[O Malley]

 Round one done! On to round two! I have to admit, while I tried to remain confident going into round one against Kris and Polly Playtime, it was difficult not to feel some sort of fear or anxiety. Don’t get me wrong, getting eliminated wouldn’t be the end of the world. I’m not going to throw a fit. No, once all is said and done, should Brother Grimm and I be eliminated, I will quietly disappear back into the shadows of retirement, enjoying my life raising my kids. I don’t NEED to win this tournament, despite what I am sure a few people think.

Which brings me to something I need to discuss. Some questions that have been directed my way that I think I need to answer, because it seems those questions won’t be letting up anytime soon. You see, when my name was announced as an entrant in the Blast From the Past tournament, just a day or so later the questions started coming. Why, Misty? Why would you make a return after two years? You are a Hall of Famer, what more could you accomplish? You have already won the Blast From the Past tournament, so why enter it again?

They are all fairly good questions, and make a good point. And to be honest, I’m not quite one hundred percent sure just why I decided to come back. It was a spur of the moment decision. A decision I wasn’t even sure would even lead anywhere, because I think it’s pretty well known that “Hot Stuff” Mark Ward and I don’t exactly see eye to eye. While he understands the things I have done for SCW as a whole, I think I’ve also been a bit of a thorn in his side at times. It’s a love/hate relationship between Mark and I, and I don’t think that will ever change. Even now despite the fact that he is the “good boss” around here.

Knowing that, I had to be a little sneaky. I had to find a way into this tournament without Mark Ward knowing, didn’t I? Because, if I had gone to him, he wouldn’t have even let me finish my pitch before he hung up the phone and flat out refused it. So what did I do? Well...I went to the other boss.

I went to the newly vilified, Christian Underwood.

But that wasn’t easy, either. It took a bit of persuading, but he finally agreed to it. You see, he loves to piss off Mark more than anyone else, so he knew just as well as I did that letting me return was a very good way to do it. So after my conversation with Christian, it was official. I was an entrant in the Blast From the Past tournament.

However, I wasn’t expecting the fallout my decision would cause. And I’m not referring to the fallout within SCW when my presence in the tournament was announced. No, I’m talking about the fallout in my personal life. The ramifications it caused at home with O’Malley. I did not see it coming, because the one person I expected to support my decision and back my one hundred percent...didn’t. And that alone had me second guessing my whole decision to enter the tournament or to just back out right then and there.

I guess we all know how that turned out, right?



Two Months Ago
Henderson, Nevada

Home. Well, our NEW home, anyway. We’ve only been here just a couple of months, but things couldn’t be more perfect. We made sure to find a place as close to Las Vegas as possible so I would not be far from Eden, and we found the perfect place here in Henderson. Owen is adjusting well, and O’Malley has been as well. The wedding planning is going relatively smoothly, and soon after that, O’Malley should be on his way to becoming a permanent resident of the United States. I never expected him to make the move to the states, as I was prepared to move Owen and myself to Ireland to be with him, but he knew I couldn’t do that because of Eden. He was thinking about her just as much as me when he made the decision, and he has shown no regrets since then.

As I’m in the kitchen making lunch for the three of us some lunch, O’Malley is in the living room keeping Owen occupied. I hear O’Malley let out some loud obnoxious noise every so often, followed by Owen’s amused laugh and I can’t help but smile. I never thought I’d be in this happy place in life, but it finally happened. Just as the food finishes and I’m walking everything to the dining room table, my phone starts to ring. I look around, trying to remember where I placed it, and I spot it over on the counter near the sink.

“O’Malley! Lunch is ready! Can you get Owen set up in his highchair please?!” I call out to him. I hear Owen squeal a few seconds later and then the sound of O’Malley chasing after him and I shake my head.

I walk over to my phone, glancing at the screen as I pick it up. It reads “Christian Underwood calling…” and I feel my face suddenly light up. I answer the call as I look over to the dining room table where O’Malley has finally caught Owen and is putting him in his highchair.

“Christian, hello.” I say, answering the call. O’Malley raises an eyebrow as he sets Owen’s lunch in front of him and then looks in my direction curiously. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon.”

I stand in place, keeping an eye on Owen as he quickly starts to make a mess. O’Malley is focusing more on me and I motion to Owen as I listen to Christian speak on the other end of the phone. I nod every once in a while, keeping a hopeful smile on my face.

“I see.” I reply and take in a deep breath. “Well, I can assure you I’m not out of shape. Having a one and a half year old tends to help but I also visit the gym as much as I can.”

O’Malley is still highly curious, but he tries his best to tend to Owen. When he glances in my direction again, he’s caught off guard as he’s soon hit in the face with some of Owen’s food, and Owen lets out a loud laugh. I can’t help but roll my eyes and laugh as I turn my back on them, trying to focus on Christian Underwood and what he has to say. He speaks for a few more moments and I’m half expecting him to give me bad news, but to my surprise, he doesn’t. My face lights up and I smile.

“Wait, really?!” I can’t hide the delight in my voice and I can feel O’Malley’s eyes staring at the back of my head. “I promise you, I’ll be ready. And I won’t let you guys down. But what about Mark? Can you guarantee he’ll even allow this?” I listen carefully again and I let out a laugh at Christian’s response. Those two have always been at odds, and how they have been able to run SCW successfully for as long as they have is beyond me, but that doesn’t matter at this point.

“Alright then. Thank you so much, Christian.” I reply. “I’ll see you guys in a couple of months then.” A few moments later I end the call and turn back around to face O’Malley and Owen. Owen is finally behaving and eating his food and I head over to the refrigerator, grabbing the pitcher of iced tea for me and a beer for O’Malley. As I pour myself a glass of iced tea, O’Malley is staring at me.

“What was that about, love?” He asks as I place the beer in front of him. He sits back down in his chair and I sit next to him, smiling and laughing at our son.

“That was Christian Underwood.” I respond, keeping my eyes on Owen and taking a moment to wipe his face.

O’Malley nods. “I gathered that much.” He says, but it’s his tone that strikes me as odd. “What did he want?”

“He was just returning my call from yesterday.” I reply, taking a quick drink of my iced tea.

“Yer avoiding the question, love.” He says, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms. He’s half right, but only because I’d like to eat lunch before I break the news to him.

I stare at him for a moment and then let out a sigh before I give in a spill the beans. “Well the Blast From the Past tournament is coming up soon, so the sign ups have already started.” I feel myself speaking a mile a minute, getting more and more excited. “Anyway, I wasn’t planning on it, but I got this crazy idea the other day to throw my name into the mix. I knew Mark Ward probably wouldn’t allow it, so I contacted Christian and spoke to him about letting me sign up. He said he needed to think about it, but I guess he didn’t need--”

I’m cut off quickly and before I can finish that thought as O’Malley holds his hand up and leans forward in his chair. He closes his eyes and shakes his head and when he opens them again and looks at me, his eyes are narrowed and he’s staring at me, quite upset. “I’m sorry...Ye did WHAT?!”

He raises his voice enough to startle Owen, causing him to turn his head quickly and stare at O’Malley. His lip quivers and he’s on the verge of tears but I just run my hand over his head, trying to soothe him before I turn my attention back to O’Malley.

“I’m sorry, but are you really angry about this?” I ask with genuine surprise in my voice. He knew my passion for wrestling when I met him. Surely he couldn’t be that surprised about this.

But he is. And he’s nodding his head quickly to further prove it. “Yer damn right I’m angry about it!” He shouts again, and Owen tries to ignore it, but he’s looking back and forth between me and O’Malley, confused. “What reason do ye have to get back in the ring, Misty? Honestly, what reason at all?!”

I push my chair away from the table, glaring at O’Malley angrily. “Stop shouting, O’Malley.” I say as calmly as I can, more concerned for Owen at the moment. “You’re scaring Owen. Besides, what is the big deal? I was an active wrestler when we first got involved. You knew that, so why are you getting so angry at all?”

Owen is now refusing to eat his lunch and is a crying mess at this point, so I scoop him up into my arms and try to comfort him. O’Malley takes one look at Owen and regrets ever raising his voice, but the damage has been done. Owen sobs in my arms but when he looks at O’Malley, he reaches out to him and I have no choice but to hand him over so O’Malley can fix the damage he caused.

“I’m angry because ye didn’t talk to me about it first.” O’Malley says calmly, rocking Owen in his arms and Owen starts to calm down. “That decision doesn’t just affect ye anymore, love. It affects me, too. It affects Owen.” He rubs Owen’s back and Owen’s sobs get fewer and far between.

“Excuse me?” I fold my arms, confusion written all over my face. “Why are you acting like this is going to have some kind of negative impact on either of you? The tournament is only a few weeks. Maybe less should I and whoever I got paired with get eliminated early.” I stare at O’Malley, watching as he rolls his eyes and turns to walk into the other room.

“And what if ye don’t?” He asks, and he has a point. “What if ye and yer partner actually go on to win the whole damn thing? Ye just gonna give up another shot at the title?”

I follow him through the house and to Owen’s room, and my jaw drops as he asks this question. O’Malley places Owen down into his crib, quickly giving him his bottle before he turns around to face me again. Owen is clearly not ready for a nap, but as O’Malley and I are in a heated discussion, it’s best he not witness any of this. I bring my hands up to my head, pulling at my hair.

“You’ll have to forgive me for being a little dumbfounded.” I say, shaking my head as I try to comprehend O’Malley’s reaction. “I just can’t believe you’re not being supportive of this right now. This isn’t meant to be a full time return, babe. This is a temporary thing.”

O’Malley shakes his head and storms out of the room. I gently pull the door closed, leaving it open just a crack to hear Owen, should he start to cry again. O’Malley heads just down the hall to our bedroom and I quickly follow after him. “Are you going to say anything at all?!”

He shakes his head as he walks into our bedroom, quickly heading towards the closet and grabs...his suitcase?! “There’s nothing left to say, Misty.” He states as he sets the suitcase on our bed and opens it. “Ye’ve made up yer mind and nothing I say will be able to change it.”

“So...So you’re LEAVING?!” I stare at him, shocked. “You’ve got to be kidding me right now!”

He shakes his head. “I can’t do this, Misty. I can’t stand back and take care of our boy while ye risk yer life again for no reason at all. I won’t do it.” He starts taking his clothes out of the closet and the dresser, tossing them into the suitcase and I just blink, at a loss for words.

“O’Malley, come on.” I say calmly, taking a few steps towards him. “This is a little bit extreme, don’t you think? I’m not risking my life! I’ve been doing this almost half my life!”

He laughs and shakes his head. “And what happened last time, love?” He asks, quietly reminding me of what had happened with Ruby attacking me. “Ye lost yer memory after that woman attacked ye! We didn’t even know if ye’d get it back!”

“Yeah and YOU got involved with her!” I shout back, reminding him of that little bit of information he seems to have forgotten. “And I forgave you for that. That shit with Ruby...it’s all in the past, but I thought we were stronger than all of this. And you’re just ready to leave me? To walk out on our son over this?” He doesn’t bother to look at me. He closes his suitcase, zipping it closed and I step closer to him. “Say something!”

He raises his head and slowly looks at me. “Let’s face it, Misty. Ye never wanted to be with me. Not really. Ye never even wanted me to be Owen’s father.”

If I wasn’t speechless before, I sure am now as my eyes go wide and my jaw drops. Did...did he really just say that? After everything we have been through, he could say such a thing like that to me? He slowly approaches me and I look down to the floor. I feel my eyes well up with tears as I look away, but he puts a finger under my chin and lifts my face, forcing me to look at him.

“Maybe it’s a good thing this is all happening before the wedding, love.” He says calmly, but I can tell the heartbreak in his tone. “I think we just need some time apart to see if this is what we both want.”

“You mean to see if this is what YOU want, O’Malley.” I say, more heartbroken than he can possibly be. I don’t know how he can’t see that this is what I do want. More than anything. “But you know what, you can walk out on me all you want. I’ll be fine. I’ll get over it. But you walking out on Owen? That’s despicable and you know it.”

He closes his eyes and shakes his head and I want nothing more than to just slap him. He opens his eyes a few moments later and focuses on the look on my face. “I’ll keep in contact, love. For Owen. He’s young. He’ll understand. And if things don’t work out, we’ll figure something out for visitation.”

I’m left speechless once again, but I feel the rage building inside me as I watch O’Malley turn around and head back to his suitcase. He pulls it off the bed and walks back up to me, bringing his free hand up to my face, but I swat it away before he can even try to caress my cheek. He lets out a disappointed sigh and I look up at him quickly with on final warning.

“You walk out that door right now, O’Malley,” I start, hesitating so he’ll get to seriousness of what he is about to do. “There’s no guarantee I’d even consider letting you back into our lives later on down the line.”

He stops and thinks, and for a moment I think he’s going to change his mind. I’m hoping he changes his mind, because I meant every word I just said. Walking out on me is one thing, but walking out on his son will be damn near impossible to forgive. After a few moments he lets out a sigh and turns his head to look at me.

“I guess we’ll just just have to see what happens if that time comes, then.” He finally says, and it shatters my world all over again. He doesn’t say another word as he turns and walks out of the room and, a few moments later, out of the house.

“Selfish bastard.” I mutter under my breath, wanting nothing more than to scream at the top of my lungs. But, for Owen’s sake, I can’t. I have to hold myself together and somehow try to move on from this mess, while I don’t know if I’ll ever hear from O’Malley again.



Two Months Later
April 18th
Washington, DC

Two months later and here we are, reunited. The last couple of weeks haven’t be easy. I’m still angry with O’Malley, and he knows it. He’s apologized countless times, but sometimes apologies just don’t cut it, do they? I had resigned to the fact that he walked out on me, but when I had to deal with consoling a heartbroken one and a half year old who was crying for his father...Well, that just made me hate him a little.

But as much as I still feel a little angry towards him, there has always been something so...comforting...about being around O’Malley. There always has been. Even from the moment I first met him in Ireland, I felt it. He was maddening. Slightly annoying. But, I was drawn to him. And he was drawn to me. It’s why I truly felt we would end up together.

So how can I truly forgive him for what he did two months ago? Should I forgive him? It’s not something I wanted to be worrying about right when I’m in the middle of the Blast From the Past tournament and dealing with teaming with Brother Grimm and being around Belladonna Grey. Who, by the way, seems to have gone batshit crazy. Well...crazier than she was because that woman always gave me the creeps. But let’s not stray from the point here.

Brother Grimm and I have our second round match against Nicolas L Blair and Jessie Salco coming up in five days. It’s a match that I feel we stand a good chance at winning, but stranger things have happened, haven’t they? I mean, look at what happened last week. Jeremiah Hardin goes from being eliminated in the Blast From the Past tournament, to winning the World Heavyweight Championship from Rage the following week. Granted, he DID have help, but if you ask him, he’ll definitely deny it just to save face.

I wanted to spend the entire week training and preparing for this upcoming match. After the first round match against Kris and Polly Playtime, it took a little longer for me to recover than I thought it would, but then again, I am thirty-eight years old. I’m no spring chicken, so I guess my body is finally telling me that it can’t do the things that it used to do. It’s a hard fact to handle, but...I have to. O’Malley is refusing to let me train today, though. I don’t know why exactly, but something tells me he’s up to something and I’m on my way to finding out.

“O’Malley, is this really necessary?” We’re standing just outside a town car that is picking us up from our hotel. O’Malley has a blindfold in his hand, and he’s cleaned up rather nice for some reason, as I note the suit he’s wearing. Sans tie, but he knows I like the open button at the top. “I’m not letting you put that blindfold on me.”

He lets out a laugh and smiles. “Yes ye are.” He tells me, as he gently spins me around to put the blindfold on. “Would ye just hush up and trust me. It’s yer birthday and I’m not letting ye go to some gym to train for yer match. Ye can do that shite tomorrow. Or the day after.”

“The day AFTER?!” I say surprised and turn around to glare at him. There is no way I’m losing two days of training for whatever he is planning.  He laughs again and spins me back around.

“We’ll see, love.” He says, putting the blindfold over my eyes. “Ye never know. Ye just might change yer mind and want another day to relax. Do other things.” I get a hint from the tone of his voice that there’s much more to all of this.

“O’Malley, it’s just another day today.” I say, not making a huge deal out of my birthday. It really is just another day to me. Thirty-eight is nothing to celebrate. “The older I get the more I don’t really care to make such a big fuss over my birthday.”

He spins me around to face him, I think. I can’t see anything but I can feel his hands on my shoulders. “Well it’s time to change that then, love. Doesn’t matter how old ye get. Ye should always celebrate yer birthday. Now hush up and get in the car.”

I hear the door open, but I don’t move. I want nothing more than to remove the blindfold, but I decide to just enlighten O’Malley and get all of this over with. The sooner I see what he’s planning, the sooner I can get ready for my match and focus on making it to the semi-finals. I let out a sigh and shrug my shoulders and O’Malley helps me into the backseat of the town car.

“Any chance you’ll tell me where he’s taking me?” I ask the driver and he laughs.

“Sorry, ma’am. I’ve been given strict instructions not to.” He declines, and I shake my head.

O’Malley gets in on the other side a few moments later. “Alright boy-o. Ye know where to go.” He says to the driver and a couple of seconds later I feel the car drive away. I’m slightly disappointed because I can’t even look out the window at the scenery we’re going to pass on the way to wherever O’Malley is taking me.

“Oh come on, love.” O’Malley says, nudging me. “Yer not the least bit excited? Don’t ye like surprises?”

I turn my head, glaring at him through the blindfold. He laughs, because he can see the furrowing of my eyebrows. “Yes and no, O’Malley. I prefer not to be blindfolded, though.”

He laughs again. “Lighten up. Ye’ll find out soon enough what this is all about.”

I fold my arms and pout, having no choice but to deal with it. A part of me wants to just peek out from under the blindfold to get some sort of idea where we are headed,but I don’t want to ruin this for O’Malley. He seems to have gone through an awful lot of trouble, and who would I be to deny him this?

About ten minutes later the car finally comes to a stop. I hear O’Malley exit the car and a few seconds later, he opens the door on my side, taking me by the hand and helping me out. I try to quickly remove the blindfold, but he stops me, and I frown at him.

“Ugh, seriously O’Malley?” I say, letting out a sigh. “We’re obviously here so I should be able to see what we’re doing.” I note the sound of a fountain, which strikes me as curious.

“Yes, we’re here.” He states, taking both of my hands in his and leading me further away from the car. “But I don’t want ye to open yer eyes just yet. Just a few more feet.”

I let out another sigh and let him lead me to wherever he is taking me. We stop just a few hundred feet away, and the sound of the fountain is louder, and I can feel some of the mist hitting the skin on my arms. I look around, trying to see through the blindfold, but as I do so, O’Malley reaches up and removes it. When I’m finally able to see our surroundings, my jaw drops and I’m left speechless.

He’s brought us to the fountain in Lower Senate Park. The area is beautiful. The trees are in bloom and it really is a sight to behold, but that’s not what has me so stunned. We’re standing directly under a beautiful archway, with ivy and flowers weaved through it. And I turn my head where a justice of the peace is standing, with a book in his hand. When I look back to O’Malley, he drops down to one knee in front of me and I’m left even further speechless. If that is possible.

“I screwed up big time two months ago, love.” He starts to say, squeezing my hands as he looks into my eyes. “I made the biggest mistake of my life when I walked out on ye and our boy. I was selfish and I wouldn’t blame ye if ye refused to forgive me for what I did, but…”

“O..O’Malley…” I still can’t find the words. He shakes his head and I let him finish.

“But I’d like to spend the rest of our lives making it up to ye.” He squeezes my hands again and pushes himself back to his feet. My eyes never once leave his. “I know this isn’t the wedding ye had planned. I know ye wanted yer family to be here. Ye wanted Roxi and Melody and our boy to be here.”

I laugh and he wipes away a happy tear that rolls down my cheek. “Do...do they know about this?”

He shakes his head. “No. Nobody knows. Except the two of us now. I wanted to surprise ye and I want it to be just the two of us. I owe ye that much. I owe ye so much more, actually. But I don’t want us to wait anymore, love. And I want ye to have a birthday to remember. So..what do ye say? Misty Marie Waters...Will ye do me the honor of becoming my wife...Today?”

My jaw drops again, and for a moment I don’t think I’m able to answer him, but as I look at his face and the smile he never lets fade, I throw my arms around him and bring my lips to his. He lifts me up off the ground and spins around, expressing the joy we clearly are both feeling. The justice of the peace clears his throat and O’Malley quickly sets me down and we both laugh.

“I haven’t pronounced you man and wife yet.” He says with a laugh.

O’Malley nods and he takes both my hands in his again. “Right. Shall we get on with it then?” He looks at me. I’m smiling from ear to ear as I squeeze his hands.

“Absolutely.” Is all I manage to say as we both turn our attention to the justice of the peace, and we’re just minutes away from becoming husband and wife. This is truly a birthday I will never ever forget.



The Next Morning
Four Seasons Hotel- Washington DC
Honeymoon Suite

Blissful. That is the only way I can describe how the last twenty-fours hours have been. I didn’t think O’Malley would be able to find a way to make up for what he did, but I guess I underestimated him. And I couldn’t be happier than I am at this moment in time.

We’re laying in the king sized bed of our honeymoon suite in the Four Seasons Hotel. A little extravagant for my taste, but like yesterday, who am I to deny him? To deny myself? I’m wrapped in O’Malley’s arms, enjoying this moment after spending an amazing first night together as husband and wife. I can tell he’s awake, as he runs his left hand up and down my back, thinking I’m still asleep. After a few moments I reach behind me and grab his hand, holding it up as I just stare at the rings on our fingers. He turns his head but I keep  my eyes locked on our rings.

“I thought ye were still sleeping, love.” He says as he kisses the top of my head.

I shake my head and intertwine our hands together. “I’ve been awake for a while, actually. Just enjoying this moment.”

He brings my hand to his lips, kissing the back of it. “There will be plenty more of moments like this, love. I promise ye that.”

I can’t stop myself from smiling and then I run my hand up and down his chest. “You know...as soon as Roxi and Melody find out about this, they’re going to give me hell that they weren’t here to be bridesmaids. Well, at least Melody will. Roxi will be more understanding.”

He laughs and he starts caressing my back again. “I think I can handle the both of them.” He kisses the top of my head again. “And as much as I hate to suggest it, I think we better get out of bed, love. Ye have a match to get ready for.”

I shake my head and prop myself up on my elbows, staring at him in shock. “Am I hearing you right?” I ask, cracking a smile. “Weren’t you the one yesterday who suggested I would change my mind and want an extra day or two to relax before I started training for my match on Sunday?”

He laughs and runs his hand through my hair. “This is true, love. I did say that.” He admits, nodding his head and once again running his hand down my back. “But it was more of a joke if I’m honest. I know how important this tournament is to ye, and I’m not going to make the mistake of ruining it for ye. I can’t tell ye how sorry I am for how I reacted a couple months ago when ye told me--”

I cut him off before he can finish his sentence as I bring my lips to his. I kiss him for a long few moments, letting it linger and when I pull back, I look into his eyes. “Don’t. Okay? Just...don’t.” I kiss him again before I lay back down, burying myself in his arms again. “You had every right to be mad, anyway. I know that now.”

“What?” He says, genuinely surprised.

“I said you were right.” I say again and I feel him turn his head to look down at me again.

“I know what ye said, love.” He says, running his hand through my hair once again. “But...how can ye say that? I was a right fecking idiot for all of that.”

I shake my head. “No, you weren’t. I think I figured that out after the first round match against Kris and Polly. You saw how tired I was. It took a lot out of me. Not only that but I left Owen with Roxi and Keira while I’m competing in this tournament. I could have easily brought him along and just had someone watch him but--”

“Stop.” He says, interrupting me. I look up into his eyes and he caresses my cheek. “You left Owen with Roxi and Keira for good reason, love. It wasn’t because of ye being in this tournament. It was because of who yer partner is. That guy gives me the creeps, too. Don’t feel guilty for protecting our boy when I wasn’t there to help ye out.”

His words are comforting, yes, but I can’t help but feel guilty as I think about Owen. I know he’s happy and well taken care of with Roxi and Keira, but it doesn’t change the fact that I made a selfish decision in a way. I look away from O’Malley again, taking in a deep breath.

“He makes me nervous, O’Malley.” I admit, shaking my head slightly. “I can’t even stomach to be around him outside of the ring, which puts the two of us at a big disadvantage compared to the other teams.”

“Well, isn’t there one other team that is more dysfunctional than ye and Grimm?” He asks with a laugh. I look back up at him curiously.

“Huh? Who?” I ask.

“That masked guy and the chick with the weird last name.” He says, causing me to laugh.

“Lord Raab and Evie Baang?” I say and he nods. “Good point, but they’ve managed to work as a team well enough to make it to the semi-finals so it must not be that bad. I just...I don’t know, O’Malley. Maybe I did make a mistake.”

He shakes his head and brings his hand to my shoulder. “Don’t go start thinking that now, love. Regardless of what happens, ye didn’t make a mistake. We both know that ye can win this. Ye’ve done it before. Ye can do it again.”

I roll my eyes and shake my head. “I won it before when I had Andrew Watts as a partner. I could trust him. Grimm wants to eat our son for dinner.”

As morbid as the thought is, O’Malley actually lets out a laugh. “Lovely way of putting that, love.” He says, squeezing my shoulder gently. “Look, don’t worry about Owen, alright? He’ll be just fine, and ye will too.”

I go silent for a moment, closing my eyes and letting the thoughts run through my mind. I run my hand up and down his chest slowly, continuing to take in this moment and not wanting it to end. A few moments later I let out a sigh and open my eyes.

“What if Grimm and I win,O’Malley?” I ask, lifting my head to look at him again. “I’ll have a guaranteed shot at the World Bombshell title at the next supercard. I gave it up last time. I’m not going to do it again.”

He smiles and nods and then brings his lips to mine, kissing me softly. When he pulls back he looks into my eyes. “I know, love. And I wouldn’t ask ye to do that, either. If ye win, yer gonna go after that title and do everything ye can to win it. Ye hear me?”

I close my eyes and nod and he kisses my forehead. “I’m going to try,O’Malley. Really, I am. I just don’t want to make a fool of myself. I did so much for SCW in the past, but they have a lot of younger new talent that could be greater than I ever was. Hell, they probably already are.”

He shakes his head. “Stop that. Right now.” He says to me before he sits up in the bed, forcing me to prop myself back up on my elbows. “The rest of those women have a lot to learn, and ye can be the one to teach them. Yer the only legend left in this tournament. Yer the only past winner left in the tournament. That has to say something, doesn’t it? Obviously ye’ve still got something left in ye.”

“What changed?” I ask, causing him to raise a confused eyebrow.

“What do ye mean, love?” He asks.

I push myself up so I’m fully sitting up and I stare at him. “I mean, why are you suddenly so supportive of this? I understand why you weren’t.”

He nods and takes in a deep breath before he answers. “Look, I’ll admit I wasn’t happy when ye first told me. I was worried more than anything.”

“Worried? Why?” I cut him off, and he frowns at me.

“Just...let me finish.” He says, and I nod. “I was worried because, as I said, last time ye were in this, Ruby attacked ye and nearly cost ye everything. Now, I know that was partly my fault, too, getting involved with that harlot, but there is something not right with that woman I tell ye. That’s no excuse, I know, but ye know what I mean.”

I can’t stop myself from frowning as I think about Ruby and all the trouble she caused. “Yeah, well you don’t need to worry about Ruby, O’Malley. I’m pretty sure she’s long gone. Last I knew she had a brief stint in that EWC company, but it didn’t last long and she and Zane just disappeared.”

“It’s not necessarily her that I’m worried about, love.” He admits, and I can see the concern written on his face. “I just don’t want to see anything happen to ye, because our boy needs his mother. I need ye, love. But I’m also not going to tell ye to not do something that’s been a part of yer life since before ye even met me. I’m not that selfish.”

He smiles at me and I smile back before I bring my lips to his, kissing him again. I wrap my arms around him, continuing to kiss him. He definitely doesn’t mind but a few moments later, he pulls back and stares into my eyes. “Come on. We need to get outta here so ye can train for yer match.”

I smile and shake my head. “Not yet. There’s plenty of time for that, Mr. O’Malley. I’d like to spend a little more time enjoying my first day as Mrs. O’Malley.” I say, smiling at him.

He grins back at me. “Mrs. O’Malley.” He says as the grin turns into a full on smile. “I like the sound of that, love.”

He kisses me again, this time with more passion in the kiss before we collapse back down, choosing to get a little more use out of this gorgeous honeymoon suite. Training for my match against Nicolas L. Blair and Jessie Salco would have to wait. One more day can’t hurt.



Everything seems to work out eventually. If the events of this past week are any indication, things are starting to look up more than they ever have before. I’m happier than I have ever been in my life, and nothing can change that. Nothing at all. Not Nicolas L. Blair. Not Jessie Salco. Not even my partner, Brother Grimm.

But as blissful and amazing as this past week has been, it’s time to focus all of my energy on those three, because the second round match of the Blast From The Past tournament is quickly approaching. And as much as I was second guessing ever entering the tournament just a few days ago, it all has changed. My mind is clear. My mind is focused, even as I’m enjoying the first few days of being a newlywed.

The question still remains, though, doesn’t it? I never truly answer just why I returned to Sin City Wrestling for this tournament when I’ve accomplished it all already. I’m a three-time former World Bombshell Champion. Two-time woman of the year. Blast From The Past winner. Hall of Famer. What reason do I have to come back? Unless of course it’s to stroke my own ego. Ya know, like some people seem to think is the case.

I can tell you in all honesty that it’s not about my ego. It has never been about my ego.

This is what I love doing. It’s what I’ve loved doing for about half of my life now. And while I’ve taken breaks here and there, and I officially retired two years ago, when your heart is in wrestling like it has been mine, it’s hard to just walk away forever. There will always be that moment that creeps on you that says, “One More Run.”

One. More. Run.

Can I do it? Do I really have it in me? Honestly, I don’t know. I’m not getting any younger. My body definitely showed that to me two weeks ago, but I’m sure people younger than me feel the physical toll it starts to take. And I’m not completely disabled. My body hasn’t given me a sign that says it just can’t do it anymore, so I’m going to do it. Because I need to answer the “What If” that I’ve had in my mind for the past two years.

What if I hadn’t forfeited my shot at the World Bombshell Championship after Andrew and I won the tournament two years ago? What if I had gone on to challenge Amy Marshall for the title and become a four-time World Bombshell Champion? It’s a question that I probably will never know the answer to since I found out I was pregnant a few weeks later.

But what about now? I stand as much of a shot as anyone else does in this tournament. And it’s a shot that I want. And while I may not have a partner I particularly care for or can fully trust, that won’t stop me from doing everything in my power to win this tournament for the both of us. And our next challenge isn’t any easier than our first match.

Nicolas L. Blair and Jessie Salco. I don’t know how Nicolas L. Blair really feels about being in this tournament, as he’s been out of action longer than I have, but Jessie Salco? I know how much Jessie wants to win this. How much she needs to win this, really. This is the first time she’s made it to the second round, so I know she feels better about her chances. At least until she found out she would be facing me.

Isn’t that right, Jessie? You yourself said it a few days ago on Twitter. You’re relieved that your precious Bombshell Roulette Title isn’t on the line in this match like it was last time, because deep down you know if it were, you wouldn’t be walking out as champion facing someone as accomplished as me. But, if the title WERE on the line, I think I’d let Brother Grimm handle Nicolas L Blair and get the win for our team because if I’m honest, Jessie...the Bombshell Roulette title is NOT the title that I’m after in this tournament. I’m out for something much bigger. Which is why I have to put a stop to your time in this tournament, Jessie.

I need to applaud you though, Jessie. I need to commend you for how much you’ve improved over the last couple of years. I can’t even say you have a lot to learn, because you really don’t. You’re making waves in this company and you will continue to do so for quite some time. I’m proud of you for that, Jessie. Very proud.

But Blast From The Past tournament winner will NOT be one of your accomplishments listed under your belt. Not as long as I have anything to say about it. And I don’t care if you have a man like Nicolas L. Blair as your partner, because I’m confident enough in Brother Grimm to handle Blair.

Can you really trust Blair, Jessie? Does he REALLY want to win this tournament as much as you? You have to ask yourself that, because I don’t think he does. I think, the second the two of you are eliminated, Blair will disappear and go back to the depths of hell from where he came, because he’s just not as passionate about this anymore. Not like you or I anyway.

Maybe one day it will happen for you, Jessie. If you keep trying. If you’re lucky to get a partner that truly WANTS to win this tournament and be here. But Blair isn’t that person, Jessie. Blair isn’t the man who will lead you to the Blast From the Past trophy and the guaranteed shot at the World Bombshell Championship. I’m sorry to burst your bubble. It’s just the way I see it.

I’m looking forward to this match, Jessie, because I know you’ll bring all the fight you have in you. And I want you to. I want you to fight with everything you’ve got. Prove to me that once I go back into retirement, you can be a leader in this division. THAT is what I want, Jessie. That is what I want to see.

And to Nicolas L. Blair...there isn’t much I can say to you, is there? You and I will not square off in that ring. You’ll have a much more difficult task in trying to defeat Brother Grimm. Which is something I don’t think you really have in you. You may have battled Mark Ward...but Mark isn’t the Boogeyman is he?

The Devil versus The Boogeyman. Man I can’t wait to see that.

Good luck Nicolas and Jessie. I think you’re really going to need it.

See the both of you Sunday!