<img align=left src= "http://www.geocities.ws/scwmaterial/Pictures/FenrisGif1.gif">Las Vegas
The match had been made official, once the final bell had rang, signifying the end of the most recent Main Event for Climax Control. The moment Fenris pinned the gargantuan Casey Williams in the ring to retain the World Heavyweight Championship, the Main Event for the following Supercard event -- Violent Conduct V --- was official; Fenris would next set foot inside of the ring to put his championship as well as his unbeaten streak on the line against the man who held the title before him; Kris Ryans. It was the match many had been wanting to see ever since Fenris and his partner in the Blast From the Past --- Courtney Pierce -- had walked away the winners of the Memorial event. And it was only an unfortunate and curious injury that had kept the two from meeting for the guaranteed title match.
There was no need to reflect any further. Everyone familiar with the SCW Universe was aware of what had happened and turning back the clock once again would serve no purpose other than to waste time. Needless to say, Fenris became the champion by filling the vacancy with a victory over Ty West, a man who now was rising again to championship caliber spots on the show with an opportunity against Ben Jordan. But there were more complications than just the two Main Eventers squaring off to determine who was the one and true World Champion. There were recent events that had occurred behind closed doors between both champion and challenger; both hotel as well as elevator. Events that had been private but were now public knowledge and one could only ask;
"Would these events cause difficulties in the match itself?"
That would remain to be seen, and answers would come only when the sixteenth of September rolled around.
But the feelings, if indeed there were any, between the two men was not the main worry for the champion's mindset. It was the fact that Fenris had been outed as a gay man against his will, having remained "in the closet" for well over two decades. Not to mention that there remained the lingering threat of a sex tape from the elevator's security footage. It had yet to surface publicly as many on Fenris's side of things were working to halt it; namely Gabriel Stevens with an assist from Daniel Morgan. Not to mention the SCW hierarchy, Christian Underwood and Mark Ward were working on stopping it for fear the public backlash could spell the end for Sin City Wrestling.
But Kristjan aka Fenris was a proud man and struggled to put all of this aside in the hopes that he would walk away with another win, solidifying his status as the rightful World Champion. But in the process, he had been acting out even more so than usual given his well-known temper and anger issues. It was a recent scare he had put his family and what few friends he had through, that prompted the call for this meeting. Gabriel had messaged him just two days ago, instructing him to drop everything and come to the training facility where a professional MMA cage fighter was transformed into a successful professional wrestler.
The white 2018 Mazda MX slowly pulled into the parking lot of the facility, and slowed to a crawl in the first available space. Jokingly, others who knew Kristjan would remark how lethal he was behind the wheel of a vehicle, justifiably so, but here he took extreme care when in the presence of those who had a guiding hand in his career. Once the engine was turned off, both driver and passenger side doors opened and out stepped the Baltasarsson brothers, Kristjan and Fenris, and after a moment's pause and a beckoning from Kristjan, another figure hopped out of the vehicle; that of Kristjan's beloved Kyssa.
Neither brother bothered with a leash on Kyssa, so well behaved the Siberian husky was that she happily followed her master to the doors of the facility, tail wagging the entire way.
And only a brief moment later -- after struggling to convince Despayre at check-in who he was and that he didn't NEED an appointment -- did Fenris and company get buzzed into the gym and gain entry. It was a quiet day, the interior of the gym relatively vacant of people save for Gabriel himself and apparently -- Angel, who was positioned in the corner of one of the three rings, clad in a bite-sized coach's uniform complete with whistle. Fenris's eyes noticed this peculiarity, still unable to work his mind completely around the unique nature of the bond between one of the gym's owners, Gabriel, and the little guy who was almost always there, lending a helping hand.
Gabriel, meanwhile, was leaned back against the ring post of the same ring as the miniature "assistant," looking over a clipboard in hand, when he noticed the entrance of one of his and Odette's latest charges. Briefly bridges had been more than burned between owners and student, due to Fenris's violent temper and when it had been directed at the innocent Despayre, but time heals all wounds and thanks to Kristjan swallowing his pride and uttering the three hardest words in the English language, "I'm sorry," those very bridges were in the current process of being mended.
"You're late." Gabriel said as he stood upright, placing the clipboard down ion the ring apron as he waited for the two siblings to arrive at his side.
"Considering he nearly killed us to get here..." Aron joked, jetting a thumb to his left where Kristjan walked. "... that's surprising." Gabriel only smiled as the two (three) arrived, and instinctively Gabriel lowered himself to one knee to greet Kyssa first, such an animal lover he was. As Gabriel ruffled the fingers of both hands through her soft, snowy fur, he glanced upward to Aron who finished, "He probably would have to if his girl wasn't in the car."
Before Gabriel could stand upright, Kyssa earned her Icelandic namesake and lapped at Gabriel's handsome face before he could manage to avoid it. He knew the dog's habits from simply knowing Fenris himself, but had lost himself in the moment of doting on the canine and simply wasn't fast enough on his feet. He hadn't expected it, that much you could state, as Gabriel grabbed a nearby towel and wiped at his face as Fenris gave his girl a pat. Kyssa sat on her haunches, practically on Kristjan's feet, as he asked of his wrestling trainer.
"Why are we here?" He said in his usual broken English. "Today's not training day?"
Gabriel answered, dropping the towel back on a rack, "No, no it's not. You've been doing well enough and raking it easy after the beatings you've taken from Dmitri and Casey..." The word "beatings" caused an eyebrow to rise on Fenris's brow, quickly mollified by Gabriel who held up an apologetic hand, "Though you did come out ahead both times. Fact remains, you need to take it easy in training, otherwise you won't have anything left for Kris."
"I'll have plenty." Kristjan stated in the level of confidence that had come to be expected from him where his in-ring prowess was concerned. He removed the cap from his head and dropped it on the apron, but asked of Gabriel, "But if I'm not here to train,, then why...?"
Gabriel answered matter-of-factly, "Because I need to talk to you." His eyes shifted briefly from Fenris to Aron, then back again. He emphasized, "Just you. Privately."
The brothers shared a look but Gabriel wasted no time, beckoning his student with a hand motion to follow him. "It's nothing for you to be concerned about. It'll only take a bit of time." Gabriel then walked to his office, confident that his expectation to be followed would be followed through on.
And it was. Fenris looked to Aron and exhaled, then started to follow. Kyssa stood up to follow herself but Fenris spoke an Icelandic word to her in a soft tone, and she sat back down. Her blue eyes followed Kristjan as he stepped inside of the office, and Gabriel walked in after and closed the door behind them. Kyssa whined gently and Aron kneeled down beside the dog and ran his hand over her neck.
"Don't worry about him, girl." He said in Icelandic, the 'him' obviously referencing Kristjan. "I know what this is about. He'll be fine so long as he doesn't lose his temper."
Oh that doesn't bode well, now does it?
Inside of the office, Gabriel motioned toward the first of two chairs opposite the desk and cordially said, "Have a seat." Before he too took a chair, but not his usual one behind the desk where he and/or Odette sat during a business meeting. No, this time Gabriel pulled out the chair beside the one Fenris had lowered himself into and turned it slightly so he might face his charge, and sat as well. This caught Fenris off guard, but he quickly recovered and slid to the side to make room.
"You and I have to have a little chat." Gabriel started to say, but before he could continue, Kristjan spoke up, "Oh this doesn't sound good."
"No, no. Like I said, it's nothing bad." Gabriel stressed, trying to make himself comfortable on the chair but his posture spoke he was anything but. If anything, he was just making himself more comfortable. More so from what might be to come, as opposed to the seat itself. Gabriel went on, adding with an indifferent shrug, "I mean, it's not really bad. I guess it depends on how you take it."
"Uh huh." Kristjan bit his lower lip and nodded, "That sounds even worse."
"Listen, Kristjan." Gabriel bit the bullet and lifted his chin and looked the volatile student directly in the eye. He then opted to make this simpler on Kristjan and he switched from English to Kristjan's own native Icelandic. Gabriel had worked overtime studying the language for his student's benefit, and even though he was not what you might call expertly fluent, he was comfortable enough. And going the extra mile for what was to come here, just might help soothe troubled waters.
He continued. "...The simple fact is when you came to this gym, you were focused. Focused and intense and that just made it all the more easier for Odette and myself to adapt your MMA training to a compatible wrestling style."
"But...?" Kristjan prodded, and Gabriel sighed.
"But..." He continued. "Lately it seems that you've lost a lot of that focus. Like after everything that happened, your thought track went off the rails."
"Well shit," Fenris exclaimed. "Can you fucking BLAME me!?"
"No." Gabriel shook his head. "No I can't." He then brought a forefinger up and pointed it right at Kristjan's face. "And watch your goddamn mouth. I'm trying to help. I won't be one of your targets!"
Slightly abashed, Kristjan sat back in his chair and waited. Cursing just came as second nature to him, and the last person who reprimanded him for his vulgar language was his mother.
Gabriel said, "Aside from your drunken binge, I'm a little surprised you held together as well as you did. Although a lot of that I suspect id you bottling things up inside like you usually do until someone crosses you wrong and you explode. Sort of like you did with Despy."
Kristjan frowned and turned aside, "I already apologized to him for that!"
"You did." Gabriel nodded. "But it still happened once, and I have a feeling it might happen again. I hope I'm wrong, but you do keep things to yourself. Hide them inside because you don't want to admit that you're scared."
"Scared?" Fenris turned a confrontational expression toward Gabriel who rolled his eyes.
"Fine." He said. "Maybe 'concerned' is a more appropriate choice of words. And really, I can't fault you entirely. You've been out through more in the past several weeks than most of us have in years."
"Does this mean you found...?" Kristjan prodded him to carry on, but Gabriel shook his head.
"No. Still no word on the whereabouts of that damn film." Gabriel answered. "On the bright side, the two security guards at the Renaissance hotel who were on duty when it was recorded and then disappeared have been fired." Kristjan nodded, satisfied at least in part that two of the perpetrators to his personal torment were this time on the receiving end. Gabriel went on, "But whoever they sold the video to?" He shook his head. "They're not talking."
Kristjan turned away and faced the far wall behind the desk, staring out the picturesque window and the view that it offered. "I see." He murmured, and then found a hand rested on his shoulder. He turned and found a concerned stare from Gabriel on him.
"You let us worry about that." Gabriel said. "You have enough people supporting you and Kris that are working to keep that video from ever being released."
"You might not be successful." Fenris pointed out. "The pictures were released for that rag."
Gabriel admitted, "You're right. But we are still working on it, Kristjan. Let us. You yourself can't be everywhere at once. Your mind can't be everywhere at once." Gabriel then removed his hand and leaned forward, his forearms resting upon his knees. "The simple fact is, I believe by all accounts you should never have been dominated by Casey Williams the way you were. Casey is a bad ass giant, but he had control of that match for pretty much the entire time. Dmitri, too. Both are two of SCW's best an that's why they were given opportunities at your championship, but I was watching and could see that your mind was elsewhere, rather than where it should have been."
"I won, didn't I?" Fenris turned his head to address his mentor.
Gabriel nodded, "You did, but some are saying those two wins were by the skin of your teeth. That you got in the right strike, at the right time." This time he shook his head. "That won't work with Kris Ryans, Kristjan. The man was wronged, having to lose his championship without actually losing it! It wasn't fair to him, and it wasn't fair for everything you worked for to win the title the way that you did. No knock on Ty West, either."
Kristjan just rolled his eyes.
Gabriel went on, "You can't, you won't, 'luck out' against Kris Ryans. Your mind has to be one hundred percent into the match itself, not on your personal issues."
"A little hard, considering the match is with the man that centers around the personal issues." Kristjan sighed, all but admitting defeat in this student-mentor debate.
"I know." Gabriel admitted, unable to truly feel what Kristjan was going through over the course of the past several weeks, but understanding the insecurity of a man that balked at admitting any such form of weakness. Gabriel stared at him until Fenris all but felt compelled to look at him again. Once done, Gabriel stressed, "That's why, now so more than ever, you have to be focused. Lately you've been straying from one aspect of your training or the other, instead of trying to blend them together like Odette and I tried working with during your first classes."
"Easier said than done." Fenris admitted. "Much of what I was able to do in MMA isn't tolerated in wrestling, or is just frowned upon. I keep trying to focus on the wrestling side of things, I feel like I'm losing everything of my MMA past."
"You don't want that." Gabriel stated with a definitive tone. "None of us wants that, because being a hybrid between two sports like wrestling and MMA is part of what made you special."
"Well that and my cute butt." Kristjan surprised Gabriel with a joke, but Gabriel shook it off just as quickly and quipped with his superior wit, "I'll have to ask Kris about that." Resulting in Kristjan's neck and earlobes taking on a deep flush.
Satisfied that he had won out in that exchange, Gabriel smiled and patted Fenris on the back before he sat back and said, "I want to work with you Kristjan, help you out to get you focused again and ready for Kris, but you have to understand that my time is going to be severely limited for the foreseeable future what with Odette just having had the baby..."
Kristjan just nodded, fully understanding despite his one-sided nature. He would never come to expect any man to put him before his own family.
Gabriel exhaled a breath that he was not even aware he had been withholding, and opened his eyes before he said, "Which is why I want to bring in someone to lend a hand."
Someone else to help with his training? That was not unheard of. There were times when Gabriel was busy with family where Synn and Despayre and even Shane Boswell lent a helping hand with the students of the facility, but that would be no reason for the sudden swell of tension that he felt rise up in the man beside him.
"Synn? Shane?" Fenris questioned, but to each name he offered, Gabriel answered with a silent shake of the head. "Then ... who?"
Gabriel opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and answered, "Maksym Petrov."
Fenris stared at him, unsure whether or not his hearing was going or his mind was playing tricks on him ever since he was going cold turkey on not drinking any alcohol as per his mother's request. He blinked, then shook his head and asked, "What?"
"Maksym Petrov." Gabriel said. "Your former MMA trainer..."
"I know who he is." Kristjan interrupted hotly. He started to say something else, building up a head of steam, when a smile suddenly broke out on his face and he shook a finger at Gabriel, chuckling. This all but startled Gabriel, when Kristjan said, "Oh you almost had me there. Come on. Seriously. Who did you have in mind?"
Gabriel watched him carefully and simply said, "I already told you."
"You-you were serious?" Gabriel just nodded, knowing not to add fuel to the proverbial fire. He would prefer to instead just allow his volatile student get anything out of his system before they could (hopefully) have a civilized conversation.
"No." Fenris shook his head, stating that one word definitively.
"Kristjan..."
"I said no!" Kristjan shot to his feet and moved toward the door, making as if to leave when Gabriel was on his own feet and he barked with surprising authority, "Sit down!"
Kristjan slowly turned to face him with an incredulous stare, one hand on the handle of the closed office door, stunned that anyone would raise their voice to him like that. Gabriel's face was stone, but his stare was hard and one hand was pointing toward the recently vacated chair.
"Sit. Down!" This was no request. There was no option for debate. Gabriel forgot all trepidations towards angering Fenris and simply expected him to be done as asked, no -- as demanded. And perhaps startlingly so, Fenris relented and slowly walked back over to the chair he had just recently left and sat back down. His face was flushed over being scolded like a child, and he could only hope that this office was at least somewhat sound proof so Aron wouldn't have heard.
Finding his voice, Kristjan finally stated, "I am not used to being spoken to like a child."
"Then stop acting like one." Gabriel answered right back. "I am only trying to help you, so just listen!" He then sat back down and shifted the chair around so he could look Kristjan in the face. "Look, Kristjan. I don't know anything about your past with Maksym. I don't know what caused your falling out."
"Then why are you trying to...?" Kristjan interrupted but Gabriel let his voice raise just enough to drown him out and said, "I am not finished!" Once Gabriel was satisfied that he wouldn't be interrupted so brazenly again, he went on with his line of reasoning. "As I was saying, I don't know what happened between you two to cause this falling out. What I do know, is that in all the footage I've watched of your time in EliteXL, and from what Charlotte told me, you were never more driven or more focused than when you were under Maksym."
Kristjan cleared his throat and tried to look away, reaching behind with a free hand to rub the back of his neck and this brought a frown, and then a look of realization to Gabriel's face.
"Wait .. you and Maksym? You two were...?"
"Fuck no!" Kristjan blurted out, again forgetting Gabriel's admonishment about cursing at him. It was simply second nature to him. He paused and then shook his head and said in a sifter tone. "No. We weren't ... together."
Gabriel nodded, then said, "I admit I'm curious, but I won't press then if you don't want to discuss it. But what I also noticed is the fact that Maksym is still in Las Vegas. That tells me two things." he held up one finger at a time as he counted off, "One, he is open to the idea of working with you again. And two? Whatever happened between the two of you is more so on your side of things than his."
Fenris started to interrupt but Gabriel held up his hand to cut him off and continued to speak, "Do you want to win against Kris?"
Whatever Kristjan was about to say, was caught in his throat at this sudden switch on Gabriel's part. Fenris shook his head and asked, "What?"
"Do you want to win next Sunday?"
Fenris stared at Gabriel as if he had just asked the single most ridiculous question imaginable. He answered, "Of course I want to win!"
"Well you won't unless you get your head out of your arse!" Gabriel did not mince any words. "Kris is more focused than I've seen him. He's let all of this just roll off of his back without a care, while you're allowing yourself to be pulled in every direction at once and that has got to stop! You're embarrassed and angry at being outed against your will. You're worried about that tape and what it might do to you or mean to your family. You want to keep winning and prove that you deserve that title. All of which is understandable, but you have to shift aside your personal troubles when you're in that ring with Kris if you want any chance of walking back out with that title."
"Let's just pretend for one moment that what you're saying is true," Kristjan's reasoning slowly yielded to Gabriel's own. "Let's say that I am having trouble. What do you suggest?"
Gabriel already had his answer at the ready as he said, "I'm going to help you as much as I can, make no mistake about that. Synn and Despy already volunteered their time to help ensure you were ready for Kris from a wrestling standpoint. But there's a part of you I think right now that you need help from a different source. So I want you to do me one favor. One small favor."
Kristjan's eyebrows rose and he asked, "Which is?"
Gabriel said, "I know you're going to Icelandic in a couple of days to visit family and ... deal with things? What I want, is for when you return, to meet with Maksym." Kristjan started to object but Gabriel headed him off at the pass and said, "Just talk to him! Even if it goes nowhere, just be open. If it doesn't work out, then fine. At least you tried and we'll keep working and you will win on Sunday. I just think..." Gabriel spread his hands out. "I just think this will help you, Kristjan. That's all I'm hoping for."
Kristjan drew in a deep breath and glanced away from Gabriel, but as he let the breath of air from his system, reigning in any objections or display of temper, he looked back to the man that had taken so much upon himself to ready him for this profession and continued to do so to this day. Gabriel stated the first day out that Kristjan would only stop being his student on the day he retired from wrestling.
"Well?" Gabriel prodded.
Iceland -
Roughly seven miles in the sky
And that was where we left off and joined Kristjan Baltasarsson where he was now, flying roughly seven miles in the air, in an American airline flight. He was, of course, seated comfortably in First Class, but he was anything but comforted. He had run into enough difficulty during this flight, what with a delayed layover in Dallas which grated at his nerves. He had refused multiple drink offers from the stewardesses due to his word to his mother to refrain from drinking any alcoholic beverages for a period of thirty days, and he was beyond exhausted both physically as well as emotionally. It was funny how he had gotten used to the time difference while living in Las Vegas, but now that he was returning home for this face to face meeting with his family, insisted on by his mother, his body was again trying to revert back to its old patterns without much success.
And when he returned to Las Vegas, the process would simply begin anew. Hoo boy!
He was discomforted, not knowing what was to come. Oh he knew well enough what to expect. Everything that had come about where he and Kris Ryan's physical relationship had spread around the sporting world, world being the key word. The ramifications of that as well as his recent drinking issues, and his family wanted to discuss all of this on a face to face basis. Anything could happen, and Kristjan was worried that it would. He had no idea how his parents were responding to the fact he preferred men to women, as neither were willing to discuss it over video chat. A sex tape would shame him, and more importantly, shame his family. And the fact that he had drank so much he had passed out and scared his loved ones into thinking he was dead, well that was just another issue to tack onto the pile he would be answering for.
And he would have to deal with all of this without the benefit of Aron being by his side.
Wait, what? Aron's not with him? No, and neither is Kyssa. For obvious reasons, Kristjan could not bring his canine companion on this flight home without risking her being quarantined, and he doubted repeating Freyja's "guide dog" gamble would pay off two straight times. He was too well known for anyone to fall for that, and Kyssa would be the one to answer for the deception. So she had to remain in Las Vegas, and Aron had to remain behind to watch over her care. Gabriel and Odette had offered to keep her at their place so the brothers to make the journey to Iceland together. Lucas absolutely adored Kyssa, right down to the sloppy doggy kisses she was always doting on the toddler with. But she had never been separated for any length of time from the family, and Kristjan's over protective nature kicked into high gear, and he would rather be facing what was to come alone, than risk his precious girl's emotional discomfort.
Despite the fact he knew damn well that animal lovers Gabriel and Odette would both give him a run for his money in spoiling her.
There was a soft ping, and heads turned and glanced up and toward the front of the jet, as the overhead speaker announced, "This is your Captain. We are above and will begin our descent to Keflavík International Airport. We will be arriving in roughly thirty minutes. Thank you for flying American Airlines."
Kristjan sighed, knowing that meant he would have to turn off his tablet and simply sit there with no means of distracting himself from the inevitable. He shifted in his window seat and turned to peer out of the glass. He could see as they broke from the clouds the water of the Atlantic, and the peninsula that they would find the airport that served the vast majority of international traffic in Iceland. His hometown of the capitol of Iceland, Reykjavik, of course had it's own airport, but that served mostly domestic flights. Once landed, it would be a short forty-five minute drive home where he was certain all hell would then break loose.
Once the airline jet had landed, it was simply a small matter of a very discomforting wait to take that final walk down the runway and into the airport or he would rent a car and make the journey home. Luckily, he was one of the first ones to grab his carry-on luggage and make a hasty exit so that he could get this over with as quickly as possible. The Trek through the airport itself was uneventful, save for a scattered whisper or two that he caught his name in and a finger directed at his person. It would come as no surprise that people within the airport might recognize him, being a sports celebrity in two different professions. He was perhaps one of the bigger names currently from Iceland and so seeing him in person might naturally cause a reaction.
He walked throughout the airport and descended the escalator to wear he would then be able to pick up his luggage, when all of his plans and expectations had been thrown out the window. He heard them well before he saw them.
“Kristjan!” He heard his mother, Eva's, voice. "Here we are sweetheart!"
“There he is!” That would be his baby sister Freyja.
“I see him!” Yes, his father, Benedikt.
The crowd of passengers and people who were coming and going towards their flights and to retrieve their luggage parted like the Red Sea, as Kristjan stood there nearly Frozen on the spot as he saw both his mother and father, as well as his baby sister, at the Forefront of the luggage claiming, waiting for him. It came as no surprise to him however, when Freya broke into a Sprint, her eyes lit with delightful wonder and a bright smile spread across her face, as she made a beeline right towards him. She wrapped her arms around his thick neck and he reacted instinctively by wrapping his own arms around her slim waist and lifting her up off of her feet for one of his patented Big Brother Bear Hugs.
His mother, Eva, was next, right after her daughter. What followed was the loving embrace that was known exclusively between a mother and son. The moment she had separated herself from him, she cupped his face in the palm of both hands and kissed his cheek. Her hands never leaving his face, she took a single step back and gazed adoringly into his eyes, her smile bright. There was no anger or disappointment in her blue eyes or the expression on her face.. Only the sparkle of a mother's unconditional love. The small frown lines at the corner of her eyes did nothing to detract from her natural Nordic beauty.
And finally, after she had stepped aside, Benedikt stepped up to his eldest son, his pride, and offered him his hand. And no sooner did Kristjan accept the greeting, than he found himself pulled into a tight embrace, from father to son, Benedikt patting him on the back.
"What are you all doing here?" Kristjan finally managed to ask, after the family greetings had slowly subsided and Kristjan had made his way toward the luggage carousel to retrieve his bags. "I had expected to drive to Reykjavik."
"Without your brother to do the driving?" Benedikt joked at his boy's expense as Kristjan saw his bags making their turn about the carousel and grabbed one while Freyja took it upon herself to take the second.
"Besides," Eva added. "It made for a pleasant family drive to surprise you." Eva then beamed brightly and waved her hands about. "Surprise!"
Kristjan could not help but feel his face almost split apart at the seams with the smile his mother caused. He was, above all else, a tried and true "momma's boy," his hardcore reputation be damned. His arm found its way around Eva's neck and he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek with much affection. Keeping his free arm around her shoulders, the family then started toward the parking garage and Kristjan found himself asking...
"Elin and Viktoria didn't come?"
"No." Freyja answered with an impish smile. "That's why the drive was so pleasant."
"Freyja...!"
Reykjavik, Iceland
The Baltasarsson homestead was something if a hybrid; a blend a modern, two story house with a touch if the traditional turf housing known in Norse countries. With a dark, brick exterior coupled with brilliant green turf up and along the sides, and a wood panel interior, some might see it as almost resembling a farmhouse than anything else. Were it not within the city limits of R, on its own flat of land with a lovely view of the harbor. We’re one inclined, you could spend an afternoon just watching the ships sail from in and out of the harbor. The house itself was no mansion, but when he had stayed in it as a guest before the start of Fenris’s career, Gabriel had described it to his missus as charming and comfortable. In fact, Gabriel stated his favorite part of his stay was when he sat out on the fenced in back porch, the smell black stones underfoot and surrounded by Eva’s plants and flowers. Where it was just enough room for he, Kristjan’s parents and Kristjan himself. Where Eva served her homemade strawberry wine and they talked until the stars had risen.
And it was inside the kitchen where the family had gathered for a light evening meal that Freyja had taken painstaking measures for her brother's return to Iceland. She knew of his vegetarian preferences, and despite the grumbling of Elin and Viktoria, Freyja had treated the family with her own culinary talents, preparing pumpkin burgers and broccoli quiche and for dessert, a chocolate ginger tart. The family knew that it was the littlest one's dream to open her own restaurant, and if this meal were any indication, her future was indeed bright.
"I wish your brother would have come home." Eva mused, a mother never wanting to have her young stray far and here her two boys had relocated over four thousand miles away.
"There was no way, momma." Kristjan answered as he reached across the table to accept the plate filled with the dessert for a second/third helping. "Kyssa couldn't make the trip so she had to be watched by someone she was familiar with."
Eva feigned a look of gross disappointment and Kristjan took his cue, reaching to the woman beside his own seat and took her hand in his own. "Next time, I promise."
"And how long will you be here, son?" Benedikt asked, lifting his glass of his wife's strawberry wine while the only one who went without was Kristjan himself, who was relegated to Apfelschorle, a drink originated in Germany; a blend of sparkling water and apple juice.
"Only two days." Kristjan answered, and the moment he saw his mother's look of genuine disappointment, he offered her his best smile. "I have to get ready for my next title defense, Momma. I promise, the week after the show I'll come home. For the entire week."
"And bring your brother?" Eva answered back, almost immediately with a forefinger raised.
"With Aron." Kristjan relented, even if he had to beg a favor from Gabriel or perhaps Ben Jordan into caring for Kyssa throughout the duration of the visit.
"Well," Benedikt started to speak, resting his own toned forearms against the edge of the kitchen table and his voice took on an all new tone. "Since you won't be here for too long, how about before you go to bed, we have a little talk?"
Kristjan slowly lowered his glass down, before it even touched his lips, and drew in a deep breath. It had been going too well, hadn't it? He had almost dared to hope that they had forgotten about wanting to talk to him about what had been happening in his life these past number of weeks, and how it had spiraled out of control. It was, after all, the entire reason for this impromptu trip home.
"Girls?" Eva spoke up, her eyebrows raised and instinctively, Freyja rose to her feet while Elin and Viktoria looked at each other before they started to object.
"Wait, why do we have to leave?" Elin asked.
Benedikt answered, "Because this is between your brother, and us." He motioned between his wife and himself.
"It concerns us all, dad." Viktoria pleaded her case. "He's our brother and what happens to him affects the entire family!"
The sad fact was, Fenris couldn't disagree with her there. It was what had been bothering him since this whole ordeal had started. How would it look to his family when it was revealed to the public that he was into men, hot and heavy. Or how would it affect the family if that sex tape made it past Gabriel and the SCW bosses' defenses and everything he and Kris did in that elevator became public knowledge? Not that it wasn't already thanks to that magazine article with the photos which were luckily blurred out in the racier parts.As the debate continued on around him, Fenris could only prop an elbow on the table and rub at his forehead, feeling the pangs of a headache slowly coming on.
What he wouldn't give for a stiff drink right about now!
Freyja tried offering her two cents, stating, "I'm just scared for you, Kristjan. I want what's best for you. I mean, you're in all these dangerous professions. MMA. Wrestling. Now this? What's next?"
"Apparently movie star." Viktoria quipped, and before her choice of words could be admonished by either parent, the snort of held back laughter caught them all by surprise and they turned their heads as one to Fenris, whose hand slid down over the upper half of his face and his shoulders shook from him trying not to give his sister the satisfaction.
"You think that's funny?" Benedikt questioned, to which Kristjan steadied himself and shook his head.
"No." He answered, then after a brief pause, he lost control of holding back a smile and said, Maybe a little."
Viktoria blinked, and her wide eyes turned toward her parents in an almost state of awe that anything she had said would strike a funny bone in her brother. Every interaction between the pair had always been antagonistic.
Kristjan then cleared his throat and sighed, "Let them stay." He said. He then slowly stood up and turned to the eldest sister, who at every turn in his life had made his life an absolute hell. He said, "So, get it over with."
"Get what over with?"
"Whatever it is that you're dying to say to me." Kristjan stressed. "That I fucked up. That I got caught with my pants down -- literally! Whatever! I just..." But the last thing Kristjan was prepared for was his oldest sister to step into his arms and wrap her own around him. Kristjan's brow knitted in stark confusion, even though he returned the gesture in a stiff fashion, caught completely unprepared. His eyes found his parents' own from over Viktoria's shoulder and they seemed just as surprised as he was.
"Next time." She finally said as she let go of him, and had a smug smile on her face that was just as grating as his own. "I don't kick people when they're down." She then placed a hand on his chest and gave him a light shove backward, adding, "Next time we can just pick up where we left off." And she excused herself, leaving the kitchen. Elin followed after her, running a hand on Kristjan's arm and offering him a tight smile on her way out. A stark testament given only moments ago they had both argued for being allowed to stay.
"I love you." Freyja added, embracing her oldest brother with loving care before she too excused herself. Kristjan slowly sat down and turned to his parents, his face a mask of confusion still. He shook his head and asked, "Am I dead or something? Did I die and that's why Elin and Viktoria are being nice to me?"
"You scared them, Kristjan." Eva answered. "You scared everyone."
Benedikt added, "And as much as you and your sisters don't get along, they don't wish you harm. Once Aron told us about what happened that morning, it didn't take long for your sisters to find out."
"Elin was listening in on the phone again, wasn't she?" Kristjan asked simply, taking his sister to task for the annoying habit she never grew out of.
"It doesn't matter how they found out, Kristjan." Eva answered. "Only that they did, and they were worried. They were angry, but worried. None of us could believe you'd do that to yourself." He shook her head and her eyes glistened, as she took her son's hand under her own. "Not over something like this."
Kristjan could not meet his mom's eyes, not right now. He asked, "Do you mean the tape, or what I was doing on it?"
"I don't care about the tape!" Eva held her hand up, but opened her eyes and found herself admitting, "Okay, I do. We all do -- but at this point, there's nothing we can do about that right now. I mean..." She motioned towards him and yes. He did know. He understood.
His eyes remained cast downward when he asked, "Did you know?" He finally looked up and back and forth between his mom and dad and asked, "Did either of you know?"
Eva and Benedikt shared a look before Benedikt motioned toward his wife, allowing her to take the reigns in this topic of conversation. Eva turned to her son and said, "They say a mother always knows, but sweety -- that's complete and utter bullshit. They may have an inkling that something is wrong, or something is going on with her child, but we don't always know the exact details. Not without violating their children's trust."
She reached over with her other hand and took his one in both of hers. "I knew something was wrong, sweetheart. I knew that you had a secret that you weren't ready to share with us, but one day you would when you were ready."
Kristjan stared at her, and slowly shook his head, "I don't think I was ever going to be ready." He said in a sad tone of resignation. "I hadn't planned on ever telling anyone."
"Why?" His father asked.
"Because I didn't want to disappoint mom!" Kristjan finally blurted out, feeling the hot sting of tears welling in his eyes and absolutely hating himself for it!
"Me?" Eva held a hand to her breast, genuinely surprised that she was the focal point of his secrecy. "Kristjan, you could never disappoint me! Okay, maybe I did have a little idea of what might be going on with you, but it wasn't my place to guess or assume..."
"Then WHY were you always going on about how I would make such beautiful babies!?" Kristjan almost bellowed, despite himself. "If you knew or thought you knew, WHY would you say that knowing it would never happen!?"
"Because it could happen, and it still might!" Eva stressed, but before he could object, she cut him off and added, "I don't mean with a woman, dear. I mean, there are always ways for two men to have a child together! That could be you!"
"No." Kristjan shook his head, tearing his eyes away. "I won't -- I am not father material and I -- I gave up on that part of my life years ago."
"What about this Kris fellow?" His father asked, to which Kristjan answered, "No, he's married. Safe."
Neither Eva nor Benedikt made any remark about their son having had an affair with a married man. It wasn't as if they hadn't been aware. That magazine had done its homework between Fenris and Kris Ryans, and the marriage aspect of the fling had been right at the forefront of the cutting article. Several nights of long conversations had been shared between his parents, discussing their son and his life choices, when one thing at the top of their minds came to the surface.
Eva looked at Kristjan and asked in a soft voice, "Sweetheart, is this about Jökull?"
Kristjan, upon hearing that name and the question asked, felt as if he had just been punched in the gut and he would never get the air back into his body. He looked up at his parents, his eyes now freely over flowing at memories he had buried deep long ago, or at least thought he had.
The Golden Circle was a popular tourist attraction in Reykjavík, Iceland, covering over 190 miles between he capital itself and the southern uplands. But it was one part of this route, the one that attracted the most tourists and locals, where we found the reigning SCW World Champion Fenris; the Gullfoss waterfall. And seated high up along the greenery of the route, far away from the dozens of tourists who were currently walking along the path, was the man himself.
Fenris watched the falls and the splendor of nature's beauty, his legs drawn up against him and his arms wrapped around his bended knees. The people down below mattered little to him. There was now only one person on his mind.
"Kris Ryans. I honestly don't know how to react, now that we're finally going to get to face each other inside of the ring. I mean, you wait and expect something to happen, but it's almost as if the anticipation far outweighs the actual event itself, doesn't it?"
He frowns, trying to decipher the truth behind the words.
"On one hand, it's not as if this is the first time we laid hands on each other. It's just that this time when we're throwing each other around and putting one another in positions even the Kamasutra hadn't imagined, this time we won't be able to call it foreplay."
He cast a sidelong glance at the camera and winked.
"Will we? Unless one of us decides to celebrate with the other afterwards... maybe the winner consoling the loser? But, business before pleasure. I have to tell you something Kris; I appreciate everything you did for me. I don't mean .. you know. What we did together. I mean everything afterwards. No pressure on your part, you only gave me the time you felt I needed. That meant more than perhaps you could ever understand. I was on Twitter when all this shit hit the fan, and even if I wasn't talking, I saw some of what you posted and I wish I had your strength of character. I wish at the time I also could have come out and said I didn't care. But I did, and I do."
He closed his eyes and held up a hand.
"But this isn't about what happened between us on a personal level. This is about what's going to happen on the professional level that we're both striving toward. I want to keep the World Championship, and you want it back. And that's understandable considering how in all fairness, you never lost it."
He nodded.
"It's true, and I always said it was not the way I wanted to win the World Championship. I was never one to believe that a championship could be won from anyone other than the champion. It was you, not Ty West that I wanted to wrestle for the World title. It was you I wanted to rise at the expense of. Ever since I won this title, I've had people question my legitimacy and say I never beat Kris Ryans, and you're right. I never did. Hell, I've even said it! I've said time and again I won't feel like the true champion, until I put all doubts to rest and beat you inside of the ring."
He spread his arms out.
"And here we are! And it's just a matter of time! And as much as I respect you, and as much as I really enjoyed your company, for you to openly state I should hand this belt over to you? Those were the first word you uttered that made me feel I could cast aside for a brief time, all past experiences between us, and simply do what it is that I do best, and hand you a very bitter reality check! The second thing? Is this inane notion you seem to be repeating that..."
Air quotes.
"Kris Ryans is SCW."
Fenris rolled his eyes generously and shook his head.
"It's cute that you say that, even cuter that you believe it. But when it comes time to prove it? You won't be quite as confident as you like to pretend."
He held up a forefinger.
"Let's take a glimpse at a fact or two, hm? You seem quite proud of your World title reign, as well you should. It's just... you're not counting the time between when SCW had closed on January fourteenth, after Full Circle, where you won the title against Crimson, and when they returned on April fifteenth, are you? Because that's three months and one day of no title defenses. No in-ring activity of you as champion, representing Sin City Wrestling? But when SCW returned, so did you -- as the champion! And I am honest when I say everyone was grateful that you did. But when you get right down to it, your title reign is technically only about twice as long as my own is today -- and mine is not going to end any time soon. And when you returned, who monopolized the vast majority of your time? Crimson. Crimson, Crimson, Crimson! I have to admit that if it were up to me, the rivalry between the two of you would make for Feud of the Year, bit there were other men in line. Other contenders who could have given you a challenge. Who else did you wrestle? O'Malley? Jon Dough? And neither of those were title defenses. Since I won the title..."
He counted off on his fingers...
"Dmitri. Casey Williams. Both veterans. Both larger than life. And both successful defenses for yours truly. And then Kris makes three. My third straight championship defense, and the one I've been looking forward to the most. I was pissed, to put it out there gently, when you were injured. I watched you, and despite everything, I can not find fault with anything you do inside of the ring. You waste no time, you waste no effort. You were at the top for a reason, and I knew, I just KNEW, that you and me?"
He used a forefinger to motion between the camera and himself.
"I knew anything between us would be absolutely explosive!"
Something is said in a murmur off-camera and Fenris exhaled sharply.
"I know what I said, and I meant it in every way it could be taken so leave it in!"
His eyes then returned to the camera.
"I felt like I was robbed, when you got injured. I bet you feel the same. Maybe the bosses wouldn't have made you give up your championship. maybe they would have understood and played the waiting game. But the good news is that we don't have to wait, Kris. Neither of us! You get the chance to finally right a wrong that you believe was inflicted on you, and I get to stare hard at every one of my critics, myself included, and tell each and every one of those fuckers they can stop questioning me! They can stop wondering if I'm the real deal, because all the doubters and bullshitters won't have a thing left to say when I leave you laying un conscious in the ring, and walk back up the aisle the same way I came down it; as the World Champion!"
He paused, and turned his head to face the falls.
"I hope this doesn't change anything between us, Kris. It's like I said. I respect you. I like you, and I don't say either one about just anyone. I'll offer my hand before this match, and I'll even offer it after. But between bells? 'The wolf on the hill is never as hungry as the one climbing the hill.' It's that quote that makes me know and understand that this won't be easy, for either of us. So let's give these people every reason to appreciate why we are the Main Event, and why the magic between us will be well worth waiting for."
