Wedding, Wrestling and Rivalries
Hotel near Tivoli Gardens
Copenhagen, Germany
The hotel room felt smaller than it actually was, mostly because of the way their lives spilled into every corner of it. Gear bags sat open on the floor, clothes half folded and half forgotten, and a stack of papers about the wedding rested on the nightstand like it was daring them to deal with it. Alexandra sat cross legged on the bed, slowly running her hand around her wrist, working out the knots in her body, then adjusting it again like she was buying time inside her own thoughts. LJ stood near the window, looking out at the city for a moment before turning back toward her, running a hand through his hair.
“You ever think about how insane this is,” she said, not looking up yet. “We’ve got matches Sunday and somehow we’re also supposed to care about table settings and cake flavors.”
LJ let out a quiet laugh and shook his head. “I think the cake might actually be the most stressful part. I’m still not convinced you didn’t pick that one just to mess with me.”
She finally looked up at him, giving him a look. “You said you liked chocolate.”
“I do like chocolate. I just didn’t expect that much chocolate. That thing looked like it could knock someone out.”
“That’s the point. It’s memorable.” She gave him a shrug of her shoulders
“Yeah, memorable like one of wrestler’s cheap shots.” He grabbed her hand.
She smirked a little at that but it didn’t last long. Her focus drifted back to her hands, tightening her fist again. “Speaking of that, are you good?”
"With Raven?" LJ shrugged, casual on the surface. “Yeah. I know what he is.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?”
“It should,” he admitted, then walked over and sat on the edge of the dresser across from her. “But it doesn’t, not really. Guys like him, they want you thinking about everything they might do. That’s how they get you to hesitate.”
She nodded slowly, taking that in. “Cassie’s the same way. Maybe worse. At least Raven never pretended to be something else. Cassie did. She made people believe she had their back and then just cut them loose when it helped her.”
“You used to trust her, didn’t you?”
Alexandra let out a small breath, almost a laugh but not quite. “Yeah. I did. That’s the part that sticks. Not even the matches, not the losses, none of that. Just that moment where you realize someone was never who you thought they were.”
LJ leaned forward slightly, elbows on his knees. “You thinking about that going into the match?”
“I’m trying not to,” she said. “But it’s there. Every time I picture the match, I don’t just see her trying to win. I see her looking for the easiest way to do it. And I hate that part of it. I hate that I even have to think like that.”
“You don’t have to think like her,” he said.
“No, but I have to think about her. That’s different.”
He nodded, understanding that distinction. For a second, neither of them said anything. The hum of the city outside filled the silence just enough to keep it from feeling heavy.
After a moment, LJ spoke again. “You’re not going to turn into her just because you’re ready for what she does.”
"I know." Alexandra said, though her voice wasn’t completely certain. “It’s just where’s the line, you know? Between being ready and becoming that kind of person.”
“The line is you,” he said simply. “You don’t cross it. That’s it.”
She looked up at him again, studying his face like she was trying to decide if it was really that simple. “You make it sound easy.”
“It’s not easy,” he said. “It’s just clear.”
She let that sit for a second, then leaned back on her hands, stretching her legs out in front of her. “God, listen to us. We sound like we’re giving a seminar or something.”
“Hey, we could. ‘How to fight terrible people and still plan a wedding.’ I think there’s a market for that with the amount of people announcing their engagements in this company. We started a trend Angel.”
She laughed for real this time, the tension breaking just a little. “Yeah, I’m sure there’s a huge audience for that very specific problem.”
“You’d be surprised.”
Her eyes drifted over to the papers on the nightstand. “We still haven’t finished picked the seating arrangement.”
“Don’t remind me,” LJ said immediately. “All I care about is our families will be at the same table. That’s non-negotiable.”
“I know. It would be dangerous not to.” She laughed softly. “That feels like admitting defeat.”
“It is admitting defeat,” he said, completely serious. “But it’s the smart kind.”
She shook her head, smiling faintly. “We’re really out here strategizing seating charts like it’s a match.”
“Everything is a match,” LJ said. “Different rules, same idea. You put people in the right positions and hope nobody does anything unpredictable.”
“That’s the problem though,” she said. “People always do something unpredictable.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “But you can’t build everything around that. Otherwise you’d never do anything.”
She was quiet again after that, her fingers tracing along the edge of the bed underneath both of them. “Do you ever worry about it?” she asked. “Not the wedding stuff. Just everything. The matches, the travel, all of it piling up.”
LJ didn’t answer right away. He leaned back slightly, thinking about it. “Sometimes,” he admitted. “Not in a way that makes me want to stop. Just in a way that makes me take it seriously.”
“That’s a very you answer darling.” She gave him another soft smile.
“What’s that supposed to mean love?”
“It means you don’t panic,” she said. “You just adjust.”
He shrugged. “Panic doesn’t help. Especially not against someone like Raven. If I go in there thinking he’s got some big trick waiting for me, I’m already behind.”
“So you’re not worried at all.”
“I didn’t say that,” he replied. “I said I’m not letting it run the show.”
She nodded again, then looked down at her hands. “I wish I could switch it off like that.”
“You don’t need to switch it off,” he said. “You just need to not let it take over.”
She let out a quiet breath. “You’re really good at this whole calm thing.”
“I’ve had practice.” He laughed.
“With me?” she teased lightly.
“With everything,” he said, though he smiled a little. “You included.”
She shifted slightly on the bed, turning so she was facing him more directly. “You really think I’ve got this match.”
“I know you do.”
“Even with everything Cassie’s going to try.” She tilted her head.
“Especially because of that,” he said. “She’s going to expect you to get frustrated, to lose focus. That’s where she wins. You don’t give her that.”
“And if she pushes it anyway.”
“She will,” he said. “That’s the point. But you’re better than her at the actual fight. That’s what matters.”
She held his gaze for a moment, then nodded, a little more sure this time. “Okay. Yeah. I can work with that.”
He stood up then, stretching slightly, then walked over to the bed and sat down next to her.
“What about you,” she said, nudging him lightly with her shoulder. “You keep talking about me. What’s your plan with Raven.”
“Hit him before he hits me,” he said, deadpan.
She gave him a look. “Wow. Incredible strategy. Really groundbreaking stuff.”
“Hey, don’t mock greatness,” he shot back. “But seriously, he’s going to try something underhanded. I just have to be ready for it and not let it be the thing that decides the match.”
“And you’re sure you can do that.” She took a deep breath. “Technically you are still healing up.”
“I’ve dealt with guys like him before,” LJ said. “They all think they’re the exception. They’re not.”
She smiled a little at that. “I like that. They’re not special. Just predictable in a different way.”
“Exactly.”
There was another pause, but this one felt lighter. Alexandra leaned her head back slightly, staring up at the ceiling. “You know, when we first started all this, I didn’t think it would look like this.”
“What did you think it would look like Angel?” LJ gave her a soft smile.
“I don’t know,” she said. “Less, everything at once, I guess. Matches, travel, a wedding, all of it stacked on top of each other.”
“Too late now,” he said, nudging her back.
“Hell Yeah,” she said, smiling softly. “Too late.”
He glanced over at the wedding papers again. “We’ll figure that out too.”
“We will,” she agreed. “One thing at a time.”
“Sunday the matches happen,” he said.
“And after that, we go back to playfully arguing about cake and seating charts.”
“Can’t wait,” he said with a small grin.
She laughed quietly, then leaned into him just a little, letting the moment settle. “Hey,” she said after a second.
“Yeah.”
“No matter what happens during this planning, we’re still good, right.”
He looked at her, a little confused by the question at first, then softened when he understood what she meant. “Yeah,” he said. “We’re still good. That doesn’t change with super chocolate cake.”
She nodded, like she needed to hear it out loud. “Okay. Good.”
He bumped his shoulder lightly against hers. “Now get some rest. You’re going to need it.”
“You too,” she said. “Try not to overthink it.”
“Same to you,” he replied.
They sat there for a little while longer, the noise of the city humming in the background, neither of them rushing to move. The matches were coming, the chaos, the unpredictability, all of it waiting just a few hours away. But for now, in that small hotel room, it was just the two of them, figuring things out one conversation at a time.
Judas suffered, so shall you
Tivoli Gardens
Copenhagen, Germany
Alexandra Calaway and her family walked around the park, she watched as Ashlynn hung out with LJ, Miles, Carter and Kevin. This was her family now. People she would be willing to fight for. Hell people she had thrown herself into danger to protect. People she could never see herself doing the things Cassie had done to her own so-called unit of a family.
“Cassie Wolfe, you’ve had this coming for a few weeks now haven’t you? Can you feel it? The judgement, the retribution coming at you for what you’ve done. You betrayed the people who had your back in more ways than one. Look at what you’ve done. You turned your back on Harper and Josh, you accused her of being behind the attack on Alicia Lukas too. Who’s to say it wasn’t YOU who attacked Alicia to get attention. That’s right up your alley isn’t it? Who’s to say you wanted Harper as your scapegoat to cover up your own crimes? While the old me would have laughed it up and patted you on the back for it. I’ve changed. I’ve grown as a human being. I’ve noticed something about you Cassie. You’ve changed and not for the better. It’s time I showed you what happens when you are all alone and your back is against the wall.”
She gave her the momentarily tisk tisk sound before continuing on with what she needed to say.
“You see, I pulled that stunt once upon a time, turned my back on everyone who had my back, pushed them out of my life as if they were nothing more than yesterday's trash. But I get it, anything to win right. Well you see, I always knew you had it in you. I knew you weren’t the kind of person you tried to play yourself off to be. This good person who had her friend’s backs. Let me tell you something sweetheart, you never had me fooled. I could see it in your eyes. While there was a time I could have respected what you’ve done, the person I am today, sees you for what you really are.”
She took the moment to pause, wanting what she was about to say to really sink in, to seep so deeply into Cassie that she would begin to realize the error of her ways and quickly try to make amends, though people like Cassie rarely changed.
“I don’t care what’s at stake, I couldn’t do that to Miles, Carter, or my fiance LJ Kasey. Hell I’ve had to be across the ring from Miles and let me tell you, even then, if I had been as close to him then as I am now, I don’t think the outcome would have been the same. I know I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did to him, if we had been close at that time. To turn on someone like that, it would take me being the woman I used to be. The one who had no loyalties who, when her back was against the wall and she realized she had no one, she lost everything.”
Alexandra had betrayed those closest to her before, causing the same kind of damage that Cassie had done. She knew what was coming for the younger woman, the retribution that she herself would bring about.
“As someone who used to be like you, I know what’s coming for you and it starts with me. It starts on Sunday. You see, I don’t care what excuses you will try to use for your actions. I’ve used them before myself. Let me tell you, it didn’t help me then and it’s not going to help you now. Let’s be honest, you did it because you are selfish, you craved that spotlight. What was that tag phrase you’ve used before, ‘Hungry like the Wolfe…’, a really catchy phrase there wasn’t it? You see, you don’t know the first things about Wolves. Wolves are loyal to their pack. Lone Wolves, those usually happen because a young male wolf leaves to spread the pack further out. They are forming their own families. But you, you are in it for yourself.”
She gave a bitter, jaded laugh. She had seen and done this all before. Was this now Alexandra’s calling, to be the one who punished the younger talent for their mistakes? If it was, then so be it.
“You didn’t do it to teach Harper a lesson. You didn’t teach Josh anything he didn’t already know. All you did was show everyone in that backstage area that you are a traitorous snake that will stop at nothing to get what you want in life. You called yourself the Judas Wolfe, well you got that right. But, while I might not be a Christian I think you need to read that book again and see just how badly Judas suffered after betraying the so-called miracle man from Galilee. Emotional torment, remorse and despair. He was rejected by the leaders, he lost hope. Hell Cassie, the man killed himself over the guilt of what he did. Is that really how you want to be remembered? It takes YEARS to get yourself back to where people will trust you again. I speak from experience.”
She paused again, this time she thought over her own past where she had betrayed the people closest to her. It didn’t get her where she wanted to go, it didn’t help the situation at hand and she had to deal with the fall out of that, alone.
“You might look at me and say Alexandra’s mind is all over the place and maybe you're right. I’ve got the Bombshell Internet Championship, my upcoming nuptials, and Into the Void XV looming on the horizon, with an unknown challenger for my Bombshell Internet Championship at this time. But if the truth needs to be known, we’ve all seen what I can do when the odds are truly stacked against me. It’s where I shine, I don’t need to turn on those closest to me, I don’t need to make false accusations against them.”
She watched as LJ handed her daughter cotton candy from one of the vendors and a bright smile crossed her face. The warmth of the family surrounded her, hearing their laughter. She took a deep breath and spoke again.
“There comes a day in everyone's story where you start seeing life differently. Where the bullshit and the backstabbing don’t make sense anymore. You find a purpose, you push forward through people like you and you come out on the other side, for lack of a better phrase, a Hero. Isn’t that what you wanted to be at one time? A Hero, Cassie? I guess the phrase is true. You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. I happen to know that phrase too, it is however possible, to pull yourself out of that muck you’ve stepped in and be better. But it’s not going to be on my name. It’s not going to be by beating me. No. It’s going to be by getting your ass handed to you by me in that ring on Sunday. You see, you used to be one of my daughters favorites, now she just turns her nose up at the very mention of your name. After what you did to Harper, she sees you as someone she could never look up to.”
She cracked up laughing hard and then nodded licking her lips.
“If you truly believe that you are going to take my Bombshell Internet Championship from me kiddo, you’ve got another thing coming. Yes, I took this from Victoria, she and I tore up the wrestling world, chasing each other around and around, but you know what I can say about her, she didn’t have to turn her back on people she was close to, just to get ahead. She did that all on her own. Just as I did. You got big shoes to fill, shoes you aren’t ready for, not yet. That’s the real difference here. Victoria was herself from the start, open with who she was, she didn’t need to hide behind catch phrases and puns like you. She didn’t have to turn her back on those she was the closest to, to win. She was unapologetically herself. She also has earned my respect, you haven’t. So I won’t be easy to take down. I have a fire deep inside me, one that cannot be quenched.”
Another moment to pause, another smile crossed her lips. Victoria and Alexandra had a respect for each other now, an understanding of how each other worked.
“So I guess all I really have left to say is I’ll see you on Sunday, right now, I got better things to do. Priorities and all. I plan on spending the rest of the day surrounded by people who love me and care about me. People who have my back and I have theirs. My family. While, I’m sure the only person you truly have is yourself, everyone you surround yourself with now are just pawns on the chessboard, you will use them and throw them out when they no longer serve your purpose. I hope they see what you’ve done and they leave you hanging high and dry with no one to have your back.”
She see’s LJ waving for her to join them to put her phone away for the rest of the day.
“See you Sunday Wolfe Girl, until then, think about the words I’ve given you today. Search yourself, because if this woman is the one you bring into the ring with me on Sunday, you have already fucked yourself over. Dream big Cassie, because on Sunday.. I crush your dream of being the Bombshell Internet Champion, just like you’ll never make it to the Crown.”
With that the feed went dead and she joined LJ and the family for an exciting day at Tivoli Gardens.
