Wedding Planning, High School, Law School, and Wrestling
Calaway-Kasey Residence
Las Vegas, Nevada
The apartment always felt different after Ashlynn went to bed. Not quieter, exactly, Las Vegas didn’t really allow for true quiet, but it was softer. Like everything exhaled at once. The traffic outside still whispered along the streets, and somewhere in the distance a siren rose and fell, but inside their place, the noise dulled into something manageable. Familiar.
Alexandra sat cross-legged on the couch, a blanket bunched around her waist, her hair falling loose and slightly tangled down her back. The coffee table in front of her had completely disappeared under a mess of bridal magazines, loose papers, and her laptop, which cast a pale glow against her face. She hadn’t meant for it to get this out of hand. It started with one article. Just one, something harmless, “Simple Wedding Ideas for Modern Couples.” She’d clicked it while Ashlynn was brushing her teeth, half paying attention, half thinking about what to make for dinner the next night.
Now it was this.
Twelve tabs open, maybe more. She’d stopped counting. Her finger hovered over the trackpad before she clicked into another article, her eyes scanning too fast to really absorb anything. “Ten Must-Have Details for an Unforgettable Wedding Day.” Unforgettable. That word snagged on something in her chest. She reached for one of the magazines, flipping it open again even though she’d already looked through it twice. A full-page spread stared back at her, some outdoor ceremony at sunset, everything gold and glowing, the kind of light you couldn’t fake even if you tried. The bride looked effortless. The groom looked like he’d never been nervous a day in his life. Alexandra frowned slightly.
“Yeah, okay,” she muttered under her breath. “Sure. But this needs to be perfect.”
She flipped the page harder than she meant to. There were too many choices. That was the problem. Too many versions of what a wedding could be, and every single one of them came with its own list of expectations, details, things you were apparently supposed to care about.
Chair covers.
Signature drinks.
Coordinated color palettes.
“Hell wrestling a match is easier than all of this.” She shook her head. “How do people do this? I have no idea, but I need to do this. I need to plan this wedding. It’s important.”
She pressed her lips together, leaning back against the couch as her eyes flicked toward the laptop again.
A checklist glared at her from the screen:
Book venue.
Finalize guest list.
Choose a theme.
Hire a florist.
Engagement photos.
Bridal shower.
Bachelorette party.
Her stomach tightened. She didn’t even know where to start. The apartment had fallen silent. Ashlynn was asleep, curled up on her side, one arm tucked under her cheek, the way she always ended up no matter how she started the night. Alexandra had checked on her twice already, just to be sure she was getting the rest she needed. Alexandra always did that. Like if she didn’t look, something might change. Alexandra let out a slow breath and dragged a hand down her face.
“This shouldn’t be this hard,” she said quietly.
But it was. Because it wasn’t just a wedding. It was everything around it. Everything it was supposed to mean. The front door opened with a soft click. She didn’t react right away. Just stared at the screen, scrolling again like maybe the next article would suddenly make everything make sense. Keys hit the counter. Shoes shifted against the floor.
“Angel?” LJ’s voice carried easily through the apartment, low and familiar. “Love?”
“In here,” she called back, though her voice came out a little thinner than she meant it to.
His footsteps moved closer, steady, unhurried. There was something about the way he walked that always grounded her, like he wasn’t trying to rush through anything, even when the day had probably been long. He stopped just behind the couch. She could feel him there before she even looked up.
“What’s going on love?” he asked. “What is all this?” He let out a soft laugh.
She let out a small huff of a laugh, not quite amused. “Have you ever thought about how many types of wedding flowers there are?”
There was a pause. “No,” he said honestly. “Not really something I’ve had to think about.”
“Because apparently there are too many,” she went on, pushing herself up a little straighter. “And they all mean different things. Like, did you know peonies mean romance, but also prosperity? And roses are love, obviously, but different colors mean different things, so you can mess that up too.”
The laptop suddenly went dark causing Alexandra to blink.
“Hey.” Before she could grab it, the magazine in her hands was gone too, lifted easily away from her grip. “LJ, I need those.” she protested, turning toward him.
He had already tossed the magazine onto the pile, closing the laptop the rest of the way with a quiet, decisive motion.
“That’s enough,” he said.
She stared at him, somewhere between annoyed and too tired to fully argue. “I was in the middle of something.”
“You’ve been in the middle of something for, what, three hours?” He replied, one eyebrow lifting slightly.
She opened her mouth, then hesitated. “I don’t know,” she admitted.
“Yeah,” he said, softer now. “You need to take a break from all this planning, you have a match to prepare for. Not to mention, keeping your eyes trained on any other threats. After what happened at Blaze of Glory.”
He moved around the couch and sat down beside her, close enough that their knees brushed. The cushion dipped under his weight, grounding the space in a way the scattered magazines hadn’t. For a second, neither of them said anything.
Alexandra looked down at her hands, twisting her fingers together. “I just, I want it to be unforgettable.”
There it was. Not perfect, not right. Unforgettable. LJ leaned back slightly, studying her face like he was trying to figure out exactly where her thoughts had gone.
“It will be, love.” He said.
She shook her head a little. “You don’t know that.”
“I do.” He gave her a shrug.
“How?” she asked, finally looking at him. “We don’t even have a venue. Or a date. Or,” she gestured vaguely toward the table. “Any of this is figured out.”
He followed her glance, taking in the chaos for what was probably the first time.
“Okay, yeah,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of whatever this is.”
She let out a breath that was almost a laugh.
“But none of that is what makes it Unforgettable.” He continued.
She frowned slightly. “Then what does?”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he reached for her hand, pulling it gently away from where she’d been fidgeting with her fingers. His grip was warm, steady, familiar in a way that made her shoulders drop without her even realizing it.
“Us.” He said finally.
She held his gaze, searching his face like she was waiting for him to elaborate, to explain it in a way that would make it feel less simple than that. But he didn’t.
“It’s us,” he repeated. “That’s it.”
Alexandra huffed softly. “That sounds nice, but,” he covered her mouth.
“I’m serious,” he cut in, not harsh, just firm enough to stop her from spiraling again. “You think I’m gonna care if the flowers are the wrong kind? Or if the chairs don’t match?”
She didn’t answer.
“Because I won’t,” he said. “I’m gonna be standing there, probably trying not to mess up my vows, hoping I don’t trip over something.”
“You would.” she muttered.
He smirked a little. “Exactly. And you’re gonna be there. And Ashlynn’s gonna be there. Our families.”
At that, something in Alexandra’s expression softened immediately.
“She’ll probably get bored halfway through,” he added. “Or try to wander off.”
“She will wander off.” Alexandra said, a hint of a smile breaking through.
“We’ll have to bribe her with snacks or something.” He smiled at her.
“Definitely snacks.” She nodded in agreement.
The tension in her chest loosened, just a little more. LJ squeezed her hand lightly.
“That’s what I’m gonna remember,” he said. “Not whether we picked the right color napkins or whatever.”
She glanced at the table again, at all the pages she’d been flipping through like they held answers.
“They make it seem like it all matters.” She said quietly.
“They always do.” He replied.
She leaned back into the couch, her head tilting until it rested against his shoulder. He shifted slightly to make it easier, like it was second nature. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The city lights flickered through the blinds, casting slow-moving shadows across the room.
“I think I got in my own head.” Alexandra admitted after a while.
“Yeah,” he said, not unkindly.
She nudged him with her elbow.
“I didn’t say that to be mean,” he added quickly, a small grin pulling at his mouth. “Just that you do that sometimes.”
“I know.” Her voice was quieter now. A calm washing over her. She looked at the magazines again, but they didn’t feel as loud anymore. Just paper, just ideas, not rules.
“Do you care where it is?” she asked.
He shrugged slightly. “Not really.”
“Not even a little?” She tilted her head looking at him.
“I mean,” he said, “Vegas has options. We could go fancy, or we could go completely not fancy.”
She let out a small laugh. “That narrows it down. I've been thinking a destination wedding.”
“I’m just saying,” he continued, “we don’t have to overcomplicate it.”
She thought about that. About all of it. About the checklists and the articles and the feeling that she was already behind on something she hadn’t even fully started yet. Then she looked at him. Really looked. And for the first time that night, it didn’t feel like she was trying to solve something.
“Okay,” she said softly.
He glanced down at her. “Okay?”
“Okay,” she repeated. “We start simple.”
A small, satisfied smile settled on his face. “I like simple.”
“Cause lord knows, Climax Control will be anything but simple.”
She shifted slightly, lacing her fingers through his again, holding on a little tighter this time. From down the hall, Ashlynn let out a faint sleepy sound, then settled again. Alexandra closed her eyes for a second, just listening. Everything felt still, silent. Not perfect, not finished. But right.
Afraid of you huh?
Legoland California outside Galacticoaster
Carlsbad, California
Alexandra, LJ and her daughter Ashlynn are seen walking with a few security personnel through the park, near one of their newer sections. Clearly they were getting the celebrity treatment while at Legoland for the Sin City Wrestling show. Ashlynn was excitedly talking with her mom and LJ about all the rides she wanted to try. Alexandra was enjoying the last bit of her daughter's childhood wonder before she knew that college loomed on the horizon, just a few years away. When they got into line for Galacticoaster, Alexandra took the time to record a little live message for Bea, via her phone.
“Hey, here I stand as your new Sin City Wrestling Bombshell Internet Champion, much to the displeasure of many backstage. However, it was my night. And I appreciate the kind words from our former champion. However, one specific Bombshell, Bea Barnhart, the new proverbial thorn in my side. Yes, that’s exactly what you are, it’s what you’ve always been to everyone. The former champion who can’t seem to grab that brass ring again. Yes I've had my fair share of attempts at the Gold, everything from the Mixed Tag Titles, when they existed, to the Bombshell Roulette Championship I've held twice, to the Bombshell World Championship, which I failed to collect and now, I am the Bombshell Internet Champion.”
She planned to make this short and sweet, to the point, LJ occasionally poking her in the side and making her giggle hard. She focused back on the task at hand.
“So Bea, darling, this is where I have to ask, why are you so obsessed with me? Is it because I can do what you cannot? I stay relevant and in the title picture, while you are losing to people like Harper Mason, who’s younger and fastly rising to the top. Give it the rest of the year and she could be the World Champion. But you, you'll still be on the bottom. You wanna know why?”
She shrugged softly, giving the camera a knowing smile.
“Because at the end of the day, everyone sees through your bullshit. Every bombshell can see right through that facade you try to throw into everyone's faces, each and every week, be it your match or Bills. Poor man’s got to deal with you hogging his time. I feel so bad for your husband, dealing with you day in and day out must be a living nightmare. Jesus Christ woman, do you ever hear yourself speak?”
She took a few moments to pause, watching as she moved in line, careful of the other people around her. Knowing the place was crawling with kids, teens and adults alike.
“You whine and complain about people, saying we are bullies or we cheated to win. Play back the tapes of your matches and note how many times you've been seconds away from getting caught doing some questionable stuff. Then you tried to say I cheated to win against you. I get it. No one likes to lose. Hell, I have had my own fair share of losses here in Sin City since my arrival and you've never once heard me whine about it or accuse my opponent of cheating. I think I can speak for each and everyone of the Bombshells of Sin City Wrestling when I say, can you please, shut the hell up?”
Her daughter and LJ chuckle behind her in line and she smiles over her shoulder at them. They share a laugh for a few moments before she looks back up at the camera.
“Mom,” Ashlynn’s voice sounded from behind her and she spoke again. “She doesn’t understand the concept of shutting up. If she did, she’d know to keep her trap shut before the flies collect on her face.”
Alexandra shook her head at her daughter's thoughts on the match. Deep inside Alexandra’s mind, thoughts flowed freely from her as they waited in line for the ride.
“I know. I know, I am such a bully. Allowing my daughter to say that about you. I’m hurting your delicate feelings. We both know damned good and well, you have no emotions when it comes to that. You can say whatever the hell you want about me. Honestly, I don’t care. You’ve said it all before, through our countless matches during my time in Sin City Wrestling. You see the last time we faced off, you did this same bravado, it’s the same as every other single time we’ve stepped into the ring together. You said you’d beat me, you said you would have the win, yet once again, you looked up at the lights, your back flat on the mat with me standing over you, my hand raised in victory. So no, I'm not afraid of you, because there's nothing to fear.”
She takes time to pause, thinking over every match she’s ever had with Bea Barnhart. Every single time, it’s come out the same, with Bea losing and Alexandra standing tall.
“You consistently lose to me. You’ve seen it over and over, yet you still keep coming. I respect that. I do. Your tenacity is unmatched. You have this grandiose dream that some day you will get the win over me. I mean look at what Victoria and I have done, only to come out in the end at Blaze of Glory realizing that maybe we aren’t as different as we seem. However, we are nothing alike. As far as I am concerned, and those who are in my life are concerned we will never be anything alike. I don’t need to sit here and invent an ending that I know the outcome of. You and me, it’s always going to end the same as it has before. That is unless you hire someone to take me out and I’m incapable of kicking out, but you would have to damn near kill me.”
Another small moment of time, a beat even and she speaks again, moving further in the line. This wait could be a while, but
“I’ll always come out on top, because that’s what I do. That’s the outcome of our time together Bea, let’s face the fact. You always wanna go based on facts right? You like to judge the differences between us, it’s fine, that’s common to do, to focus on stats. But remember darling, this is baseball, this is Wrestling. You can’t predict a win anymore than you can predict a winning lotto ticket. When we are in that ring, you can only focus on the problem right in front of you. This time, it’s me. You want a shot at the glory, a shot at my Bombshell Internet Championship, beat me.. Go win a Bombshell Roulette Championship twice, then come back and we can talk. Until Sunday, I’m going to enjoy my time with my family and plan my wedding. Right now, I’m going to ride Galacticoaster with my Fiance and my Daughter. See you Sunday Bea.”
With that said the three of them wave at the camera, before Alexandra puts her phone away and the three of them get into the ride car. The screen goes black.
