[Christian Underwood]

Please post all roleplays here! Have fun and good luck!

[Dreamkiller]

Chapter 49: My decision.

The entire situation was completely fucked up. I knew it, Finn knew it, Amber knew it and of course, poor little Luca knew it. We weren’t going to send him back. That was never going to be an option. But where exactly was my nephew supposed to go? Amber his own mother had no idea how to process the information. And before any of you get too harsh on my sister you have to realise something.

She thought she would never see her son again. Her ex-husband took that child away from her the second that Luca was born. Amber had resigned herself to the thought that she would never be able to hold her son to see her son to talk to her son. And now to suddenly have that opportunity in front of her she was terrified of being able to spend time with him only to have him taken away again.

It was a twisted logic, but it was one that I understood. But I needed to go for a walk. I needed to get out of the apartment.

Luca had fallen asleep, taking one of the guest rooms he couldn’t believe his eyes as he saw a giant bed ready for him to lay in. He passed out and I heard little snores coming from the room. As I went to leave, Finn went to talk to Me. I just held my hand up and shook my head and in that moment he knew that it was better just to simply leave me alone. I had shit that I needed to talk about shit that I needed to process, but it was not going to be with him.

I walked out going downstairs and leaving through the front entrance. In hindsight, that may have been a mistake. Leaving out onto the public street like that after what Finn had done. I knew they were watching. The part of Me just didn’t give a shit. I moved down the sidewalk. The slightly post-summer sun hitting me. It was now fall. Officially. But it was still warm in the air left over from the summer that we had just gone through.

I moved down the sidewalk, my hands sliding into the pockets of my jeans. I took a deep breath and shook my head but then I heard footsteps behind me and I turned, my eyebrow raising as I saw my younger sister Tasmin ”Hey….what are you doing here?”

”Is it true?” My heart sank. I didn’t know if I should just tell her or not. I was shocked that she somehow knew. Before I could answer Tasmin continued. ”Did Finn find Ambers son? Did he really rescue him?”

I took a deep breath swallowing hard before opening my eyes and leading her off the sidewalk to a slightly quiet area in front of a cafe ”Yeah he did…but how did you-“

”Kallie”

Of course. She had seen what happened, she was there. Of course, she would tell Tas. ”Look, we don’t know exactly what is going to happen. Finn was able to get Luca out of there and we’re not going to take him back to that compound but at the same time, we now have them coming after us. Amber has no idea what she’s doing. I have no idea what I’m doing. I just know that I’m not going to let anyone hurt that boy.”

There was a determination in my voice. It’s spat like venom out into the world and my sister looked at me with a strange sense of admiration. And I understood why. Most people think I’m always just out for myself but when it comes to my family I’m very protective, especially with the children. Tasmin knows that I would do horrible things to anyone who hurt her daughter. ”Can I meet him?”

I nodded straight away. It would do Luca some good to meet his other aunt. ”Yeah, of course. It’ll do him some good.”

”I could take him in and look after him.”

”No” I straightaway shook my head. We were not going to go with that idea. I took a deep breath and folded my arms over my chest looking my sister dead in the eye to remind her of the situation that we found ourselves in. ”Jace and the rest of the Romani will be looking for him. I’m not gonna put you Adam or Dawn in danger…”

”Then what do we do?”

I shook my head. I honestly had no idea what to say. But I knew what I was going to do. I turned and we walked back to the apartment. I let my sister go in before me. I had this sinking feeling in my stomach, we were being watched. I looked across the street, my eyes darting site side. And I saw them. A group of men who just looked out of place. They were Romani.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath looking behind me at my home. I could walk in there right now go back up and tell Finn that we were being watched. I could tell my sisters what was going on and we could form some form of plan but there was something else there. I needed to take control of this. I needed to go and see my former boyfriend. The man who for the longest time kept me as a pet. Who tried to get Me to become his perfect little gypsy wife.

I growled under my breath. This man had held too much power over me for too long. I looked up looking at the windows of my home higher above the skyline. I swallowed hard knowing that Finn was in there waiting for me. ”I’m sorry…”

I was ready to go across the street to tell them to take me to Jase. But as I went to step forward and cross the road to hand reached out and grabbed me by the arm. It was Amber. ”The fuck are you doing?”

I turned and looked at Amber right in the eyes and at that moment she knew what I was going to do. She grabbed hold of my arm even harder and pulled me backward into the lobby of my apartment building. ”You know what I want to do. You know what I have to do, Amber.”

”No, you don’t” She shook her head, she was disappointed in me and I could tell. Part of her admired the fact I was ready to go and face him, to step into the lion's den with little to no regard for my own safety. ”You know damn well but will happen if you go and see him. And besides, are you even thinking about what will happen with Finn? How he will feel? And Luca? He has become attached to you.”

”And he should be attached to you. You’re his mother.”

I knew those words would hurt. But I didn’t care. I’d always been straight with my sister and I wasn’t going to stop now. She needed a wake-up call just as desperately as I did. ”yeah I am… and I need you. I need you to help me. I don’t know how I should feel about this. My son, I haven’t got anything with him and I need you to help me so please please don’t do anything stupid Kayla.”

Amber‘s pleading hit me in the heart and I had no choice but to comply. I looked back out towards the street and then at my sister before giving her a small nod. We both made our way to the elevator ready to go upstairs so Amber could see her son. So I could help her navigate the waters of being able to bond with him and get over this horrible feeling she had of abandoning her child.

A giant challenge

”I want to be completely transparent and clear on this. I didn’t want to face Bella Madison.”

Kayla Richards, the current reigning and defending SCW Bombshells world champion stands with her championship wrapped over her shoulder. Her hand gripping the main championship plate at the front her thumb grazing over the nameplate which bears her name.

”It wasn’t because I didn’t think Bella deserved the challenge. It was because that match had nothing to do with me. That match came about because Victoria Lyons wanted to punish Bella and destroy her before their match at violent conduct. I was being used as a tool. A tool to destroy Bella and make sure she goes into the match with Victoria with his little momentum as possible. And to be completely honest is a waste of my time. I am a champion, actually scratch that. I am the champion.”

“I have been at the top of this division since I stepped foot in this company. I walked in and started beating people right away only to be kept back in catering because the top names of this division didn’t want me out there making them look bad. I had to go to social media and run my mouth to make sure that I got booked. And when I did, we were off to the races ladies and gentlemen. Everyone they put in front of me. I beat And when I didn’t beat them, when I was the one who was staring up at the lights looking at someone else have their hand raised. Then I came back better than ever and put them in the dirt.”

“But the match with Bella was not anything that was going to benefit me or her.”

“And that was the point. Victoria Lyons knew what she was doing. She was using me to make sure that Bella was going to struggle and all that did was force me to have a match with someone that given the right circumstances and opportunity could be a legitimate challenger Famai championship. But, on that same night that I made Bella Madison tap out, I was able to look over and see four women ready to beat the living hell out of each other to get a shot at my championship.”

“Four women ready to put it all on the line to face Me.”

Kayla chuckles, thinking back to the match itself watching it backstage after she had beaten Bella watching the four women scrap and claw and do everything they could to try and get an opportunity. It made her heart swell with pride. Pride that this division still had women who were ready to risk everything to get a championship opportunity against the best

”I watched it happen in real-time. Song, Bobby, Tempest, and Harper Mason. The four of them went out there and did everything they possibly could to get their hand raised. And the prize, that little bit of light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a match against me. Now, a match against me is always going to be something worth fighting for but a match against Me for the world bombshells championship is something that every single woman in that locker room should be ready to lay their bodies down for. No matter the cost, no matter the pain, you should be ready to do everything you possibly can to get in the ring with Me for this world championship.”

“This title is the crown jewel of the bombshells division. Shit, it might even be the crown jewel of the entire company and in some circles a jewel that most people outside the company would love to come in and fight for. I have done everything that I can to make sure it is a prize worth getting. I want to take this championship back to the heights that it’s so with women like Amber Ryan Roxi Johnson and Alicia Lukas. I want this championship to be something that people will put their bodies on the line for night in a night out and that fatal four is a step in the right direction.”

“A step towards redemption”

“What do I mean by redemption? I hear some of you asking.”

“I look around at a lot of the names and faces in the women’s division. None of them have really been able to break out like I have. I have a handful of losses and a pile of wins. I have five championship reigns to my name. Three as the Internet champion, one as half of the mixed tag team champions, and one as the bombshells champion. I am at the top of this division and I have been for a very long time. But everyone else, everyone else seems to struggle. They will go on small spurts winning matches before filtering at a challenge that they should be able to overcome. And that is what I mean by redemption. This entire revision needs redemption. I need some of you to start rising up to the challenge to start being more like me and less like, well, you.”

She pauses moving the championship from her shoulder and lightly laying it down on the desk beside her. Kayla folds her arms over her chest. She is an impressive specimen, very very fit with rippling muscles and strong thighs. Her body is still very much feminine, but she shows what it is like to put the work in the gym.

”And a woman who very much needs redemption is tempest. You see, you look at a woman like Tempest and you think to yourself that she should be at the top of the division. Tempest, your size, your power, your skill set. You should’ve drafted this world championship and held it for as long as you want to. But instead, you have faulted and led yourself around the division on a whirlwind tour of despair and loss. Every two steps forward you take when it comes to getting that respect and redemption you falter and fall back three. I’ve watched it happen time and time again. And at the end of the day the closer you get to this championship the further away you get to holding it.”

“I’m sure that sounds like a contradiction but you, yourself are a contradiction. Look at yourself, your size and strength alone make it almost impossible for most people to beat you. But you’ve lost so many matches that you should have won. You have held championships but haven’t really done anything with them to make those titles worth it damn. You were a mixed tag team champion with Austin James Mercer, he is a former world champion and he lowered himself to teaming with you. And you two were one of the reasons why those championships ended up disappearing in the first place.”

“It took me and Finn winning those championships and then becoming world champions to make those titles mean something. And now we have a few people chlorine over themselves. Try and get shots at us. But I’m still waiting for real challenges to come at us. But in the meantime, I kept on defending my bombshells world championship because I needed people to realize how dominant I am.”

“Dominant in a way that you should have been”

“But in the years that you’ve been here, we’ve only seen slight glimpses of what you are capable of. Small moments where people stood back in all and fear of what you could accomplish. But you’ve never been able to break through that glass ceiling. You had your mixed tag team championship run and then since that moment all you’ve managed to do is be the Internet champion. A championship that I made. That title was being forgotten about and passed around like it was nothing. Until I stepped up and took it and made it worth something. You were able to beat Courtney Pearce and take that championship and you had a great run with it until you ran into the woman who I deed for the bombshells championship.”

Kayla shakes her head and throws her arms in the air.

”Julianna was a good Bombshells world champion. Just good. I disowned her. I took this championship and I beat her again. And she marked tried into your division slapped you upside the head and took that Internet championship off of you just as you were starting to get into the conversation of being the most dominant champion of all time. You had it right there in front of you at your fingertips to write yourself into the history books and become something that no one else could claim to be. You could start showing the world that the tempest that we all knew you could be right there in front of us and in the end you failed”

“But this is exactly what I’m talking about with you. You took those steps back after losing, only to take two steps forward by winning that fatal four-way. Truth be told I’m glad it was you. Song has only just come back and Harper Mason is nothing but a joke of a Nepo baby who thinks that she’s top shit. So in my heart and in my mind, it was between you and Bobbie.”

“Bobbie faulted at the last second. The two of you have been two of the biggest names who never actually won world championships. And now you have a shot at it. But the problem Tempest is that you’re facing someone who is better than anyone else who you faced before whether you’ve beaten them or whether you’ve lost. You got to claim a huge scalp in Alicia.Lukas… congratulations”

“Thing is, I’m not Alicia Lukas.”

“She is a fading star, someone who still has the skills to be good in this division but not be the champion. She is on the same level as women like Mercedes Vargas. Or Samantha Marlow. Women who can still claim to be great professional wrestlers but aren’t good enough to become the champion. Not good enough to reach the pinnacle again. And when I talk about reaching the pinnacle, Tempest you need to realize something that everyone else slowly has started to. I haven’t just reached the pinnacle I am the fucking pinnacle.”

“A win over me means even more than becoming the champion. Because the record that I have the scalps that I’ve claimed the wins that I’ve had and the career that I have forged in this company is second to none.”

“It is the kind of win that can make your career Tempest. And oh boy do you need a career-defining win…And trust me, you might have some kind of confidence leading into this since I'll be locked in a steel cage. But I'm not locked in a cage with you....YOU are locked in there with ME”

“Beating Alicia right now means nothing. Beating the Barnharts for the mixed tag titles means nothing. Beating Courtney Pierce? That gave you a small boost. But since then, since losing that title, since fading from the mixed tag team division. Tempest, you are someone who should be a dominant force. But every single time you get close you just fail to pull the trigger. And this time is supposed to be different right? Maybe it will be, the only problem is I question what the future holds…”

“If you are somehow able to show that dominance that we all know you’re capable of, I question what happens after. You beat me you take the championship and then what? Do you go on a dominant run and actually show us who you were meant to be? or do you stumble and fail? Like you have with everything else you’ve done in your life from your personal relationships and friendships to being a professional wrestler. This championship needs a stable champion and you are not it so I’m going to be damned if I let you get anywhere close to my championship and my division. And at violent conduct, steel cage or not, I’m going to break you and put you in your place”

[Tempest]

Betrayal

We've all felt the bitter sting of it, in many cases the pain much more tragic than any previous experience. That is always the most frightening aspect of the sense of betrayal; it comes in many ways, in many forms. Some examples include but are not limited to: Lying, infidelity, financial betrayal, hidden drug use and, if we are to be brutally honest, too many more examples to be named here alone.

Think back to that best friend that you had in your childhood. You know the one we're talking about. The one who you met practically on the first day of kindergarten and you clicked just instantly in knew right then and there that you would be best friends forever. You did everything together, from birthday parties to stay the night at each other's houses. Confiding secrets and tell me one another your hopes and dreams. You thought it was last forever and it would have were enough for a little something called High School. That first day when you sat in the crowded cafeteria, surrounded by juniors, sophomores and seniors. Waiting to tell your best friend all about your first day, and the way your heart broke when your friend walked right past you, pretending not to know you and sat at the table with the Mean Girls, otherwise known as the “cool kids”. You think perhaps at first she just wanted to introduce herself to some new friends. But over time you start to notice the stolen glances and the soft giggling. And before you know it, every secret you confided in her, from your secret crush to an embarrassing hobby, becomes the talk of the entire school. And before you know it, a lifelong friendship has been prematurely ended, and for what? Popularity.

The workplace itself is a cesspool of the trail and a hotbed of backstabbing. When it comes down to it, the business world is a cutthroat environment. It doesn't matter what you do or where you work. You could work as a cashier in a grocery store or living your dream, I probably enough, competing inside of the six-sided rings of Sun City Wrestling. Often it would prove to be an inevitable truth that your workplace friends are not true friends. Oh you might hang out with them on your breaks and laugh and talk about your favorite television shows. You may even hang out together after your shifts, perhaps going to the club for a few drinks. But make no mistake; that friend of yours that you complained to about management? Is very likely to pass along everything you said to upper management in the hopes that will hold you back while they get the upcoming promotion. A young woman, fresh out of college and hopeful, accuses her male coworker, whom she had hung out with on a regular basis with friendly intentions, of harassment and all because he got a promotion that she had set her sights on herself despite her lack of qualifications.

But without a doubt, the times where it hurts the most is when you are betrayed by a loved one. Your own family. A wife that decides she deserves better than her husband without giving a chance for reconciliation, preferring to leave him and trade him in for a younger model. A husband that professes his love towards his wife but holds nothing back when it comes to physically and emotionally abusing her. Promising to never do it again but he always does.

But what hurts more than anything is when the one who wronged you, the one that hurt you beyond comprehension, is your very own parents. Mom and Dad. The two people you grew up loving naturally and whom you believed would always have your back. No matter what. A scared gay teen coming out to his, her or their Mom and Dad in the hopes for their continued love and support. Only to be met with brutal indifference and thrown out into the streets. Parents who clearly show favoritism toward one sibling and make no bones as to their preferences.

A mother who inadvertently acknowledges that she does not consider your adopted child by marriage her own granddaughter.

That was what Alleyne Mahoe aka Tempest was currently facing. The heartache of a reality seemingly shattered and being forced to be the one to pick up the pieces in the most painful way possible - alone. And here is a little secret for anyone who thinks they know all there is to know about SCW’s resident amazon; She'd rather face every single woman in the Bombshell division in a single match than have to face the hurt her adopted daughter Anela was going through.

Since the dinner with her family in Hawaii had abruptly ended in chaos, Tempest had taken her daughter back to her own house in Honolulu, but not to stay. She knew her family well enough that if she did not answer their calls and texts - which she had yet to do since leaving the family home - they would soon show up on her doorstep. And they would not leave until this matter had been settled. But after gazing into the passenger seat and seeing Anela curled up tightly against the backrest with silent tears streaming down her cherubic face, Tempest could only feel things would end badly for her family if they were to just show up before she herself was ready and willing.

So she ushered Anela into their house to gather everything they had brought for their summer stay and they left for Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, and the first flight available back to Las Vegas. And not a moment too soon as less than five minutes after they had taken their leave, Tempest’s family had arrived only to discover the house had been vacated.

Granted, Tempest and Anela had been back in Las Vegas for some time now and it had taken us some time to catch everyone up to speed. Summer vacation had long since ended, Anela was back in school and Tempest had the world at her fingertips once again within the wrestling community. But at this point, she felt like the most hopeless person on the planet, not knowing how to deal with the family turmoil that was unraveling at her feet.

This was not like those stories where you hear celebrities tell tales of horrible childhood experiences and abusive parents. Tempest and her brothers experienced none of that. Quite the contrary, as a matter of fact. Their upbringing had been happy as far back as they could remember and while their parents could not spoil them with a wealth of extravagant gifts, they were brought up understanding the importance of family and staying together. Which made the recent experience all the more heart rendering.

Tempest: Hey, c’mon. Everything’s going to be okay.

Tempest whispered to Anela as the nine year old laid huddled beneath the blankets on her bed, seemingly attempting to curl up so tight against herself that she might practically vanish. Her small body was once again, rocking with silent sobs and the tears streaking down her cheeks as her “mama” wiped them clean with her fingertips. Ever since Honolulu, Anela had been plagued by nightmares. Ones in which she did not want to share the details for fear that doing so might cause them to come true - a child’s logic? But Gabriel and Odette’s son - and Anela’s best friend - Lucas, managed to coax the details out of her. She had been dreaming about waking up and finding herself all alone in their home, nobody anywhere to be seen nor found.

The first nightmare was the worst. It had happened while staying at the Stevens’ home while Tempest was overseas on the Royal Pain tour. She had dreamt that she woke up alone and walked outside, and there was nothing - and nobody. She woke up in Gabriel’s house, unfamiliar surroundings in her sleep deprived state, in such hysterics that Gabriel had phoned Tempest and she took the first plane back home to console her little girl. It was why Tempest had not made every show during the tour, citing family issues to Mark Ward who was more than understanding.

Tempest: Baby girl, you have to know that I am not going to leave you.

Anela’s sad, watery eyes looked up to the woman who had married her Daddy all those years ago and quickly became her mother figure.

Anela: You might.

Tempest: Now why would you think that?

Anela: Because Daddy did.

And there it was; the proverbial punch right in the feelings. And it was one that hurt Tempest herself as much as it did that little girl that was laying in bed beside her. Tempest extended a hand and gently ran her palm over Anela’s hair, brushing it with her fingertips back behind her ear. The pain of losing Malulani still pained her, and was a main reason why she had not dignified the idea of trying to date again after his loss. Despite the many times her family and select close friends attempted to implant the idea into her head.

Tempest: You know your Daddy never would have left you if he had the choice.

To this assurance, Anela really did not have anything to say. Whether she trusted and believed her Mom was just something Tempest had to put faith in - not one of her stronger suits if we’re to be honest. Their eyes simply remained locked on one another’s until the little one finally broke her silence, her slim shoulders shrugging from beneath her blanket.

Anela: Really?

Tempest: Really. And neither will I.

Anela: Promise?

Tempest: I promise.

Tempest leaned in to give her daughter a soft kiss on the forehead and tuck her in. She watched as Anela’s eyes slowly closed and she hoped that this was a sign that she would soon be able to embrace that elusive little thing called sleep. She had school in the morning and right now Tempest was half tempted to phone in and tell them Anela would be unable to attend that day. Not that Anela would be very agreeable to such a thing, no matter how little sleep she got. Anela loved school, quite unlike Tempest’s own experiences. Missing school meant Anela would miss seeing her friends, and that simply was not an option were it up to the child.

Tempest stood up, now satisfied that soon Anela would get some much needed rest, and she stepped foot outside into the apartment’s hallway, taking care not to shut the bedroom door entirely. She gazed down the hall and toward the kitchen where felt the desire well up to pop a cap on a bottle of beer and indulge but knew she too had to get up soon. She had only awoken from her own sleep when she heard Anela crying in her bedroom.

Tempest: Damn it…

She resigned herself to simply going back to bed and grabbing what sleep she could when she passed the accent table where her phone was set to charge, and heard the sound of the vibrations against the hard, cherry wood surface. She frowned, ‘A call at this hour?’ and she picked it up and hit the green accent button…

Tempest: This had better be important! Do you know what time it is…!?

Only had she paid closer attention to the Caller ID, she might not have answered so abruptly.

Kaimana: Well, hello to you too!

Tempest: Oh… Sorry Papa. What are you calling for at this hour? It has to be…

Kaimana: It’s only just after ten, so shush. I indeed to…

But whatever he was going to say was quickly interrupted by the familiar voice of her mother on the other end of the call…

Nalani: Is that Alleyne?! I want to talk to her!

Kaimana: Just a second…

Nalani: No, I need to talk to my daughter! I…

Tempest: Papa, let me make this very clear. If you put her on the phone I swear to God I will hang up right here and now and I will not be answering any more calls any time soon!

Then the sound on the other end of the call grew muffled, as if someone had placed the palm of their hand over the phone so as not to be overheard. But her Dad didn’t do a good enough job as she could hear the tense exchange of words she couldn’t quite make out, until it was soon over and her Father returned to the call.

Kaimana: Okay, I’m back. But you should know that ultimatum was uncalled for young lady.

Tempest: Uncalled for?

Kaimana: Yes. You have not spoken to your Mom since you left that dinner. You have barely spoken to any of us!

Tempest: Because you didn’t raise no fool for a daughter, Papa. I know every call and text I get from you or Nahea is on behalf of Mom, trying to get me to talk to her.

Kaimana: Well of course we want you two to talk! You and your Mom have never gone this long without speaking, Alleyne. Ever!

Tempest: She’s never given me a reason to not want to talk with her. Ever.

Tempest swallowed hard, feeling the pain of separation as easily as her Father’s words described. Her Mom and she had shared such a special, close bond ever since she was a little girl. Nalani’s only daughter and not being able to pick up the phone to call her Mom like she was used to several times a week was hurting her as much as it was hurting Nalani. But sometimes pride and stubbornness were a necessary evil.

Kaimana: You are aware of the effect this is having on the family, yes? And I am not just talking about what happened between you and your Mother. But after what you said to Konane and Iolana…

Tempest: You know as well as I do that everything I said to those two was the truth Papa. Every chance they get, every social gathering they go to, they make about themselves!

Kaimana: I am aware, Alleyne. But I am also aware that it is more Iolana than it is your brother.

Tempest: He goes along with it. That’s bad enough. I’ve just had my fill of everything having to be all about her! She couldn’t even let my daughter have one evening without making it about her being pregnant!

Kaimana: Yes, it has been a topic of conversation here, I admit. But just because it was the truth didn’t mean that you had to throw it in their faces in front of everyone and embarrass them. Tact, Alleyne. It was never your strongest of suits.

Tempest just shrugged, being unable to outright deny such an accusation.

Kaimana: Now, about your Mother…

Tempest shook her head.

Tempest: I’m not talking to her Papa. Not yet.

She heard her father sigh and something again hushed was spoken from his end of the call. She could swear she heard a sob from the other side, most likely her mother, when her Dad returned to the call.

Kaimana: Your mother didn’t mean what she said, Alleyne. You have to know that. She loves Anela! She just got caught up in the news about the pregnancy…

Tempest: And promptly swept my daughter aside.

Kaimana: Alleyne…!

Tempest: Anela has been having abandonment nightmares ever since we left Hawaii, Papa. Did you know that?

Kaimana: No, I…

Tempest: Do you want to know what she said to me that first night? She told me she wishes Malulani’s mother was still alive. Because that way she’d have a grandma that loved her!

There was no response from her Father from the other end of the call. What could he say to that? Tempest drew in a breath and she cast a look back down the hall, in the direction of her daughter’s bedroom.

Tempest: I have to go, Papa. Anela has school in the morning and it’s already going to be a long day.

Kaimana: … Alright. Oh, and Alleyne? That match that you’re in?

Tempest: Yeah?

Kaimana: Kick her ass, baby girl.

Tempest snorted. Still, after all these years, being called ‘baby girl’ by her old man. After saying their farewells and an exchange of “I love you’s,” Tempest ended the call and immediately did a U Turn to go and grab that beer.


Further inside of the GO Gym, past the weights and modern exercise equipment and the six-sided rings where the best learned to hone theory craft in preparation for a career-defining dream, there was a room that was unlike any other. It was large, as was to be expected in such a setting, but it looked more like a classroom and entirely out of place in a training facility where the top men and women from around the world congregated to learn from such notable talents as Gabriel and Odette Stevens, along with some of their top graduates like London Underground, Ariana Angelos and Fenris.

It was in this room where the students learned the history of the business, a very important hallmark according to the Stevens. After all, to better appreciate where you were going, you had to appreciate who came before you. That was why this room was made up to be more of a lecture hall, reminiscent of a college classroom. Desks were lined perfectly along the tile floor and there was one desk and a lecture podium at the forefront of the room. Behind the desk and podium was a backdrop, where students were also taught the fine art of mic skills. A talent that was needed almost as much as the skills inside of the ring.

And standing behind that podium, was none other than the woman who would be attempting to do the seemingly impossible in a matter of days - strip ‘the Dreamkiller’ of her cherished World Championship. Tempest.

“Violent Conduct X…”

Tempest nodded.

“Seems appropriate, all things considered. A Supercard event that basically preys on the most carnal desire of sports and society since dawn’s earliest of times. Violence. I know that people say that sex sells and I can’t deny the fact. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in; wrestling, movies… whatever! If you look good and you can draw the eyes of the world your way? Baby, you’re as good as gold! But… looks will only carry you so far. In television or films, looks fade. Tight boobs and even tighter asses start to sag in time, and soon all you’ll have to look back on is an ass that is closer to the floor than your feet! But in sports…”

“Looks can matter. You can draw all the eyes toward you, just like anywhere else, but if you can’t play ball, those looks will only take you so far. In this sport, you can be the most drop dead gorgeous and fit man or woman to ever step foot inside of a ring, but if you can’t back it up once that bell rings? None of it matters. To better succeed in this business, you not only have to be able to dish it out but you sure as hell better be able to take it! And that’s where the violence comes into play.”

“Violence has been a staple in sports since the Roman Coliseum and the gladiator fights and even before that! Do you honestly think anyone goes to see a hockey game and gives a damn about the graceful ice skating skills of those hockey players? Hell no! They are all - secretly or not - hoping to see a fight break out so they can take a bloody tooth home as a souvenir! Fights have broken out in sports, in everything from football to soccer to baseball! Who the hell even cares about who can hit a ball the farthest and run the fastest!? I want to see someone get beaned with the baseball so the batter can charge the pitcher and the field comes alive!”

“Why do you think MMA fighting is so popular??? Men and women inside of a cage, beating the hell out of each other until the other is unable to continue! Boxing! Professional wrestling! It’s all the same when you get right down to it! Yes, they are sports but they all center around one universal truth; the people watching want to see violence!”

“And now here I am, right smack dab in the thick of things against one of wrestling’s very best - inside of a steel cage! Ironic, no?”

Tempest raised a brow.

“At first I was annoyed at being put inside of a steel cage in my first chance at this title. I don’t even know if the rules are classic escaping the cage in order to win or if Kayla and I have to go for pinfalls or submissions – or all of the above! I was pissed because fighting for the title in a cage made me feel like she and I were in some kind of zoo exhibit, for people to gawk at and point towards, but I came to realize she and I weren’t the only ones. Almost every match scheduled befits the theme of the night, and every man and woman out there inside of that ring is risking more than just a loss. They’re risking their bodies more so than usual! They are risking blood loss! They are risking their very careers! And now, after I’ve had more time to think about it?”

She closed her eyes with a soft smile and shook her head.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. I was taught a long time ago when I first got into this business - give the people what they want. They wanted chaos, so I went out and I was attacking every single Bombshell that crossed my path! And some who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It just didn’t matter to me! And now, in London? The people want to see two bad ass chicks break each other’s bodies inside of a cage to determine which is the most deserving of walking out of England as the World Champion! They want to see Kayla and I beat each other bloody and you know something?”

She nodded.

“Sounds like fun.”

“Now I find it funny to look back at the times when women I’ve faced and beaten, names like Zoey Lukas, who would step up after losing and accuse me of not following through on any momentum that I built up for myself and just letting my career slide into obscurity. Well, Zoey isn’t around right now, and I just beat three other women to get this chance against a woman who fancies herself something of a ‘killer of dreams’.”

Tempest snorted back a derisive laugh.

“Granted, she has done more than her share of taking her opponents’ dreams and dashing them on the rocks, but I think that’s gone on for long enough. She has gone up against some pretty top named talents during her time at the top here in SCW, but she has yet to go up against anyone like me. And she can talk as big and bad as she wants, but running her mouth is only going to get it slapped shut! I suppose it’s not her fault … entirely. Being a double champion and a former three-time Internet Champion would give anyone that sort of ego boost. But it also paints a very big target on your back and has the world aching to see your inevitable downfall.”

“Now I am not here to talk to you or anyone else that’s listening in about anything else other than the championship that matters! I am not talking about your co-dependent reign as Tag Champion with Finn Whelan or the three reigns you enjoyed as the Internet Champion!”

She shook her head and wagged a forefinger toward the camera.

“No, right now the only championship past or present that is of any importance right now is the one that you’ve got a death grip on, but also one that is slowly slipping from your fingertips. Dangling on the thinnest of hairs, ready to break and move on to a new owner. Your reign as the World Bombshell Champion has been the talk of the wrestling world, and I imagine in hearing that, you’re puffing up like some peacock, ready to strut about, back straight, nose in the air and a strut that would make John Travolta green with envy. But that’s not the case here, Kayla.

“The thing is, Kayla, you have yourself built up in your own mind that you’re some kind of champion that has revitalized the Bombshell division, serving as some kind of self deluded example that we should be aspiring to emulate. But the problem with that whole scenario that you have going in that noodle head of yours is that you are not quite the high profile champion that you want to try and fool the world into believing. I mean, I can understand your confusion and you’re probably watching this right now, thinking I’ve lost it. But hear me out. Please, and maybe I can make it make sense.”

Tempest extended a hand over to the open laptop on the desk and hit power, and the screen behind them came to life with a virtual clip show of what could best be described as Kayla’s Greatest Hits.

“You won the World title in April of this year, in Flagstaff, yes? At Blaze of Glory XII to be more precise. The first Main Event between two Bombshells seems like forever! And that was very well deserved as you and Julianna kicked ass! But after that…?”

“Your first match as the champion. Versus Ariana Angelos. April 28 in Hastings, England. Non-title. Your next match as champion. May 19. Troy, against Harper Mason. Again – non-title.

She brought up her eyebrows.

“Two back to back non-title matches? Of course you more than made up for this in a rematch against Julianna at Pearl Harbor at Into the Void XIII. But after that, back to back World Tag Team title defenses. First against the Conspiracy in Pueblo and then against Miles Kasey and Alexandra Calaway in Los Angeles! Now yes, I grant you those tag team titles had to be defended but at the expense of the World singles gold? You didn’t defend the title since June until you faced Luna Pasilno at Summer XXXTreme XIII in August! Almost two freaking months between World Championship defenses!”

“At least you made the effort at the end of August when you defended against a former champion in Seleana Zdunich, but after that? Back to the Mixed Tag Team division the following week, once again against Miles and Alexandra. And talk all the smack you want but those two had your number until you squeaked by! And then your last match before the inevitable… Monaco. September 15. The very same show where I earned my spot against you… Bella Madison was beating you from pillar to post but you once again, managed to pull one out of your ass.”

“You’re good, Kayla. Great, even. But sooner or later you’re going to meet up with someone who isn’t going to let you be so lucky, and you’re looking right at her. Five months, Kayla.”

She held up her hand, fingers spread out.

“Five months. Three World Championship defenses, not including this one. Hardly the stuff of legend.”

“I’m here to point out one hard, stone cold truth to you Kayla; you are no politician. You’re a professional wrestler. Granted, a highly skilled and successful one, but you’ve got the hallmark of a future presidential candidate the way you try to rewrite history to make yourself out to be even more than you truly are. Alternative facts, I suppose you could call them if you’re so inclined. But then tell me this…”

“If you are the greatest World Champion… If you have brought the Bombshell Championship up to the level you want everyone to believe…”

She leaned in against the podium and shook her head.

“Why then are we going on before the Roulette Championship for god’s sake!?”

[Dreamkiller]

Chapter 50: Trust in me

I was on edge. This whole thing was getting under my skin, making it burn. I paced back and forth, trying to fill my days with random busy work. It was the only way I could keep my mind off everything. I went for a run, I went to the gym, and I made a protein shake. Nothing I did was helping, and during the quieter moments, the silence became deafening. I saw them everywhere. Members of the Romani, I could feel them watching. And I knew that when I saw them it was because they wanted to be seen.

They wanted me to know they were there.

Everyone else in the house kept on looking at me like my head had grown a third eye. Shocked as I moved around the house and did housework. Yes, me, housework. I cleaned the kitchen emptying the dishwasher refilling it over and over again cleaning out cupboards and wiping down shelves I seemed like I had some kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder but in reality, I was just trying to keep my mind off of the hell that we had found ourselves in

Finn for his part, ignored what was going on. He understood that I process things differently. But he also knew I was in distress. I could feel his eyes on me when I moved about the kitchen cleaning. Everyone else who lived in our Home or was coming to visit was shocked by what they saw as I moved about vacuuming, dusting, and doing all of the household shit that I normally wouldn’t even bother with or pay someone to do for me.

After hours of this seemed like Finn had finally reached his breaking point. He suddenly got up grabbing me by the arm and pulling me into the bedroom. We stepped in I stumbled a little and turned with a smirk on my face. ”I do you like it when you’re forceful” I bit my bottom light trying to access seductive because I knew that he wanted to have a conversation and that’s the last thing I wanted to do at this moment.

”Kayla..”

”Anytime  you want me in the bedroom all you have to do is ask.” I stepped forward raising my eyebrows and putting a hand on his chest. I could see a twinge in Finn‘s eye for a moment he thought about forgetting what he came in here to talk about. I knew how to do my job.

He cleared his throat, his head with a small smile ”I know what you’re doing. It’s not going to work. No matter how much I wish it was going to.” I stepped back. I knew he was serious. With how long he and I had known each other through our friendship all the way through our relationship I have been able to pick up on small facial expressions and body language queues. No matter how hard I pushed him, no matter how hard I tried to seduce him Finn was not going to stop.

”Ok, what is it?”

Finn shook his head folding his arms over his chest in his “big boy” stance. I mirrored his stance and he narrowed his eyes, he knew what I was doing. ”I get it, this is hard for you.” He was trying to empathize. How sweet. Bless his heart. I nodded slowly urging him to go on, shit I was curious to see where this went. ”This whole situation has blown up in ways I never thought possible. I had to get Luca out of there…I just-”

I put my hand up shaking my head interrupting him ”No, that isn’t….Finn, I know they’re there. I get up in the mourning, go for a run and they’re there. I go to the fucking cafe down the street to get my goddamn caramel latte…and they’re there…” My voice quivered, I swallowed hard but it was anger. Not fear.

”I won’t let them hurt you…”

”It’s not about that. At all. I’m not afraid of them. I hate them…I hate all of this…” I started pacing throwing my hands in the air. I was so angry and I was trying to hide it, push it down. ”I know I can end this….if I go see Jace….on his terms”

I spoke low, almost at a whisper, and Finn's demeanor changed. He shook his head and stood back. ”No”

”No?”

He shook his head and stepped forward, his eyes focused and burning a hole through me. I could see the change in him, subtle movements or looks that no one else would pick up on. Only me. ”You are not going there to see him. Not with anyone, not alone. It’s not going to happen.” He stared down at me, and I felt obliged to hold his gaze.

”You know this is about me. It’s never been about Dickie or the Yakuza…”

Finn's jaw clenched. ”I know…” He swallowed and looked down and away letting out a small sigh before shaking his head ”It started as just about you, but to justify it all he needed to go after Dickie and their hold on certain businesses. It’s too far gone, you going and seeing Jace won’t stop that now…” He pauses stepping forward ”And us taking Luca, giving him back to his mother…..lines have been crossed Kayla”

My voice trembled, he was right, of course. And I hated that. But it was always in my nature to push forward, to push buttons, and to try and get my way. It's how I’ve been since I was a little girl. ”I still could try, just walk across the street, get them to take me to him…talk to him….he used to be able to be reasoned with when he…”

”Loved you?”

Finn interrupted with a glare and only a slight twinge of something new and unknown. Jealousy. ”Yeah…..”

”Kayla…” He stepped forward, reaching out and grabbing my shoulders ”That guy, the one who got you out of there, who was reasonable and level-headed. He’s gone. You can’t reason with a man like that. I’ve seen it before.”

I looked down. I knew he was right. I knew that Jace was a different man, a different beast. But I still could try. ”I could still…get through to him…”

Finn's eyes grew cold as he started to drift off, I don’t know where he went mentally, but I could see it behind his eyes, his jaw clenched. He was in his past. Scanning over memories people he knew and things he had done. ”If you go there….Kayla if something happened to you…I’d” He softened his right hand moved to my cheek, his thumb moved across my face and he shook his head ”If they hurt you…the man I’d become….it would be the same as with Jace. I’d become a man you wouldn’t recognize. Or the man you…”

”Love?”

He nodded again, I got on my tip toes kissing him softly and giving him a reassuring smile. ”I will make sure nothing happens to you…”

”I know…”

Focus

”The biggest match of your goddamn life.”

Kayla‘s voice and her British accent break the silence. She leans back against the chain-link fence that looks kind of like a cage. The sun is out and beating down as she folds her arms over her chest.

”You said it yourself. This is the first opportunity that you’ve had at this championship. Because every other time you’ve even got close in a contenders match or being considered for it you failed. So tell me, Tempest. Coming into this match against Me, how did you choose to start thinking about it? What was the first thing that came into your mind and made you decide that you wanted to open your mouth and start a conversation? Was it anything to do with how big and strong you are? Was it anything to do with the path that led you here or the people that you have beaten and the matches that you’ve won?”

“Was it any type of deconstruction of my history and what led me to becoming the world champion? Was it anything relevant at all? No, no it was not. When you decided that you were going to start talking about Me and this championship match, I sat back and heard you start talking about looks of all things. looks.”

“Really?”

“Everything that you have in front of you. Everything that you have going for you. And you decide to focus on your stupid bullshit insecurities. What? Was your point that I’m good-looking? Because I know. I have Puddy lips I have green emerald eyes that most guys go nuts for I have tattoos. I go to the gym. I have large breasts I get it. I’m good-looking. But that has nothing to do with my ability in the ring. And maybe that was the point that you were trying to make that this is a very visual business and I take all the boxes visually as well as skills wise.”

Kayla rolled her eyes and scoffs throwing her arms in the air.

”Talking about violence. The violence of mixed martial arts, or boxing, or wrestling. You started going into that but before you got there you had to go through some contrived mental gymnastics about looks to get there. The problem with that tempest is that you’ve just shown me what your biggest insecurity actually is. Your looks. Look, in your own way, you have a certain beauty to you. You are large you are strong. You are someone who could bend a steel pipe in half with her bare hands.”

“Now beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Do more men think that I’m attractive over you? Probably. A lot of guys don’t like having women who are bigger than them but some guys, shit some guys see that as their fetish. But in the classical sense out of the two of us, I’m probably looked at as more attractive. Does that have anything, anything, to do with our match? Because I can tell you right now sweetheart it doesn’t.”

“This match is for the Sin City wrestling world bombshells championship. Or Bombshells World Championship. Depending on how you want to say it. Regardless of how you want to say it the person who holds this championship is widely regarded as the best female wrestler on the fucking planet. The best. And that is what I have been for the last four months. I have been able to call myself the best and no one in that locker room and no one in any other locker room around the planet has been able to disagree with me because I have the physical goddamn proof.”

“And it is your job to take this championship from Me and make it your possession and you’re right to say that you are the best”

“And make no mistake that’s exactly what that championship is. A championship that you seem to think is slipping from my fingers. That is one of the most laughable things you’ve ever said in your pitiful existence. I said it before you are a very skilled very large very strong woman. You should be at the top of this fucking division. You should be the one destroying everyone. You should be the one with the death grip as you called it on this championship but you’re not and you haven’t been. You’ve been in this company longer than me and you have done nothing. You had one rain with a title that I made famous and one good rain as a mixed tag team champion because a former world champion dragged toward it.”

Kayla laughs shaking her head as she steps forward and throws her arms over her chest standing with a certain amount of sass to her posture.

”You want to talk about codependency? Since you brought it up. My apparent codependency with Finn means nothing. He and I had a friendship that dissolved into nothing. We had a moment of weakness one Christmas and it almost destroyed us. But before he and I stopped talking to each other we had signed up to the mixed tag team division just in case it ever came back. And when it did he and I came together we honored our contracts but we ended up being the best tag team that this company has ever seen. Codependency? He and I are at the top of the divisions. We are the best in the mixed tag team division. He’s the best on the male side. I’m the best on the bombshell side.”

“Co-dependency?”

“But you? It’s funny because you had one championship rain before the Internet title. It was a mixed tag team title rain with Austin. And now even though you two don’t team together anymore he’s barely in the company. You are still so dependent on anything to do with him That it borders on insanity. You are pining away for the attention of a man who is never going to be in love with you.”

“You finally got some kind of success without him and one of the first things you did after losing that championship is have a match with his girlfriend and he was in as a special guest referee. Codependent? Bitch you needed him as a special guest referee in a match with his goddamn girlfriend to make yourself fucking relevant.”

“You don’t get to talk about my relationship and my professionalism in a negative way when you have all of that baggage bullshit sitting in front of you on full display in front of the goddamn world”

She lost to herself again, sliding her hands into the pockets of her jeans. Her green emerald eyes blazing with a fire of anger and hatred.

”The fact remains that you keep grasping at straws. You wanted to sit there and point out how few world championship defenses I’ve had while also pointing out that I’ve had to go to the mixed tag team division? Tell me, Tempest, do you know what it’s like to have that pressure on you? Because we’ve talked about it before. You have no idea what it takes. I’m not gonna defend the world championship against everyone who I’m putting in a match against because they don’t deserve it. Harbour Mason didn’t deserve it, are you going to stand there and tell me that she did?”

“Hell, I defended the championship against women who didn’t deserve to get that defense. Ariana Angela didn’t deserve to be fighting for the world bombshell championship.”

“You want to judge me because of my career? Again, a mixed tag team championship rain that broke records and made yours look like nothing. A world championship is something that you have never had that you are striving to hold and that you have failed to come close to in a longer career. And you want to stand there and judge me, you want to talk about how I’m good but I might be great but I haven’t said the world on fire.”

“You can’t do a quarter of what I’ve accomplished. You’re standing there talking yourself up like you’re going to be some amazing champion and that my defeat is inevitable. Shit, you even use that word. But what exactly are you going to do? I’m gonna be trapped in a cage with you and if you beat me and you take that championship then what? Then you have to deal with half of the pressure that I had. And when you get put under pressure you crumble and you fold. We’ve seen it time and time again.”

“So tell me, you win this championship? And then what? Because I asked the question before. I don’t see you doing anything with it. I can handle the pressure. I can handle the pressure of being a champion in two divisions and I can handle the pressure of facing the best. This company has the offer including the blast from the past winner… something that you made sound inconsequential when you were running down my recent history.”

Kayla chuckled to herself and through her hands in the air stepping back.

”I’ll say it louder for the people in the back. I beat the blast from the past tournament winner Luna Palsino. I beat a woman who won a tournament that you have never won. For a championship that you have never held. In a main event of a show that you have never made invented. All these things in my career that I have done that you haven’t and you’re going to stand there and tell me that you beating me is inevitable? If you beating me is inevitable then you doing anything in your life is delusional.”

“But hey what do you want Tempest? I’m just someone who has done everything that you’ve done and a hell of a lot more.. I have main evented supercards and you haven’t. So you wanna question why we are where we are on the card? I think we just found the reason champ.”

“Thing is, you could have come at me the right way. You could’ve come at me and talked about how you could see the pressures of the world championship and the mixed tag team championship. You could come at Me and say that the pressure would be getting to me and you were going to beat me and you were going to take the world title off of me and that I would’ve understood. That I would’ve stood here and I would’ve congratulated you for. But you’ve come up with this ridiculous theory where you rant about looks before talking about violence before then settling on the crux of the situation where you are jealous of everything that I have done and have no idea the pressures that I am under and that you will soon only feel a fraction of.”

“Pressure can turn coal into diamonds. Or pressure can break rocks into dust. Already know that I’m a bright shining fucking diamond. But now it’s on you to step up and finally decide what you’re going to be. But when it comes to you and me Tempest? I look at you and all I see, and I’m quoting Kansas, is dust in the wind….”[/color]

[Tempest]

“Time To Topple A Queen”

The one drawback to being a single mother is figuring out how to balance your professional life alongside your work life. Responsibilities clash and you have to find a way to meet in the middle so your child is not neglected, but neither is your career. Because if it wasn’t for your career, you’d have no means to care for the child.

It’s one of the things that Tempest had found to be the most challenging from a personal perspective because as a professional wrestler for SCW, she found herself to be on the road at regular intervals. And at minimum of twice a year, she could be on tour for five weeks at a stretch, sometimes overseas in distances far away from her daughter. As it stood, Tempest would often take breaks in her in-ring career to ensure Anela never had the feeling of abandonment and was assured that she would always be there for her. There were indeed times when rivals inside of the ring took this precaution in her personal life as something akin to ammunition. Ready to try and use it against her when the simple fact was; they couldn’t.

Oh they could speak up and say plenty about Tempest ending a brief run during the tour to fly home to spend time with her daughter as opposed to going straight to the next tour destination, but that was just how dedicated she was to her little girl. It couldn’t be used against her with any sense of effectiveness because those were her priorities and she did not apologize for them.

And for a time, she always had a strong ‘village’ that could and would step in when she had little choice but to be on the road. While in Las Vegas during the school year, her trainers Gabriel and Odette Stevens were only too happy to take care of Anela and have her stay the night until her Mom returned from abroad. On the rare times she brought Anela to the show, she was lucky enough to have women in the locker room like Bella Madison and her mother Laura Phoenix whose maternal instincts kicked into overdrive and would be only too happy to watch after her daughter until match time was over.

But all other times, Tempest had relied heavily on her own family in Hawaii if the time was needed. Anela had aunts and uncles and grandparents who were thrilled to the bone to watch after her and babysit – until recently that is. A falling out was the end result of a ill choice of words on the part of her own mother, and now Tempest had sworn hell would freeze over before she let her mother babysit.

These recent happenings have been plaguing Tempest for weeks, unable to think about anything else. It made leaving Anela in Gabriel and Odette’s care even harder than usual. But it was of little choice this time around because Tempest was required to be in London, and she waited for as long as she was able to stretch the time before she ultimately had to board the plane.

And indeed, this was Tempest’s first time in London. She had always wanted to come and thought it would be something to remember, but all she could think about was her daughter and her mother glossing over the fact she already had a grandbaby, when celebrating her older brother’s wife expecting their first child together.

The first ‘biological’ grandchild in the family.

Tempest was wandering aimlessly around Covent Garden, taking in the sights and trying desperately to keep her mind on anything else lest she fall into the mental abyss that had been plaguing her. She paused to admire the craft stalls and fashion stores. She purchased a bag of apples to snack on throughout the day from a vendor and walked past the impressive visage of the Royal Opera House. But it was when she paused along with a throng of onlookers to watch some street performers when she felt the familiar hum of her phone vibrating in her pocket.

She fished it out, silently cursing herself for not having turned it completely off. More so when she saw who had just texted her. Her older brother, Konane, on the other end. The two had not spoken in weeks, a testament to the drama festering like an open and ill-treated wound. Tempest’s family was known for their closeness, something Gabriel himself was proud to see when he had visited a few times over the years. But that closeness had slowly broken over a little something called reality.

The reality that everything was not as perfect as perhaps one might like.

Still, she read the text…

Konane: So, are you ready to apologize?

This opening line caused Tempest to stare at the phone screen, everything involving the street performers now forgotten and a thing of the past. She stepped away from the crowd for some attempt at privacy and she responded…

Tempest: What exactly do I have to apologize for?

Konane: Everything, Alleyne! For the way you treated Mom and what you said to Iolana!

Tempest: You mean for what I said when Mom basically said Anela wasn’t her real granddaughter? Or how I pointed out how your wife has to make every occasion about her?

Konane: That’s not true and you know it!

Tempest: Which part?

Konane: Either! Any of it!

Tempest: Then you’re more blind than I thought if you actually believe that. Mom said in front of the entire family that your future kid was her first grandchild, not my daughter just because she isn’t mine biologically. And you don't see anything that Iolana doesn’t ALLOW you to see.

Konane: That’s enough! You can’t treat Mom or my wife like this!

Tempest: Oh Mom and I will settle things when I’m ready. But as far as you and Iolana? Face facts, big brother. You’re whipped.

That being said, Tempest ended the exchange and before her brother could respond - angrily most likely as he was military and she did just question his manhood - she blocked his number and effectively gave herself the last word. For now.

But in just a matter of less than five minutes, her entire day out had been ruined, as had her attempts to distract herself from her personal issues. She was halfway into shoving her phone back into her pocket when a random thought came to her and she pulled it back out again. She hit dial and held it to her ear for a moment until…

Tempest: It’s me. I need a drink if you’re up for it. … I don’t give a damn what time it is! Are you in or out!?

London, England -
Buckingham Palace

What better place to bring down so-called in-ring royalty?

Tempest stood away from the crowd of tourists and gawkers, their hands white knuckle gripping the bars and their faces pressed so hard against the steel that they’ll likely end up with indentations. All for the sake of hopefully catching a rare glimpse of British royalty. Tempest, however, took this as an opportunity to stand away from those looky loos and while she watched them briefly, all she could do was shake her head.

“Let me ask everyone out there a little question in regards to our esteemed World Bombshell Champion, Kayla Richards. And trust me, while this might sound like it isn’t really going anywhere in particular where she’s concerned, let me assure you that there is a method to my madness. And that question is this…”

“Have you ever sat back, enjoying some good tunes on vinyl now that it’s made a nostalgic comeback, and while you get to the best part of your favorite song, a scratch or some dust causes the record to skip and just repeat? The same bit of music or half of a song lyric just repeats itself over and over until you want to pick up the heaviest object nearest to you and smash that vinyl to hundreds of tiny shards? Or, perhaps more suited to my own unique sense of style, just pick up that record player, rip the power cord straight from the wall and heave it right out the window and pray it doesn’t land on someone below?”

“Or if you’re upset enough, you just stop caring whether or not it does?”

“Yeah, that's pretty much how I feel lately when I’ve made the grievous mistake in tuning in to one of Kayla’s promos and listening to whatever she chooses to ramble on about. I know, I get it. I have people telling me that if it bothers me so much, just don’t watch them. I mean, after all! Who even cares what Kayla has to say? Well, let me answer that question just as easily as it was asked.”

She tapped a forefinger to her breast.

“Me. I care. Not so much to give her already over-inflated ego any stroking, but she is the World Champion, and sometimes you just have to stop channel surfing and see what sort of verbal diarrhea a certain someone is going to belch forth. Sort of like a political debate, I guess. You know there’s going to be a ton of lies and a lot of bullshit thrown around, but there are times you just can’t help yourself. You HAVE to watch!”

“For me, that’s Kayla. That’s why I can’t just ignore things when she decides to grace us with her presence. Now, before I get ahead of myself, let me emphasize what I mean. I'm not saying the woman is one of those types of wrestlers who just likes to cut a promo by repeating themselves about their opponent and what they intend to do and just say the same thing but differently. No no.”

“What Kayla does is more to the point, she spreads it over. Like a butter knife that scoops up just a bit of butter and tries to scrape it across multiple slices of bread. That butter gets thinner and thinner the more she scrapes by, but she just can't stop. Between promos she says the same thing. Not about her opponents obviously, but about herself. About her stature and her place in this business. About her being at the top of the hierarchy of the Bombshell division. Trust me when I say, she talks more about that and herself then she does her actual opposition.”

“And I'm not going to come out here and lie to everybody and say the woman isn't good or she hasn't earned her spot. I spoke my mind last week about what I think about her reign as the World Champion and I'm not going to fall into the same trap and just repeat myself. I'd be doing a disservice to everybody if I tried to mimic the average opponent she's faced. More importantly, I'd be doing a disservice to myself because I may be a lot of things…”

She stuck a finger at her own self-pointedly.

“I'm a raging bitch. I have anger issues. I have absolutely no qualms at burying some over hyped Barbie doll to make a point. But, I am not a liar. I am not going to come out here and make a fool out of myself and attempt to make a fool out of everyone watching, by claiming something that isn't true! Kayla wouldn't have that championship if she didn't earn it! She wouldn't have held on to it, if she wasn't better than the given opponents she had at the time. But that's my point…”

Tempest held up a finger for emphasis.

“‘At the time’. Because just as you brought up the track record of the women that I've beaten? Allow me to turn the tables and point out the fact that you have not stepped into the ring against someone like me. You gave me mad props for my size and my power and where I should be standing in the hierarchy of Sin City Wrestling. Well let me stress Kayla, that that is the very same woman that you have to face inside of a steel cage. That is the very same woman that you have to survive in order to continue calling yourself the World Champion.”

“But call me crazy but I think your biggest issue is, that is good as you are admittedly? You vastly overestimate yourself. I can't believe that I sat there and honestly listened to you try to claim that you sat in the back, wallowing in misery and catering because you believe all the top names were simply avoiding you. Bitch…!”

Tempest looked around as if she couldn't believe her own words judging by the expression on her face.

“Let's be honest with ourselves, Kayla. The real reason they kept you in the back and catering and not inside of the Ring wasn't because of an avoidance issue. It was a ratings issue. Because the simple fact is, if you're not in the championship title scene? Then nobody would look twice at you. You're just another goth girl who likes to put on that emo, mean, broody act and thinks the world owes her one. That's all you are, and it's all you act like!”

“You can go out there and say that your career is unparalleled but there are women in SCW’s past that, if they were around today and active inside the ring, nobody would care whether or not you set foot inside of the ring ever again! Women like Misty! Kittie! Roxi Johnson! Odette Stevens and even Evie Baang! THOSE are women that will always be admired! Those are women, who will always be remembered!”

“You honestly believe that win over you is actually more important than winning a championship! That a win over you in any form can be a career defining occurrence!”

Tempest blatantly and openly rolls her eyes.

“Lawdy, lawdy are you full of it!”

“If you want to continue trying to stress the so-called fact that you believe in your delusional mind that your career is not paralleled to anyone else's? Come out here in the ring and stand next to someone like J2H. There won't be a person in that building that will even notice you're there!”

“Do you know why I never was world champion? Because I didn’t try. I've been in talks in the past. I've had offers. I made the hard decisions to not take them up on those offers, despite how much I wanted to. Maybe I felt I wasn't ready quite yet? Maybe I felt I had other obligations to take care of first. Unlike you, my life, my very being, does not revolve around this sport. It's like one of those women who becomes a first time mother and that becomes their entire personality. It's all they are, it's all they are worth. Now, speaking as a mother? I wouldn't trade it for the world. But there is more to this world. There is more to me. And I cannot wait step foot in the ring with you this Sunday and introduce you to that very woman that you seen to have taken such joy in recent days, talking down to! Making light of!”

“Demeaning!”

“But so long as we're on the subject of obligations, now that you brought up my issues with family and friends, let’s talk about that. First off, you don't know me. You know absolutely nothing about me outside of this business. So don't presume to think you know anything that I don't allow you to know.”

“And secondly? Where you're concerned and where it concerns all that bullshit you like to throw around? Without a pot, there wouldn’t be a kettle. You want to talk about relationships? You want to make things personal? Fine! Then why don't we talk about how you practically sniff after Finn Whelan like a bitch in heat but you don't have the guts to follow through and make something of it! The entire world can see from the outside looking in, just how bad you have it for that man and you don't step up! You are going to end up alone, asking yourself the two most painful words! ‘What if?’ What if you had the courage to let that man know how you really felt and do something about it! What have you actually had the chance to be happy, legitimately happy! And you passed it up all for fear of being rejected because maybe, just maybe? You weren't good enough in something other than wrestling.”

She shrugged.

“I mean it's possible. Not that I quite understand the attraction if you don't mind my saying so. Finn strikes me more as the love child of Alice Cooper and Beetlejuice. But hey .. variety is the spice of life and all of that bullshit.”

“But so long as we spilled the tea and moved past that hopefully, it's business at hand. You and me Kayla. I don't need you or your words or your redemption. What's going to happen on Sunday, you brought on yourself because you just don't know when to quit running your mouth. And as good as you are, there is one universal truth in this sport.”

“Sooner or later, every Champion will be a former champion. And your time is coming.”