face with one of the most relentless athletes this roster has ever seen. You think your size intimidates me? I’ve fought guys your size and bigger, even before I was in professional wrestling. Hell, the monsters I’ve been facing in my own head are bigger and darker than any physical opponent I’ve ever had.” He tapped his temple with a finger to emphasize his point. “That’s a battle that I fight every hour of every day. And right now, I’m in a pretty good place with that. So when I step into that ring on Sunday night, my mind will be focused on one thing and one thing only, and that’s taking you out.”

“I feel like maybe this is a test for me. A way to see if I’m ready to get back into the swing of things. I mean, what better way to challenge myself than with a virtual unknown to the company? I wouldn’t know you from Adam, and from asking around the roster, not many others do. All I know is from your website profile. So therein lies the question - how do you defeat someone you know virtually nothing about?” The devious little smirk appeared on his face. “But the same could be said for me. Oh sure, you can look up my old matches from here in SCW. Or you can even go back further, to my Division days, or to Japan. Even my earliest matches back in the UK. I’m sure there’s a few floating around on the internet for you to peruse. But the thing is, that boy...is no longer who I am anymore. The man you see before you is a man that is more focused, more determined than ever to ascend to that upper echelon here in SCW. A man who will stop at nothing to achieve those goals. A man who is not about to let some wannabe boogeyman from a fairytale stand in my way. Because I promise you, if you think for one single second that you are going to make your grand debut off of my name...then I will make you regret ever signing that contract.”

A shift in the camera’s focus seemed to change Lachlan’s facial appearance from his normal boyish good looks to something more...sinister. A flash of red and black seemed to coat his face for a brief moment, before fading away almost as quickly as it had appeared. A wicked grin appeared on the Irishman’s face, his blue eyes glittering in the pale moonlight washing over the scene.

“And once I’m finished with you, you’ll be just like your namesake - gone without a trace.”

 April 2
Saxon Hotel
Las Vegas, Nevada

Finally start getting back into the ring...and then this lockdown shit happens, Lachlan Kane thought with a laugh to himself as he sat on a comfy lounger poolside at the luxurious Saxon Hotel. The entire SCW, SCU and GRIME rosters had been holed up here for nearly two weeks now, to ensure that the company could still put on shows during the worldwide pandemic. Not that Lachlan was complaining about the accommodations, as the hotel was set up with everything anyone could ever need and then some. But when you spend your wrestling career traveling across countries and continents, having to stay in one place for an extended period of time was a bit jarring.

Still, he thought as he watched Sierra play with Jade and Olivia in the shallow end of the pool, there are worse things in life than being stuck in a luxury hotel with my beautiful girls.

A shadow fell across him, and he looked up to see his brother Malachi standing next to his chair. Lachlan gave him a grin and gestured to the empty lounger beside him. “Bout time you showed up,” Lachlan said.

“Luka escaped again,” Mal sighed, flopping down into the lounger. “Took us forty-five minutes to corral her. Would have been shorter, if she hadn’t run into Rinoa Williams’ cats again. They chased her clear across to the other end of the hallway.”

Lach winced in sympathy, handing over a fresh glass of Jameson from the table set up between them. “Yikes.”

“Yeah.” Mal took the glass and downed the alcohol in one shot, wincing as it burned down his throat before holding the glass out for a refill. “I mean, she’s not as bad as when we first got her, thanks to those obedience classes. But this is a new environment, and with all these other pets and people around…”

“She’s a bit overwhelmed?” Lachlan supplied, filling up the glass.

Mal pointed to his nose as he swallowed half the glass. The two brothers sat and people watched for a bit, chatting about Mal’s engagement and worrying about Alanah’s health and how their mother was doing. Mal noticed that Lachlan’s gaze would constantly travel back to Sierra and the girls, and a knowing little smirk came across his face.

“Still hard to picture you playing the family man now,” he remarked. “Even though it’s been over a year now you’ve been with Sierra.”

“It’ll be two years in July,” Lachlan said, a fond smile appearing on his face. He watched as Olivia splashed happily in Sierra’s arms and Jade swam around wearing a lifejacket. Sierra looked up and caught Lachlan’s eye, and she smiled back at him.

“Who would have thought it?” Mal remarked, finishing what was left in his glass. “Especially after what happened in Japan…”

----------

2015
Tokyo, Japan

He didn’t know what to do. Here he was, 21 years old, in the prime of his career, half a world away from everything he knew and loved…

...about to find out if he was going to become a father.

He paced the floor, running his hands through his already tousled hair as Lili sat on the couch, twirling a strand of her blond hair around her finger as she watched him nervously. The clinic was fairly empty, save for an older couple on the other side of the room.

“Lachy, can you sit down, please?” Lili whispered, reaching out and tugging on his hand. “You’re making me really nervous.”

He turned to stare at her incredulously. “Are you fuckin’ kidding me right now?” he said through gritted teeth. “You told me you were on the pill. So why the FUCK are we in a clinic right now about to see if you’re fuckin’ pregnant?!”

Lili bit at her bottom lip. “They’re not 100% effective, you know…”

“Clearly.” Lachlan threw himself down into a chair, running his hands down his face. “This is fuckin’ unbelieveable. I came to Japan to kick off my wrestling career, and this is what I fuckin’ end up with.”

“Look, I’m sorry. It’s not like I planned this!” Lili said. “I was supposed to get my career off the ground too. At least you can still wrestle while I just have to sit at home and get fat.”

“And what about afterwards? You think I’m gonna be able to just go off where I want when I’ve got a kid to think about?”

“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting you to stick around…”

Lachlan blinked at her. “So what, you think I’m just one of those deadbeats that disappears from their kid’s life?”

Lili rolled her eyes. “You made it pretty clear that you were a one-night kind of guy.”

“Yeah...until you got pregnant. I may not want to be tied down, but I’m not a fucking asshole that abandons my kid.”

Before their conversation could continue, a nurse called their names and gestured to the empty exam room. They looked at each other before standing up and heading into the room…

One month later

“I CAN’T FUCKING BELIEVE THIS!”

Lachlan threw the glass across the room, where it shattered against the wall and fell to the floor. Lili flinched as tears poured down her face.

“Lachlan, please, if you just listen to me -”

“WHY? Why the FUCK should I listen to you, huh? For the last month, you’ve made me believe that you were pregnant with my kid! And now I find out you were fuckin’ LYING to me just because you thought that we could play the happy little family, is that it? You couldn’t stand the fact that I didn’t want to be in a relationship, so you did the next best thing - you tried to trap me with a kid. A kid that doesn’t even fuckin’ exist!”

Lachlan leaned against the counter, gripping the edge hard enough that his knuckles were white. He could barely hear Lili crying over the thundering of his heart in his ears. Never in his life had he felt such rage. He closed his eyes, trying desperately to cling to the last shred of his sanity before he did something he knew he would regret.

“Lachy, please...I just….I love you.” She tried to put her hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off and whirled around on her. She flinched when he raised his hand, but all he did was point to the door of his apartment.

“Get the fuck out. I never want to see you again.”

“Lachy, please -”

“Get. Out.”

With one last tear-filled gaze, Lili turned and slowly walked out of the apartment, closing the door softly behind her. Once she was gone, Lachlan felt all the rage-fueled adrenaline drain from his body, and he felt incredibly tired. Making his way to his bedroom with his legs feeling like lead, he collapsed on his bed, clothes and all, and fell into a deep sleep…

-----

Present Day
Saxon Hotel
Las Vegas, Nevada

It was a strange thing, looking down at the streets of Las Vegas to see them practically empty. There were the odd wanderers out and about, but compared to what the streets would usually look like on a Saturday night, it was a ghost town down there. Standing on the balcony of his suite with a drink in his hand, Lachlan Kane had a contemplative look on his face as he stared down, following a young couple with his gaze before shaking his head and taking a drink.

“World’s a crazy place right now, isn’t it? But leave it to SCW to keep things running as normally as possible, if only to help us and the fans keep our mind off of our problems...even just for a few hours at a time. To be honest, I’m kind of grateful for the distraction. With my mom being an ocean away, and constantly worrying about the health of my little sister...it’s nice to have a bit of a distraction in the form of Blaze of Glory.” He let out a little chuckle. “An Internet title match, no less. Believe me, I was probably just as shocked as anyone when I heard that match announced. After everything I said these past few months, and then being away from the ring for almost as long...well, I was probably the last person in the company to deserve a title shot. But Mark and Christian saw fit to give me this opportunity...and I’ll be damned if I give them a reason to regret it.”

He finished off the last of his drink, setting the glass down and turning to look into the camera. “Course, they aren’t making it easy for me, are they? The Internet title is currently being held by the absolute powerhouse known as Austin James Mercer, a man who pound for pound is probably one of the toughest, strongest members of SCW the company has ever seen. A former World Champion, the current Internet champion...he’s certainly turning into a golden boy, isn’t he? And it’s well-deserved. He’s an absolute workhorse. Never shies away from a challenge, always ready to step into the ring and throw down with anyone in his path. He’s the perfect person to represent SCW as one of its champions.”

Lachlan turned to the small table beside him, pouring himself another drink and swirling it around as he focused his attention back to the camera. “Now, before you all start wondering if I’ve lost my damn mind, let me reassure you I’m quite sane. Thing about me is, I give credit where it’s due. And with Austin, he deserves all the praise he gets, trust me. See, I don’t want the easy paychecks. I want the battles, I want the wars. I want to walk out of that ring with my body absolutely battered, knowing that I went up against the best that SCW has to offer...and survived.” He chuckled. “No, not just survived. I want to go into that ring next Sunday night and I want to win. And that’s exactly what I plan to do. I’m more ready for this than I have ever been in my life. My focus has never been clearer, my determination has never been higher.” He downed the drink in his hand, slamming it back down on the table. “This is the start of my road to redemption. This is the next chapter in my story. At the end of the last one, I was as low as I could get. Nearly blacklisted from the company, almost everyone turning their back on me. But this time, I write the words. I hold the pen. And I’m going to start this chapter with one simple phrase…

New SCW Internet Champion.”

With a final determined glare to the camera, Lachlan turned back to gaze out over the still-burning neon lights of Las Vegas as the camera went out of focus before fading to black.

 February 5
Brooklyn, New York

The night air was frigid on Malachi’s skin as he walked up to the brownstone apartment where his older brother Lachlan lived. He rubbed his freezing hands together before he pushed the button on the keypad next to a label bearing the name O’Connell, L. He only had to wait a moment before the buzz let him know that the front door was unlocked for him to enter the building. He made his way to the bank of elevators and pushed the up button, and the doors slid open almost immediately. He pressed number 12, and waited quietly as the elevator ascended to the desired floor. Once the doors opened, he took a left and walked down to the end of the hallway, stopping in front of a plain brown door marked with 1219. He was about to raise his hand to knock when the door opened and he saw Lachlan standing on the other side.

“Jesus hell, Lach,” Mal said incredulously. “You look like ten pounds of shit in a five pound bag.”

Sure enough, his older brother looked worse for wear, sporting a thick layer of stubble on his cheeks and chin, his eyes were sunken and somewhat bloodshot, and his hair looked like it hadn’t seen a brush in days. It also didn’t help matters that he was dressed in ragged grey sweatpants and a faded black T-shirt.

Lachlan managed a wry smile. “Nice to see you too, Mal.” He stepped aside to let the younger man into the apartment, closing the door and walking into the small kitchen area. He grabbed a bottle of Jameson resting on the counter and pulled two glasses down from the cupboard, pouring a generous amount of alcohol in each before sliding one down to Mal. The brothers touched the rims of their glasses together before slugging half the contents down in one swallow.

“So, you’re gonna go home for a while?” Mal said.

Lachlan gave a small nod. “My head hasn’t been right since December. I let that damn loss get right under my skin. I just…” He let out a long sigh, running a hand through his already disheveled hair. “I’ve never been this far off my game before. The one thing I pride myself on is my ability to come back from a loss better and stronger than before. But lately...I just feel like things haven’t been coming together. And I haven’t been handling it the right way. I’ve been lashing out, being a right prick to just about everyone…”

“So basically, you’ve been acting like me?” Mal said, with a smirk.

Lach let out a low chuckle. “Yeah, I guess so. But that ain’t me. I knew that...and yet, I couldn’t stop myself.”

They were quiet for a moment as they both took another drink. “Everything OK with you and Sierra?” Mal asked.

“Yeah, though she’s been tearing a strip off me for all this crap too. It was actually her idea for me to go home for a few days. She figures since I didn’t have a match at My Bloody Valentine, it would do me good to take a breather.”

Mal’s face contorted into a sneer. “Don’t remind me about that shit,” he growled.

“Mal...don’t start,” Lachlan’s tone was placating as he attempted to calm his brother. “Mark and Christian were just doing what they thought was right-”

“Fuck ‘em both! I’ve got half a mind to tell those two shitheels where they can shove their fuckin’ match!”

Lachlan put his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Mal, don’t be stupid and blow this chance for yourself! Look, maybe they were right not putting me in this match. My head’s just not in it right now.”

“Yeah, but they didn’t have to go and be fuckin’ dicks about it in the match card.”

Lachlan shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you have this opportunity. They could have easily said ‘fuck it’ and blacklisted the both of us from this place. But they’re giving me a blessing in disguise and they’re giving you the spotlight that you deserve. Take this chance and run like hell with it.”

“...even if it’s against Jack?”

Lachlan smirked a little. “Come off it, I know you’ve been itching to get your hands on him since the day he and Alanah got together. Just...don’t rough him up too much, alright? Not only would you have Alanah on your ass, but I can’t imagine Bella is too pleased about this match herself. Keep it professional.”

Malachi gave a roll of his eyes. “Way to go and ruin all my fun.”

The brothers cracked a grin as Lachlan poured them both another drink.

------

Later that night
Manhattan

Sitting at a table in the back of the room away from the rest of the patrons, Malachi took a drink of the beer in front of him. He had just left his brother’s place about an hour ago, but instead of heading back home to his shared apartment with Bella, he stopped off at a local bar in the neighbourhood. The conversation he and Lachlan had was still rolling around in his mind, and it made him think of his upcoming match at the My Bloody Valentine pay-per view. He was glad that he was getting this opportunity…

He just never wanted it at his brother’s expense.

And of course, there was the matter of his opponents. Or rather, one in particular. Jack Russow...who happened to be the boyfriend of his only little sister. The two men had pretty much been at each other’s throats in some way shape or form for the majority of the year-plus that Alanah and Jack had been together. Though as of late, things had seemed to cool off between them, ever since a certain series of events in a separate company. But now, the two men were on a head to head collision course...with a third wheel, mind you.

Even with the addition of Chris Crippler (who, in his eyes, was a complete non-factor), Malachi knew that this match was going to be a real test of the bonds of their little group. Both Alanah and Bella would no doubt be cheering for their respective loves...so what would that possibly do to their own friendship? And, while Mal had never really come right out and said it, he was starting to begrudgingly accept the fact that Jack was going to be a part of his sister’s life for a long time...which meant, by proxy, his own life as well.

Things could never be simple, could they? Once upon a time, he could just show up for a match, beat his unfortunate opponent to within an inch of his life, and not have to deal with all these conflicting emotions roiling around in his mind. He scowled as he polished off the last of his beer, slamming the glass down on the wooden table top.

“So, the little daddy’s boy has finally ‘cut the cord’, has he? Finally decided to man up and see what the big bad world was really like?” Mal let out a bitter laugh. “You thought you were gonna come waltzing in here, playing this whole ‘aw shucks, I’m just trying to make a name for myself’ schtick, completely glossing over the fact that despite your claims to the contrary, you already have a leg up around here. There’s not many people in the wrestling world that don’t know the name Russow. You were blessed with a last name that is practically synonymous with wrestling. And while you may want to try and stand on your own merits from here on out, you still come with the knowledge and the bloodline of a wrestling dynasty. You have an advantage that most people in this industry would kill for. You were raised in this business. You are more intimately acquainted with the ins and outs of this industry than most of us could ever dream of being. And through it all...you had dear old daddy showing you the ropes.”

He glared icy daggers towards the camera with his blue eyes. “Must be fuckin’ nice. Must have been nice growing up under the shadow of a legend, knowing that one day everything the light touched would be your kingdom. Me? I had to scratch, claw, bleed, and break myself for years before I even got a sliver of the recognition that you get to enjoy right now. I’ve been busting my ass in this industry for ten years now, and it’s only been this past year that I’ve even got to make it to a company that travels around the world. That I’ve finally gotten to enjoy the feeling of being a World Champion. And yet...all I still hear about is the fact that Daddy’s little prodigy is all grown up and striking out on his own. You may have gotten lucky in your match against that sideshow freak who’s probably ‘swallowing swords’ in some back alley right now, but I know that you know that I’m not some opening act. I’m a goddamn main event player. I’m coming into this match with one thing in my mind - to get that opportunity at the Roulette Title. And I’m not going to let you get in my way.”

“And as far as you’re concerned, Crippler? I’ve beat your ass once before, and I’m damn sure going to do it again. I’ll make sure that by the end of this match, you’ll be changing your name to Chris Crippled.”

With a final glare to the camera, Malachi picked up his empty glass and stormed off, leaving the camera focused on the empty seat as the scene faded out to black.

 January 16
8 a.m.
New York City

2020 was already looking pretty good as far as Malachi was concerned. He started the year as the World Champion in PWS Apex, successfully defended his belt at the first show of the year, and won the Match of the Year award for his triple threat cage match at their December PPV, Last Rites, in which he won the title. And now, he was looking to carry his success over to SCW.

It had been some time since he had been seen around the company in an in-ring capacity, but this Sunday he was finally going to be stepping back into competition. What surprised him was that management was teaming him with his girlfriend Bella Madison to take on the team of Bella’s friend Candy and the returning Chris Crippler. With a potential opportunity for Bella to gain a championship shot against Candy depending on the outcome of this match, Mal was more motivated than ever to start things off on a winning note in SCW for the new year.

The morning light shone through a crack in the curtains, directly over the face of Malachi, sleeping soundly in the apartment he shared with Bella. As the beam of sunlight fell into his eyes, he groaned and rolled over in the bed, attempting to get back to sleep. But he was the kind of person that, once he was awake, he could not fall back to sleep no matter how hard he tried. Sighing to himself, he sleepily opened his eyes to see Bella’s back towards him, and her deep, even breathing told him that she was still sound asleep. He smiled as he slid a little closer to her, brushing her hair over her shoulder and kissing the back of her neck. She stirred a little, but stayed sleeping, until he brushed his bearded cheek across her neck and down her shoulder. She shivered, finally turning around to face him with a bit of a sour look on her face.

“...the hell?” she muttered, rubbing at her eyes. “Mal, it’s 8 a.m.”

“Well, I couldn’t get back to sleep. So if I’m up, you’re up,” he said, grinning devilishly.

She narrowed her eyes at him, reaching over to grab her pillow and socking him in the face with it. “You are the WORST,” she groaned, flopping back down and attempting to fall back asleep.

But he would not be dissuaded so easily. He reached across and started tickling at her sides, pinning her down with his weight. “Nope, we gotta get up. We got things to do before the airport today.”

“ALRIGHT ALRIGHT!” she squealed though peals of laughter, trying desperately to wriggle out of his grasp. “You win! Knock it off already! You know I hate being tickled!”

He eased up, but kept his arms around her. “You know, we’ve got a little bit of time before we need to actually be out of bed…” Mal said with a sly grin, pulling Bella towards him. Bella giggled and kissed him, before she pulled back with a concerned expression.

“Did you hear that?” she asked.

The room was quiet for a moment as they listened, before they heard the unmistakable sound of paws on a tile floor. They immediately shot out of the bed, whipping open the bedroom door just as a massive CRASH! sounded from the living room.

“DAMMIT!” Mal yelled as they quickly made their way to the living room. “How the hell did she get out of that crate this time?!”

“I have no clue!” Bella said. “We put so many locks on that thing Houdini wouldn’t have been able to escape it!”

As they entered the living room, they saw the remains of one of the bookcases in the middle of the floor, books scattered from one wall to the other...and in the centre, their puppy Luka looking up at them with her tongue lolling out of her mouth and her tail wagging, blinking her dual-coloured eyes.

Mal sighed, running a hand down his face. “We’re bringing her with us to Miami, aren’t we?”

“We have to,” Bella said, picking her way through the chaos and lifting Luka into her arms. “She’s just not trained enough to leave her with anyone.”

“We’re just lucky that the hotel in Atlanta didn’t charge us damages for what she did to the lamp,” Mal said. “The minute we get back from Miami, we have to get her into obedience classes.”

“I know, I know,” Bella replied, handing the puppy to him. “I’m gonna clean up the living room. You better finish your packing.”

Mal glared down at Luka, who just reached up and licked his face. He grumbled under his breath and took the dog into the bedroom with him while he started grabbing clothes from the closet and putting them into his suitcase.

“You know, you better straighten up,” he said, watching as she played with a little rubber pork chop on the bed. “Bells may be in love with you, but if you don’t get your act together you’re heading back to the shelter.”

Luka looked up at him, cocking her head sideways as if she understood him. He rolled his eyes as he folded up a pair of shorts. “Don’t try to play cute with me, you little shit. You’ve been nothing but a destructive pain in the ass since I brought you home. If obedience school won’t straighten you out, there’s no way-”

She let out a little yip and jumped up onto her back legs, putting her front paws on Mal’s chest. Her blue and brown eyes stared up at him, and a whine rose up from her. He was taken aback at first, but when he looked down at her sad face, he felt his heart melt a little. “Look, I know you don’t mean to be bad.” He scratched her behind her ears. “You just don’t know what else to do. New people, new house...you’re just trying to get used to us.” He smiled a little. “And yeah, I guess you are kinda cute. Those eyes are something else…”

“Well, seems like someone’s not as immune to her as he thinks.”

Mal whipped his head around to see Bella leaning against the doorframe, arms folded across her chest and a smirk on her face. Mal rolled his eyes, but continued to pet Luka. “Yeah, well...what can I say, she’s growing on me. Like a fungus.”

“MALACHI!”

----

January 17
3 pm
Miami, Florida

The scene opened up on the interior of the hotel room that Malachi and Bella Madison were currently calling home. Having spent the day on the beach with their overeager puppy Luka, they decided to come back to the hotel and rest for a while, before heading out for dinner. Luka was snoozing on the bed behind Malachi, who was sitting on the balcony with his feet up on the railing. Dressed for the warmer climate in a tank top and board shorts, he raised his sunglasses to the top of his head as he gave the camera a smirk.

“So, here I am back in an SCW ring for the first time since October. Bet you all thought you’d seen the last of me then, didn’t you? Well, surprise surprise. I’m still here, and I’m not going anywhere for a long time. I’ve still got a lot of things I want to do in this company. Right now, I have the honour and privilege of teaming with my beautiful lady love against Chris Crippler, a decrepit old fossil trying desperately to regain some semblance of relevance and...ugh, Candy.” He gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes.

“Hey! You promised you were going to be nice.” Sliding into the camera frame, Bella shot Mal a playful glare, dressed in a simple short white cotton sundress. He just rolled his eyes again and pulled on her arm, causing her to tumble into his lap.

“Fine. I’ll just stick to talking about that raisin-faced ghost of SCW past.” Mal directed his hardened gaze towards the camera again, while Bella reclined in his lap. “I have no idea what museum you crawled out of to make your ‘triumphant return’, but if I were you, I’d hightail my wrinkled ass back there. You’re way out of your depth, old timer. This ain’t the SCW of yesteryear. New year, new guard. And I’ll be damned if you think you’re gonna come waltzing in here thinking that you’re gonna be King Shit again. The way I see it, you’ve probably been keeping up on the product during your time away. And now, you’re seeing SCW go from some two-bit Vegas sideshow into a global force to be reckoned with in the wrestling world. And now, you wanna dust off the gear, loosen up the ol’ joints and try to get back some of your shine, is that it? Well, I’ll tell you this right now - it ain’t gonna be at my expense.”

Shifting Bella in his lap slightly, Malachi dropped his feet to the floor and leaned forward slightly, his eyes blazing with a fiery determination. “Lemme give you a bit of backstory on me. I’m part of another company called PWS Apex. Back in December, we had a pay per view event called Last Rites over in Tokyo. And it was at that event that I beat the holy hell out of two other competitors in a Hell in a Cell match to become the PWS Apex World Champion. Now, I know what you’re thinking - ‘what the hell does that have to do with SCW?’. Well, let me elaborate for you. See, when I won that title, it was the biggest moment of my career thus far. And since then, I’ve had a successful defense, and also won the Match of the Year for that performance. I’m riding the biggest high of my life right now, and I’m looking to keep the momentum going in SCW. Starting by Bells and I walking into the arena, kicking both your asses, and walking out with our hands raised high in the air.”

“But before you go thinking that I’m gonna be hogging all the glory for my team, I’ll just stop you right there. I know that Bells has a huge opportunity in this match. When we defeat the two of you, she'll be straight in line for a shot at Candy’s little Roulette title there. And because I love this girl, I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure that happens. She’s been busting her ass ever since she stepped foot into this company, and if anyone deserves a shot at that title, it’s my Hell’s Bells.” Though Mal’s focus was on the camera, Bella gave him a fond look and a bit of a bashful smile as he continued on. “So if you think I’m going to let some washed-up has-been and a moron with the IQ of a turnip stand in the way of my girl getting a shot at said moron’s title, then you are sadly mistaken. We’re not some last-minute slapped-together team like you two. We live together, we train together. Even before this match was announced, the two of us have talked about the possibility of taking on the Mixed Tag Division. So this will be a perfect time for us to get our feet wet, so to speak. Who knows? Maybe Bells and I will get those titles and break my brother and Sierra’s record.” Both he and Bella laughed a bit. “But first things first. Sunday night, Climax Control. We are walking into this match to do nothing less than dominate, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Leaning back in the chair, Malachi smirked towards the camera again, flipping his sunglasses down over his eyes as Bella wrapped her arms around his neck and the scene came to a close.