[LJKasey]

HOME INVASION (VIA WIFI)
LJ & Ally’s Apartment – Las Vegas, Nevada

LJ didn’t even get halfway through kicking his shoes off before Ally spoke up from the couch.

“Your mums are on the phone.”

He froze mid-motion. “…Both of them?”

Ally held up the phone slightly, already on speaker, already connected.

“Hi, darling!” Rebecca’s voice came through immediately, bright and far too enthusiastic for LJ’s liking.

Joan’s voice followed, calmer but no less present. “Good evening, Lyle.”

LJ closed his eyes for half a second. “…This feels like a setup.”

Ashlynn perked up instantly from where she was sprawled on the floor with her homework. “Oh wait—are these the famous mums?”

Ally grinned. “The very ones.”

“Put them on video,” Ashlynn demanded and LJ tried to wave her off but Ally beat him to the punch.

“They already are,” Ally replied, flipping the phone so LJ could see.

Both of them filled the screen, Rebecca leaning forward like she was about to climb through it. Joan sitting back, composed, but with that look that meant she was absolutely part of whatever this was.

LJ stared at the screen. “…Why do I feel like I’m about to be cross-examined?”

Joan smiled slightly. “Because you are.”

He knew it and Rebecca didn’t waste a second. “We saw the schedule.”

Of course they did, as LJ dragged a hand down his face. “…That was fast.”

“Oh don’t even start,” Rebecca shot back. “You guys are very busy with Germany, then the UK next week.” She leaned closer to the camera. “Care to explain why we found that out from the internet and not from our son?”

LJ opened his mouth, and just closed it for a moment before he let out, “…I was going to tell you.”

“When?” Joan asked calmly.

He hesitated, “…Before we landed?”

Rebecca pointed at the screen like she’d just proven her case. “Unacceptable.”

Ashlynn snorted and LJ shot her a look. “You are enjoying this far too much.”

“Oh immensely,” she replied.

Rebecca shifted her attention instantly. “And you must be Ashlynn!”

Ash straightened up. “Yes, ma’am!”

“Oh she’s polite,” Rebecca said, impressed. “We’re keeping her.”

LJ blinked. “Excuse me?”

Joan added dryly, “She might be the best decision you’ve made.”

Ally laughed softly beside him LJ pointed at the phone. “I regret answering this call.”

“No you don’t and besides you didn’t, Ally did,” Rebecca said immediately. “But you don’t because now we can get to the important part.”

Here it comes.

“You are coming to the UK,” she said, not asked but declared like a mom would, “And you are bringing Alexandra.”

Ally tried to stay neutral but she failed immediately when Rebecca smiled at her through the screen. “And you,” Rebecca added warmly, “We would very much like to meet properly.”

Ally nodded politely. “I’d like that.”

LJ turned his head slowly. “You’re not helping me.”

“I’m not supposed to,” she said sweetly.

Joan chimed in, voice measured. “And Ashlynn as well if it doesn’t interfere with her studies.”

Ash lit up again, “Oh I am definitely in.”

“Traitor,” LJ muttered.

Rebecca waved a hand dismissively. “Oh hush. You love them.”

“…That’s not the point.”

“It is entirely the point,” Joan said.

LJ exhaled slowly, pacing a step away from the couch before turning back toward the phone. “This isn’t a holiday,mum,” he said. “We’re are working, we got Germany first, then a lot of travel, media, the show...maybe some sight seeing”

“And after?” Rebecca cut in.

He paused. “…The UK.”

“Exactly.” She leaned back like she’d just won the argument.

Ally glanced at LJ, softer now. “I wouldn’t mind going,” she said quietly.

That shifted things. LJ looked at her properly this time. But it wasn’t defensive or cornered. Instead he was just thinking.

Rebecca’s voice softened just a touch. “Lyle,” she said, “we’re not asking for weeks.”

Joan added, “Just a visit. A real one.”

“We want to meet the woman you’re going to marry,” Rebecca finished.

That landed as LJ’s shoulders dropped just slightly and the fight left the room. “…You two don’t do anything halfway, do you?” he muttered.

“Absolutely not,” Rebecca said proudly.

He let out a quiet breath, shaking his head. “…Alright.”

Rebecca lit up instantly. “Oh thank God.”

“But,” LJ added, holding up a finger, “we do this properly. No rushing. No parade of relatives all at once.”

Joan nodded. “Reasonable.”

“And if it turns into chaos,” LJ continued, “I’m blaming both of you.”

Rebecca smirked. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Ash clapped once. “UK trip!”

Ally leaned slightly into LJ’s side. “You okay with this?”

He looked down at her. “…Yeah, I mean we can’t avoid this forever.” he said quietly. “Just means I’ve got more to handle.”

Rebecca caught that immediately, her expression softened. “You always do,” she said. “And you always figure it out.”

LJ didn’t answer but this time he didn’t argue either because for once, what was waiting for him across the ocean? Wasn’t a fight.

“Alright,” Joan said, satisfied. “We’ll expect details.”

Rebecca leaned forward again. “And Lyle?”

“…Yeah?”

“Try not to get yourself killed before you get here.”

A small smirk tugged at his mouth. “No promises.”

“Typical,” she sighed. “Love you and we’ll talk more later, ok?”

“Yeah, we will. Love you both.”

And with that the call ended and the room went quiet again, but lighter this time.

Ash looked at LJ. “So… UK trip.”

LJ dropped onto the couch with a sigh. “…UK trip.”

Ally smiled. “Could be worse.”

He glanced at her. “…Yeah. Could be.”

The silence didn’t last long, it never did in this apartment. Ash flopped back onto the floor dramatically, arms spread like she’d just survived something monumental. “I can’t believe I just got recruited by your family on a video call,” she said, staring at the ceiling.

LJ leaned forward, elbows on his knees, rubbing his face again. “You didn’t get recruited,” he muttered. “You defected.”

“Same difference,” she shot back.

Ally laughed softly, shifting closer into his side, her hand resting lightly against his arm. “You handled that better than I expected,” she said.

LJ dropped his hands and looked at her. “…That was me handling it well?”

“Oh absolutely,” she nodded. “You didn’t hang up mid-sentence, you didn’t fake a bad connection, and you didn’t pretend you had training.”

Ash sat up again. “Oh my god, he’s done that before, hasn’t he?”

LJ pointed at her again. “I’m starting to regret this entire household.”

“Too late,” Ally said simply.

He huffed out a quiet laugh despite himself, shaking his head. “…They don’t miss anything,” he muttered.

“That’s parents,” Ally replied.

“No,” LJ corrected, glancing toward the now-dark phone screen, “that’s my parents. They probably knew about Germany before I did.”

Ash snorted. “Honestly? I believe that.”

LJ leaned back into the couch, head tilting slightly as he stared up at the ceiling for a moment.

UK. It sat there now not as an obligation and not even as pressure. Just… something real. Something outside the ring.

Ally watched him carefully. “You’re thinking,” she said.

“I’m always thinking.”

“Yeah,” she smiled, “but this is a different kind of thinking.”

He glanced at her. “…It’s just timing.”

“Because of the match?”

He didn’t answer right away. That was answer enough. Ash picked up on it too, even if she didn’t say anything at first. She just leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand.

“That guy you’re facing…” she said. “He’s the world champion, right?”

LJ nodded once. “Yeah.”

“And then there’s the other one,” she added. “The one you hate.”

“Hendrix,” Ally clarified gently.

Ash snapped her fingers. “Yeah. Him.”

LJ’s jaw shifted slightly at the name, but he didn’t let it take over. Not here and certainly not now.

“…Yeah,” he said again, quieter this time.

Ash studied him for a second. “You’re gonna be okay though, right?”

Simple question, with no sarcasm or teasing.

LJ looked at her, and for a second, the answer wasn’t about bravado or toughness or proving anything.

“…Yeah,” he said.

And this time, it meant something different. Not “I’ll win.” Not “I’ll be fine.” Just, “Yeah.”

Ally squeezed his arm gently. “You don’t have to carry everything at once,” she said.

He exhaled softly. “…I know. I just haven’t figured out how not to yet.”

That hung there for a second. Then Ash clapped her hands together once, breaking the moment like she always did. “Alright, enough emotional growth,” she declared. “Important question.”

LJ blinked. “…That’s never a good sign.”

“What do I wear in the UK?”

Ally laughed immediately. “Oh no.”

Ash pointed between them. “I am not showing up to meet his parents looking like I got lost on the way to Target. This is important.”

LJ stared at her. “You’re meeting my mums, not the royal family.”

“Same pressure,” she fired back.

“Not even close.”

Ally was already standing. “We can figure that out,” she said, motioning for Ash to follow her. “Come on, we’ll go through your closet.”

Ash popped up instantly. “Thank you!” She paused, pointing at LJ. “You’re not invited.”

“I live here,” he deadpanned.

“Not to this conversation.” And just like that, the two of them disappeared toward the bedroom, already talking over each other about outfits, shoes, and what counted as “appropriate but still cute.”

The apartment filled with noise again and LJ sat there for a second longer listening and letting it settle.

The laughter of his girls. The movement and the life, then he leaned back into the couch, head tilting slightly as his eyes drifted toward the ceiling again.

Everything stacked with Raven, with Hendrix lurking and everyone and everything waiting and he just let out a slow breath.

“…Yeah,” he murmured to himself. “More to handle.”

But this time? There was the faintest hint of a smirk. Because for once...It wasn’t just weight.

It was something worth balancing.

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

NO GODS IN EUROPA PARK
Europa Park – Rust, Germany

The camera doesn’t open on LJ immediately. It opens in the park, with the roller coasters cutting through the sky. The distant echo of laughter and bright colors, tons of movement, noise and most importantly, life.

Then the camera does a sharp cut. Where everything is quieter. LJ Kasey stands alone just off the main path, far enough away that the noise dulls into background static. No crowd around him. No distractions.

Just him.

“…Funny place for a fight.”

Note that his voice is calm, and not mocking. Just....observant. He glances slightly to the side, watching a coaster fly past for half a second before looking back at the camera.

“People come here to escape,” he says. “Ride something fast. Scream a bit. Forget whatever’s waiting for them outside the gates. Me?”

A faint shake of his head.

“I walked in carrying everything with me.”

His jaw tightens slightly.

“Alexander Raven.” He says the name clean, with no theatrics and no extra weight.

“Our newest SCW World Champion. You beat Carter. And that is acknowledgment and in a small way respect, because you did something you kept working at and working at and while I know damn well my brother is coming for your head, you did something a lot of people failed at before you. And that’s not easy. Not many people can say they’ve done that. But here’s the part I’m interested in…”

His head tilts slightly.

“…What happens after? You basically hid the title away like some scared little kid and dared anyone to try but claimed that there were none worthy.”

The camera slowly tightens in.

“You climbed to the top,” LJ continues. “You took the title. You planted your flag and now you stand there like you’re something inevitable. Like the story ends with you.”

He lets that sit...for just a moment before he just let out a flat...“No. It doesn’t.”

He takes a step forward.

“You’re not the end of anything. You’re the next problem.”

His voice stays level, but there’s something underneath it now—something sharpened by everything that’s happened.

“You dress it up well,” LJ continues. “The way you talk and in the way you move. You have a whole thing about the way you make people think what you do is something deeper than just hurting someone.”

He taps his temple.

“Psychology. Control. And hell, I get it. Better than most....But here’s where you’ve got it twisted, Raven. You think control makes you untouchable. I used to think that too.”

Hendrix....Not named but sitting right there between the words.

“And then I got reminded… real quick… what happens when you’re wrong. I lost.”

There’s no hesitation in saying it, no point in dressing it up and no excuses.

“I got beat. And you know what that does?”

His eyes lock in tighter.

“I mean of course you do but...It takes all the bullshit away. No more illusions. No more ‘I’ve got this under control.’ No more pretending that if I just think my way through it, everything bends the way I want it to.”

He shakes his head slowly.

“That’s gone. So what you’re getting now?”

A faint, dangerous edge creeps into his voice.

“Is the version of me that doesn’t care about controlling the fight. Just finishing it.”

The wind shifts slightly. The sounds of the park feel further away now.

“You’re the World Champion,” LJ continues. “That means something.”

A small shrug.

“But not to me. Because when that bell rings? You’re not a champion....mostly because in this match, the title isn’t on the line. You’re a man standing across from me. Now…”

His tone drops a whole lot colder.

“Brandon.” The name lands like a weight. “You’ve been quiet minus you doing your little attack last week with your henchmen. Something old with something new.”

He glances off-camera slightly, like he’s expecting something to happen right now.

“Maybe you’re smart enough to sit this one out. Maybe you’re not.”

His eyes snap back to the lens.

“So let me make this real simple for you. You come for me...I don’t care if it’s Raven. I don’t care if it’s a world title opportunity down the line. I don’t care if it’s the biggest match of my career. If you decide to stick your nose in this again? I will drop everything....I will drop the match....I will drop Raven....I will drop the opportunity. And I will deal with you.”

“You got one on me. You got one on my brother.... do not get two. And Raven,” he says, voice steady again. “You’re walking into this thinking you’re facing someone distracted.”

A slight shake of his head.

“You’re not. You’re facing someone who learned exactly what happens when you lose focus...and decided it’s never happening again. Bring your mind games. Bring your control. Bring whatever version of yourself you think sits on that throne above everyone else. Because I’m bringing something a lot simpler.”

The faintest hint of a smirk returns.

“I’m bringing the part of me that doesn’t care who you are. When that bell rings? You’re not the end of the story. You’re just the next chapter. And I’ve gotten very good at deciding how those end.”

The camera lingers.

Then cuts.