[Jake Sullivan]

 Monday January 14th- The Day After New Year Rising

New Year Rising proved to be a great start to the new year for the Sin of Wrath.  His road to regaining the SCW Heavyweight Championship officially began when he defeated Blade Alexander to become the Number One Contender to Spike Staggs' title.  Not that there was any doubt that he would do this of course, but his return to the top is now underway.  He has been given the week off, so he has returned to his apartment for some much needed time to himself.  What does he plan to do this week?  Hell if he knows, but he doesn't really care.

The scene opens up inside the living room of his apartment to find the big man sprawled out on his sofa with an open beer in one hand, and the remote to his TV in his other hand.  He seems very relaxed as he surfs through the channels, trying to find anything even remotely interesting to watch.  He rolls his eyes and sighs and takes a swig of his beer, continuing to just channel surf.

"The one time I actually relax and want to watch TV there isn't crap on.  Figures!"

Rage polishes off the beer, setting the empty bottle down on the floor next to him.  He shuts the TV off, finally frustrated with the lack of anything interesting to watch, and sits straight up.  He rubs his bald head, thinking for a moment about what to do next.  He looks at the empty beer bottle on the floor and shrugs.

"Screw it.  I'm gonna empty the fridge." (damn who does that sound like? )

Rage grabs the empty beer bottle, heading towards his kitchen.  He tosses the bottle in the trash, and heads over to the refrigerator to grab another.  Just as he is about to open the fridge there is a knock on his door.  He growls quickly then heads over to the door.  When he opens the door, who does he see standing before him, bright eyed and smiling ear to ear.  Sabrina Stevens of course, and she has two cups of coffee in her hands, one presumably for her "patient."[/color]

"I should have known it was you, Sabrina.  How did you know I was here anyway?"

Sabrina shrugs her shoulders and hands Rage one of the cups of coffee.  She politely invites herself in, walking past Rage as he closes the door behind her.  Usually he seems annoyed, but at the moment, he's almost content with her being here.

"It was just a hunch, honestly, but that million dollar car of yours in the parking lot is a dead give-a-way don't you think?  I wasn't completely sure you'd be here, but after the past few shows you've come here for a day or two so I just assumed.  I hope you like your coffee black."

"I was in the process of drinking something else.  I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but thanks anyway."

Sabrina raises an eyebrow as she looks at Rage.  Rage takes a drink of his coffee, making a weird face after, but he heads back over to the sofa and sits back down.

"Did I just hear you correctly?  Did you actually thank me for the coffee?"

Rage looks at Sabrina awkwardly.  He shrugs but nods.

"That's what I'm supposed to do, right?  I didn't ask for the coffee, but you brought it to me anyway?  The normal response would be a thank you, right?"

Sabrina is even more surprised by this response as she stands there staring at him almost at a loss for words.  Rage looks at her and lets out a laugh.

"Okay, what is your problem Sabrina?  Would you rather I kicked you out of my apartment?"

"No, of course not, but--"

"But what?  Why are you standing there staring at me like that?"

Sabrina smirks a little as she walks over towards Rage.  She stands in front of him, and places her coffee on the table next to the sofa.  She then places a hand on Rage's forehead, as if checking to see if he is running a fever.

"Are you feeling okay, Rage?  You don't feel feverish, which is the only explanation for you're sudden change of attitude."

Rage swats Sabrina's hand away quickly, and snarls a bit causing Sabrina to laugh.

"Ahh, there is the Rage everyone knows.  For a moment there I was beginning to think...Nah, that's just wishful thinking."

Sabrina grabs her coffee then takes a seat next to Rage on the sofa.  He looks at her with one eyebrow raised questioningly.

"You were beginning to think what, Sabrina?  By all means, finish what you were going to say, because now I'm pretty damn curious."

Rage takes another drink of his coffee, keeping his eyes locked on Sabrina.  She looks at him from the corner of her eyes, taking a drink of her own coffee trying not to grin.  Too bad for her, it doesn't work.

"I was beginning to think that maybe I'm starting to actually have an effect on you, big man.  Key word being beginning, because we both know that can't possibly be the case here, can it?"

"Are you being sarcastic?"

"You tell me."

Rage sets his coffee down on the table next to him and leans forward.  He turns and faces Sabrina, clearly confused about her behavior.

"Okay, you know what?  I'm officially lost here.  I'm not exactly the best at reading people so would you just tell me your point here?"

Sabrina rolls her eyes, lets out a laugh and looks at Rage with a smile.

"I was being sarcastic, Rage, because we both know the truth.  I'm actually helping you.  You're clearly not as angry as you normally are.  At least not at the moment.  Face it, Rage.  All of our sessions are starting to help you out, aren't they?"

Rage folds his arms and stars at Sabrina.  She has a satisfied grin on her face as she waits for his response, but he doesn't say anything right away.  He closes his eyes and thinks for a moment.

"You're fucking crazy, you know that?  Trust me, I'm still angry about plenty.  I'm just a bit more relaxed right now because I'm on my way to getting the Heavyweight Title back.  I beat Blade Alexander last night, and the next step is to beat Spike and the title is mine again.  It's a little hard to be angry about that, don't ya think?"

"I suppose you're right about that.  Congratulations, by the way.  Everyone knew you would beat him.  So when do you get your title match?"

Rage shrugs and leans back on the couch again.

"No idea yet, but I'll make sure to figure it out in the next couple of weeks.  Rumor has it the bosses are in talks to start some mixed tag team tournament thing soon."

"That sounds interesting."

Rage lets out a laugh and looks at Sabrina with a raised eyebrow.

"Naturally a woman would think it sounds interesting.  I think I'm going to pass on it, honestly.  I just want to get the Heavyweight Title back.  This tournament would be a waste of my time.  Not to mention, we don't get to pick our partners.  I'm not big on the whole Lethal Lottery style."

"Really?  Isn't that how you and Jamie Staggs were paired up?  And you ended up being crowned the very first Tag Team Champions."

Rage goes to respond, but Sabrina holds her hand up, silencing him.  She crosses one leg over the other and scoots a little closer to him.

"Don't try and argue otherwise, Rage.  You might want to get your title match against Spike over with quickly, but that might not be a good idea.  I think you should enter this tournament and see what happens.  It's a great idea, and it'll give you the chance to work with the Bombshells, too.  You never know, you might get lucky enough to be teamed with someone you like."

"Someone I like?  What are you getting at?"

Sabrina giggles, knowing full well how Rage took that last statement.

"I mean you could get teamed with someone you can actually stand to be around.  I wasn't trying to assume that you are romantically interested in any of the Bombshells.  You're not, are you?"

"Have you seen the Bombshells SCW has to offer?  None of them are even my type!  Why the hell would you ask that question, anyway?"

Sabrina shrugs and looks away.  Rage can't help but grin a little.

"I was just curious, is all.  I suppose you could still be harboring a flame for that Carly woman.  Not that I blame you.  She did just disappear last year."

Rage's eyes widen and he runs his hand over his head in disbelief.  Sabrina seems to be quite serious about what she just said, and this only confuses, and frustrates Rage.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Sabrina?  How the hell do you even know about Carly anyway?  And for your information, that shit with Carly was just physical.  She had a few too many screws loose in her head for my liking.  Wait a minute...Are you...jealous?"

Sabrina turns her head sharply to look at Rage, shocked he would even ask that question.

"Jealous?  Why would I be jealous?!  I'm you're--"

"Don't you dare say therapist, Sabrina, because you and I both know you're not my therapist.  I don't fucking pay you to do those anger management sessions.  We don't meet in your little office.  I don't lay on some stupid sofa while you ask me question after question about my past."

"If I'm not your therapist, Rage, than just what am I to you?  It would be useful to know so that when curious people ask, I can give them an honest answer."

"Uhh...You tell them the truth.  You tell them what I have been telling them.  You're just a friend trying to help me out.  It's that simple."

Sabrina doesn't seem too pleased with that answer.  She grabs her coffee, stands up from the sofa and heads over to the door.  Rage stares at her, confused, but he stays on the sofa.

"Where are you going?"

Sabrina turns and glares at him.

"Why the hell do you care?  I've got patients to see.  I'm not going to waste my time sitting here talking to you.  Goodbye, Rage."

Sabrina then turns and walks out of the apartment, making it a point to slam the door behind her.  Rage sits there, shocked and confused.  He runs his hand over his head and leans forward.

"Women..."

He shakes his head and grabs the coffee again.  He is about to take a drink, but then wrinkles his nose a bit.  He stands up and heads over to the sink, dumping what is left of the coffee down the drain and he grabs a cold beer from the fridge.  He pops the top off and the scene fades out.

********************

It's been over two weeks since Rage has spoken to or even seen Sabrina Stevens.  He's debated giving her a call or stopping by her office, but given the circumstances to how their last meeting ended, he decides against it and instead leaves it up to her to contact him.  He has a match to focus on this week, and a fight with Sabrina is the last thing he needs.  Not that he feels very focused on this match at all.  He's teaming with a woman he knows nothing about to face a woman he is very familiar with and Thatcher Rex.  Oh this week is going to be interesting.

This week is also a first within the Seven Deadly Sins.  At least a first in a long while.  Rage, Gabriel and Despayre have all been booked, but individually with their own respective partners in the tournament.  Luckily they were all booked in separate matches and not against one another, because had that happened, who knows how that would have went over in the group.  Sure Rage would have loved to face Gabriel in a friendly fight so to speak, but going against Despayre?  That's not something he wants to think about.  But he doesn't have to for this week.

Rage's black Hennessy Venom GT is parked out in front of Synn and Despayre's home.  Rage's and every other member of the Seven Deadly Sins' home away from home if you will.  Gabriel is currently on his way home from Australia, for reasons he has yet to reveal.  Fantasia has already had her pep talk with Gabriel, Synn is handling Despayre's focus, so that leaves Shane to motivate Rage.  After all, Rage is the one least looking forward to this tournament of the three.

Rage and Shane are sitting in the spacious living room of Synn's home.  Synn and Despayre are nowhere to be seen at the moment, but that is okay with Rage.  It's relatively quiet, which is what he prefers.

"Any idea when Gabriel is supposed to be back?  He seemed pretty pissed off last I spoke with him, and that's not like him."

Shane looks at the clock and then shrugs.

"He should be home by now, but hell if I know.  Whatever is bothering him, he probably needs time to himself for a while before he comes around us anyway.  Don't worry about Gabriel.  He'll be fine.  Right now, we need to get you focused on your own match this week.  You and Angel Kash have some tough competition."

"Yeah, don't remind me.  I knew I shouldn't have signed up for this damn tournament in the first place."

"If you didn't want to, then why did you sign up for it mate?  You don't always have to do stuff you don't want to do."

Rage folds his arms as immediately, Sabrina pops into his mind.  He rolls his eyes, trying not to think about her.

"I keep asking myself that same question honestly.  A little birdy whispered in my ear telling me it would be a good thing for me to sign up and I was stupid and listened."

"A young red-haired bird?"

Shane smirks and holds back a laugh as Rage just shoots him a look that says he wishes he hadn't asked.

"You getting a thing for red-heads now, mate?  I can't say that surprises me, considering if it wasn't for Fantasia, you probably wouldn't be in the Sins."

"Yeah if it wasn't for Fantasia, a lot of shit wouldn't have happened back then, but lets not get into that, okay?"

Shane holds his hands up, admitting defeat on the subject.

"Whatever you say, bud.  So how you feeling about this match this week?  Two number one contenders facing each other.  Should be an interesting bout."

"True, but I'm the number one contender to the Heavyweight Title..Thatcher is going for the Roulette, and he'll be facing Hawkes.  It's not like he's got this big tough match ahead of him.  I've gotta face Spike for crying out loud."

Shane nods in agreement.

"True, but if you've seen Thatcher's matches recently you'd see what everyone else sees.  He's headed for great things in SCW.  The Roulette Title is just the beginning.  Who knows mate.  If you win the Heavyweight Title back, you might just defend it against Thatcher Rex someday.  He's got a lot of talent and skill, and he's no veteran."

"IF I win the Heavyweight Title back?  There is no if about it, Shane."

"My mistake.  But like I said..Thatcher is destined to go after the Heavyweight title someday.  You can't deny that."

Rage scowls a bit, shaking his head.

"That doesn't really mean shit to me right now.  He's got his sights set on the Roulette Title right now, and he better keep it that way.  Thatcher Rex will be no problem for me."

"Same can't be said for his tag team partner.  Misty has been a thorn in everyone's side lately.  She pissed off Synn enough for him to threaten her.  You know it's bad when he threatens a woman."

Rage actually smiles at this.

"That bitch got what was coming to her.  I enjoyed watching Synn get under her skin like that after the shit she has pulled recently.  I feel sorry for Thatcher for drawing her as a partner, honestly."

"Keep eye out for her goons...Disciples...Whatever the hell you want to call them.  I'm sure they'll be at ringside, and with this match, the men might get involved.  Any of her normal matches they can't, but I wouldn't put it past them to attack you...Hell, maybe even Thatcher."

"I dare them to try it.  They even lay a finger on me, I'll take each one of those pussy whipped douchebags out.  Shouldn't be that hard right?  After all, Angel was able to do it."

Rage and Shane both share a laugh, thinking back to New Year Rising when Angel and Despayre rescued Melody Grace.

"I have to admit, that was pretty damn funny to watch.  But anyway, if I were you, I'd try and reach out to Angel Kash and give her a warning about Misty.  She needs to know what she's up against."

Rage shakes his head.

"If she doesn't know what she's up against already, then that is her problem.  I'm not going to reach out to her, because I don't need to.  Everyone should be well aware of Misty's bullshit.  Hell, Thatcher is already aware of it, but that's because those two have been flirting back and forth on Twitter for weeks.  It's only fitting they drew each other as partners."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope.  They'll probably disagree, but they've been acting like a damn married couple.  Kind of ironic considering he calls himself a King and she calls herself a Queen."

Shane again laughs with a shake of his head.

"Right...The Odd Couple at its best, or worst maybe.  You never know, that team might self-destruct itself and you wouldn't have to do much work at all.  Regardless, you need to be prepared."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah.  I'll be prepared.  I'm always prepared."

Just then, from behind Rage, a little orange kitten jumps in the air and lands right on Rage's head, digging its claws into his head.  Rage lets out a loud growl and starts screaming and yelling as Shane watches on, laughing.

"Wasn't prepare for that were ya?  By the way, I forgot to mention Despy is babysitting Carrot and Princeton while Odette and Gabriel are away.  Looks like Carrot missed his Uncle Baldy."

Shane continues to laugh as Rage begins flailing around, trying to get Carrot off of his head, very unsuccessfully.  Synn and Despayre suddenly appear in the room to see what the commotion is all about, and they all get a kick out of watching the latest kitten versus Rage match up.

Cats-100, Rage-ZILCH!

**END FEED**