February 19 - 3 a.m.
Shortly after takeoff from New York
“I still can’t believe we’re actually doing this!” Alanah O’Connell bounced excitedly in her seat, snuggling next to her boyfriend Jack Russow. “Or that your parents actually gave us permission to use the jet!”
“Pfft, Dad is impulsive as heck,” Jack laughed. “He actually wanted to come with, but Mom said that one Russow would be more than enough for your mom to handle right now. We need to ease her into the madness.”
Seated across from them, Lachlan Kane and Sierra Williams laughed, though they both looked like they were ready to fall asleep at any moment. The four of them were currently in Jack’s father Levi’s personal private jet, heading over to Ireland to pick up Alanah and Lachlan’s mother to take her to the US for a visit. “I really don’t understand why this couldn’t have waited until the morning though,” Lachlan said, stifling a yawn behind his hand.
“I tried to convince Jack to wait until at least six a.m., but once his mind was made up, that was it,” Alanah playfully poked him in the side.
“Hey! Like I said, fortune favours the bold,” Jack proclaimed. “Besides, Lach was the one that said your mom was ready to go. And I would hate to keep a lady waiting.”
Alanah rolled her eyes and the two of them bantered back and forth playfully. Lachlan just grinned and turned to Sierra. “You didn’t have to come, though. You could have just stayed in New York.”
“And miss out on a chance to fly in a private jet? I don’t think so,” she said.
“Even if it’s Levi’s?” Lachlan asked with a playful smirk.
“Even better. Now we can go renew our membership in the mile high club in his bathroom and just completely defile it,” she said quietly in his ear.
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Someone’s not that tired, is she?”
Sierra shook her head and stood up from the chair, grabbing Lachlan’s hand and pulling him towards the back of the plane with a wicked grin on her face. They heard Alanah exclaim, “Seriously, you two?!” as they closed the door with a laugh.
A few hours later
Jack, Alanah and Sierra had been asleep for a while now, but Lachlan was still awake, staring out the window at the night sky. There was a lot going through his mind, mostly the appearance of his younger brother Malachi at the last SCW show. Even if it had only been through a video screen, it still rankled Lachlan, as he knew that his younger brother never did anything “just because”. No, he was sure that Mal had something up his sleeve, and he had a feeling it was going to cost him his shot at the World Title.
His eyelids started to feel heavy, and he started to doze off with his head pressed against the window...
“Mal, knock it off!” an eight year old Lachlan cried, staring down his younger brother.
“No, you took it from me! It’s my turn on the bike!” Malachi, who was nearly two years younger, stared right back at him with an angry scowl on his face.
Lachlan and Malachi both tugged at the bike, neither boy wanting to give it up. “You’ve already had it for an hour!” Lachlan protested.
“No, I was doing my homework! I just got it ten minutes ago!”
“What’s all this then, boys?”
The youngsters immediately turned their heads to see their father standing at the back door, arms folded across his chest and a look on his face that they knew meant they were both in trouble.
“Nothing, Da,” they both said, eyes dropping to the ground but neither one relinquishing their hold on the bike.
Pat O’Connell sighed as he walked up to his two sons, kneeling down to their level. “When we got the bike, we all agreed that it was to be shared, or it would get locked in the shed, isn’t that right?” he said calmly.
“Yes, Da,” both boys answered, still looking at the ground.
“I don’t see a lot of sharing going on, though.”
Both boys opened their mouths to protest, but Pat held up a hand and they stayed silent. “Look, I know that you both want your turn with the bike...but is it worth fighting with each other?”
Neither boy said anything, so Pat went on. “At the end of the day, a bike is just a bike. You’ll both end up outgrowing it, and it’ll be forgotten about. But the two of you are brothers for life. And there’s nothing more important than family. Isn’t that what I always say?”
Lachlan and Malachi looked at each other sheepishly, and nodded. Pat grinned. “I know you boys will be able to work this out.” He stood up and walked back to the house.
After a moment, Lachlan looked up and grinned at his younger brother. “Wanna see a cool trail I found? It’s got a great hill that we could take turns jumping the bike off of.”
Malachi returned his brother’s grin. “OK! You ride the bike, and I’ll sit on the handlebars…”
“Lachy, Lachy...wake up.”
His eyes snapped open, and for a moment he was confused as to where he was. But then it all came back to him, and he relaxed in his seat as he looked over at Sierra. “Sorry love, must have dozed off.”
She was looking at him with a mixture of concern and sadness, as she reached up and cupped his cheek with her hand. She brushed her thumb across his cheek, and it was then he realized that tears were running down his face. “Are you OK?” she asked gently.
He let out a shaky breath. “Yeah. I mean, I will be.”
“Bad dream?”
He shook his head. “Nah, more like a memory. Something my da said to Mal and I a long time ago.” He swallowed a lump in his throat as he reached up and put his hand over Sierra’s. “I think I’m gonna have to pay him a visit when we get there.”
-------
February 20 - 7 p.m.
Saint Otteran's Cemetery
Waterford, Ireland
A light rain had started to fall as Lachlan made his way through the cemetery grounds. Hands in the pockets of his hoodie, he kept his gaze on the ground as he walked along the pathway headed to the back of the grounds.
Underneath a sprawling oak tree, he found what he was looking for. A lone headstone sat at the base of the tree, with a Celtic Cross carved into its side.
Patrick Thomas O’Connell
December 14, 1962 - August 20, 2006
Beloved husband, father and friend
“Remember me with smiles and laughter,
for that is how I will remember you all.
If you can only remember me with tears,
then don’t remember me at all.”
Lachlan smiled at the headstone, brushing his fingers along the top of it. “Hiya, Da,” he said quietly. “Just thought I’d drop by for a visit. Lanah and I flew here to pick up Mum and take her over to the States for a bit of a vacation. In a private jet, no less.” He laughed lightly. “I’m telling ya, since I went to the States for wrestling, I’ve been getting spoiled. Trying to not let it all go to my head, though.”
He went quiet for a moment, staring down at the stone and running his fingers along the intricately detailed carving on the cross. “I know when I came and saw you at Christmas, I told you that everything was going great. I had a new girl, my career was on fire, and I was a champion to boot. Even seemed like Mal and I had worked things out.” He stopped, taking a deep breath and letting it out. “Well, I guess I was wrong on that front. Mal...well, he’s still pretty upset with me about going to Japan for wrestling. At least, I think that’s what all this is about. Hard to think that he’s held on to this anger for five years now. He’s been picking at all my friends over Twitter, trying to get under my skin. And when that didn’t work...well, he showed up at SCW this past Sunday. Not live, mind you. Just some kind of video he played after Sierra and I’s match.” He ran a hand through his hair, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I got a big opportunity coming my way this week, and by the sounds of it Mal’s got some bad intentions towards it. He denies it ‘til he’s blue in the face, of course, but I know he’s up to no good, Da.”
Lachlan knelt down at the grave, clasping his hands together almost as if in prayer. “I know you always told us that family is everything, and that we need to always take care of each other no matter what. And I always thought that going away to Japan was the best thing I could do. It paid so much more than what I was making in the UK, and I sent almost all of it back home so that Mum could use it. I thought that Mal knew that I didn’t want to leave, but I did it for the family.” His hands were starting to shake, he was clasping them so tightly together that his knuckles were turning white. “He’s gotten bad, Da. He’s become something....I don’t even recognize him anymore. He’s hateful, malicious. He’s even started going after Alanah. Not physically...but some of the things he’s been saying…” Lachlan’s voice started to crack from the emotion. “Da, I don’t know how much more of this I can take. All my friends keep asking me why I don’t stand up for myself. I keep telling them to ignore Mal, that he just wants the attention and if they don’t give it to him, eventually he’ll get bored. But I don’t think he’ll stop. He won’t stop until...I don’t know what will happen.”
Lachlan rose to his feet, looking down at the headstone. “I know I promised you that I’d always look out for the family, that we’d always protect each other...but I think that Mal and I need to work this out the hard way.”
-----
February 22
Long Beach, California
Standing at the end of a long pier jutting out over the Queensway Bay in Long Beach, Lachlan Kane stared contemplatively at the sinking sun off in the horizon. Dressed for the mild weather in jeans and a snug-fitting long-sleeved blue shirt, he was quiet for a few moments before he started to speak, though he continued to look out across the water.
“So, here it is. After months of busting my ass and proving my worth, I’m finally getting a shot at the top. And boy, is it crowded up here.” He chuckled. “Quite a few names being put forward as contenders to Fenris’ title, all of them more than worthy. Though I’m sure that there’s a few doubters about why I happen to be included in all this…”
He finally turned to face the camera, his blue eyes hard with determination. “I realize that’s going to be the talking point of this match. That while I’m certainly dominating the mixed tag division, as a singles competitor I’ve been coming up a little short lately.” Lachlan shook his head. “That ends Sunday. On Sunday, I prove to Austin Mercer, to Travis Levitt, to the entire roster of SCW...hell, I prove to the entire world that I’m deserving. That I belong in the big title picture. Don’t get me wrong, I love teaming with Sierra, and I am proud of our reign as Mixed Tag champions. But I’m always going to be ready for the next challenge that comes my way. Clearly, someone in the front offices believes in my abilities, and thinks that I’m ready for the big shot. And I won’t let them down. I won’t let the fans down. This is the kind of opportunity I’ve fought my whole career for. The big one that’s always seemed to elude me. I’ve had my share of successes in the UK and in Japan, but nothing like this. Everywhere I’ve ever gone, I’ve been looked at by promoters as a solid mid-card star. I’ve never taken offense to it, because no matter what I’ve always gotten to get in the ring and do what I love. It’s never been about the titles for me, though they are quite a nice bonus.” He paused, looking back out at the sunset painting the sky in shades of blue and purple. “But now that I’m actually being looked at as a potential top star, I’ve gotta say the feeling is nice. Knowing that you’ve got the support of management, that they believe so much in your talent and ability that they want to give you the opportunity at the top of the food chain. And believe me, I’m ready. I’m ready and I’m hungry. I want to show the world that the scrapper who came from nothing can be the champion that has it all. And come Sunday, I get that much closer to that goal. Sunday, when I stand tall in the centre of that ring with my arm raised high in the air, everyone will know...I am worthy.”
With one final glance over his shoulder over the water, Lachlan turned on his heel and headed down the pier towards the street, as the camera followed his retreating form before fading out to black.
