LITD/Twisted & Sadstic vs. Cowgirls/Dangerous Minds

[supremecw]

Light in the Darkness (La Pequena Luz & Amelia Blythe) & Twisted & Sadistic (Glory Braddock & Brittany Lohan) vs. Cowgirls from Hell (Cara & Veronica Strader) & The Dangerous Minds (Chris Dumont & David Striker)

2 RP limit per person/8 per team (no word limits)
Individuals in other matches can use their roleplays for both matches

Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET Saturday, June 1, 2024

[Braddock]

1 of 2
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May 18th, 2024
Houston, Texas
Off Camera
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Two days ago in Los Angeles, Glory Braddock had a knock down, drag out fight with Xander Valentine. Despite her best efforts, The British Bombshell was unable to defeat SCW’s Executioner. Still, even in defeat Braddock feels a little sense of pride. The last time she battled Valentine she knows that she did not put forth her best effort. She knows that the last time she could have done better but did not try as hard as she knows she could. This time was different. Glory Braddock threw everything she had at Xander and even though she lost, she feels good knowing that she did her best, that this time she tried instead of going out and half-assing a performance. She did not win, but she did wipe away the shame of that last encounter, the shame of knowing she did not put in her best effort. She got to finish paying the consequences of their last encounter. It really invigorated The British Bombshell, truth be told. She finally paid the consequences and that shame no longer hangs over her head. Now she has hope that she can wipe away the consequences of her actions from the past few months when Twisted & Sadistic ran roughshod over the tag team division, making enemies out of nearly everyone, but more specifically the two teams of Dangerous Minds and The Cowgirls from Hell. Unlike with Xander, she will not be able to do this one alone. She will need her friend and tag partner Brittany Lohan along with the reigning SCW World Tag Team Champions Amelia Blythe and La Pequina Luz to wipe away these consequences and finally move on with her career and move on to one of her two major goals this Rise To Greatness season; reclaiming the SCW World Tag Team Championship. It never did set well with Braddock that she and Lohan lost the tag titles without being pinned and then never got their rematch due to some negotiating and arrangements that Glory wasn’t too keen on in the first place. Twisted & Sadistic certainly lost their temper, they lost control, and they wrecked the tag team division in their tantrum. They will have to pay the consequences at Taking Hold of the Flame. They have to give Dangerous Minds and The Cowgirls their chance at revenge. Once that is done, Braddock and Lohan can move on and try to win back their tag titles.

Still, there is one other major goal that Braddock has her eyes set on and that is the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal. Braddock has done everything there is to do in SCW. She won Trios on two occasions, she main evented Rise To Greatness, and she is a Supreme Champion. The only brass ring The British Bombshell has yet to obtain is to win Taking Hold of the Flame. Xander Valentine accused Braddock of being content with not living up to her potential, being content with living in the tag team division. Nothing could be further from the truth. Glory Braddock has always been a fierce competitor. It is her nature, her passion, to compete with the best and to prove herself to be the best. Rise To Greatness season is truly that moment where you can do just that. Braddock has the opportunity to compete against the best in the rumble and then go on to challenge the SCW World Champion in the main event of Rise To Greatness. There is no greater competition than this. Besides, Braddock has not forgotten how her one reign as World Champion was cut so short. Braddock would love nothing more than to right that wrong and win back the World Title.

Right now, however, Glory Braddock needs to refocus her attention to a more personal matter. This matter requires all of her attention and focus. She has played the role of a reluctant peacemaker, the person tasked with repairing a broken relationship within her husband, Kurt Logan’s, own family. Kurt and his sister Katherine grew up in a broken home with a drunk drug addled father who would regularly abuse them and their mother, Jean Logan. As Kurt and Katherine moved out they all lost track of one another. Kurt, for his part, was so emotionally scarred by the abuse that he intentionally kept out of contact with his mother, father, and sister. The only thing he knew for a fact was that his father was dead. Glory Braddock, who herself had lost both of her parents to death before she could ever truly learn to appreciate them, did not want her husband to suffer the same feelings of regret she feels today. Whether it was her place or not, Braddock decided to intervene and try to repair this family. Katherine was relatively easy to track down and while the siblings were reluctant at first to rekindle their bond, once they did get back together everything went off without a hitch. Kurt and Katherine quickly grew friendly again and they were grateful for what Glory had done in bringing them back together again. But this next step will be far more difficult and Braddock knows it. This is why she, her husband Kurt, and their daughter Dawn are in Houston, Texas. Katherine found their mother Jean, she has been living in Houston this entire time, and they have arranged to meet today.

The British Bombshell stands in front of a full length mirror in her hotel room in Houston, Texas taking appraisal of her outfit and appearance. She wears a knee-length royal purple skirt that accentuates her figure, the rich hue complementing her fair complexion and golden locks. The skirt is made of a luxurious fabric that moves gracefully with each step, featuring subtle pleats that add a touch of sophistication. Her top is a fitted white blouse with a delicate lace collar and cuff details, tucked neatly into the waistband of the skirt. The blouse's soft fabric contrasts beautifully with the boldness of the skirt, creating a harmonious balance between femininity and strength. On her feet, Glory wears high heel pumps in a sleek black patent leather, their glossy finish catching the light with every movement. Braddock is nervous; she has never met Kurt’s mother before. She only hopes to make a good impression. Furthermore, this was all Glory’s idea. The reunion was all Glory’s idea. What if this implodes? It will all be on Glory’s head. To say that she is a little nervous and anxious about this would be an understatement.

“You ok, babe?” The words catch Glory a little off guard. But she quickly recovers and smiles warmly as she turns around to face her husband Kurt. He is wearing a yellow polo shirt, brown khaki pants, and dress shoes. “You look a little nervous.”

“Oh, I’m fine. I just want to make sure I look ok. I have never met your mother before. First impressions are very important.”

“Don’t worry.” Kurt says, kissing her on the cheek. “You look terrific.”

“Yeah! You look great, mommy!” That is little Dawn Logan’s voice. The child, wearing a yellow sun dress, comes rushing over. Dawn has been very excited about the prospects of seeing her grandmother for the first time and has been a bundle of energy and excitement ever since their plane touched down in Houston. Glory kneels down and embraces Dawn in a big hug.

“Thanks, love.” She kisses her on the forehead. “That’s just the confidence boost I needed.”

“Glad I could help, mommy!”

“Of course.” She pats Dawn on the back. “Why don’t you run along and find your Aunt Katherine, huh?”

“Sure!” Glory and Kurt had booked a large suite big enough for them and for Kurt’s sister Katherine. Dawn is more than willing to go pay her aunt a visit and quickly makes her exit. Glory stands back up and chuckles as she watches Dawn run into a room, presumably Katherine’s room.

“That daughter of ours has so much bloody energy.”

“I wish we could bottle it up.” Kurt says with a smirk. “We could use that kind of energy sometimes.”

“Especially me!” Glory says with a bit of a laugh. “In about two weeks I’m going to be pulling double duty, mate. I got an eight person tag against four blokes who want my head on a pike, then I got the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal. Having Dawn’s kind of energy would be the perfect secret weapon!”

“Yeah it would.” Kurt sighs. “You know something, maybe this wasn’t a great idea.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, it’s just like you said; you have Taking Hold of the Flame, and not just the rumble but the eight person tag. I know how much the tag titles mean to you but I also know how much being World champion again would mean to you. Maybe being here to see my mom isn’t such a good idea? You should be somewhere else, training, preparing, strategizing, you know?” Kurt says. Glory nods her head.

“You’re right.” She says sarcastically. “We should just call off this whole thing.”

“Great idea!”

“Wrong.” Glory shakes her head. “You are not getting out of this that easily, mate. You agreed to come visit your mother. Katherine wants to see her and we all agreed, we set this whole thing up. And your mother is expecting you. You can’t back out now and I think you know that.”

“It was worth a try.” Kurt says with a disappointed sigh. Kurt walks over towards the sliding glass door that exits to the balcony. Kurt just stands there and stares out at the Houston skyline. Braddock can sense something is wrong. She walks over and joins her husband by his side.

“What’s wrong, Kurt?”

“I just don’t know what to expect.” He shrugs his shoulders. “That’s it, really. I do not know what to expect.”

“What do you mean? She’s your mother. She will be happy to see you.”

“Will she?” Kurt asks. “You don’t understand, Glory. The last time I saw my mother, she was aw wreck, an absolute wreck. Mentally and emotionally she was broken, she was physically beaten and abused. I was honestly shocked to learn that she was still alive after all of this time…” he shakes his head “...so yeah, I don’t know what to expect.”

“All of that was due to the influence of your father. Your father was the abuser, he was the one who broke her mentally and emotionally and abused her physically. But that man is gone. That bad influence is gone.”

“Sure, but has the damage already been done?” Kurt asks. “You know better than anyone how long lasting trauma can be. Is she still the same kind woman I remember or has she changed?” Glory reaches out and takes Kurt by his hands. She squeezes them gently.

“You will never find out unless you go see her.”

“I know but…” he shakes his head “...I guess I’m afraid. What if she HAS changed and I don’t recognize her anymore? Maybe it’s for the best that I just stay away so that the lasting memory I have of my mother is of the kind woman I remembered?”

“You need to try to make this right, you need to repair this broken relationship. You were worried about reuniting with your sister but look at how beautifully that turned out.”

“I know, but…” his voice trails off.

“No, listen,” Glory chimes in, interrupting him “I kept sticking my head in the sand, I kept ignoring my own problems with my parents until it was too late. I regret to this day not learning to appreciate them, not truly loving them, and never truly getting to know them. Trust me when I say you do not want to risk having that kind of regret on your mind for the rest of your life.”

There is a long tense pause as Kurt and Glory stare into each other’s eyes. No one speaks a word but no words have to be spoken. Kurt realizes that his wife makes a valid point. He needs to make this right. Eventually Katherine Prescott and Dawn Logan emerge into view. Kurt and Glory turn their attention to them, both are dressed and look ready to go.

“So are we ready?” Katherine asks cheerfully. Kurt nods his head.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

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May 18th, 2024
Houston, Texas
Off Camera
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The drive was a long one, as Kurt and Katherine mother Jean does not live in the big city of Houston but in a suburb of Houston. But the drive allowed Kurt plenty of time to think about this monumental reunion with a mother whom he has not spoken with for a long time. It also has allowed Glory Braddock time to contemplate the part she played in all of this, and has allowed more of her nerves to build up. This was her plan and she wants it go off well, she wants this family reunion to work out beautifully for her husband. The vehicle, a rental sedan, would pull into the drive of a simple, quaint home. Kurt Logan and his sister Katherine have been standing there by the car for a few minutes staring up at the home while Glory watches on with her daughter Dawn by her side. She cannot help but wonder what is going on in the minds of her husband Kurt and his sister Katherine. Perhaps they are thinking about this long awaited reunion? Perhaps they are just as nervous as Glory is? Braddock walks up to the sibling pair.

“Are you two, ok?”

“Huh?” Kurt breaks from what is seemingly a trance and turns to face his wife. He smiles. “Oh, uh, yeah…it’s just that…” his voice trails off.

“What?”

“The home.” Katherine states. “That’s the same home we grew up in.”

“Really?” Glory asks.

“Yeah,” Katherine answers “there has been some minor changes to the outside but definitely this is the same place. Mom apparently never left.”

“Well…” Kurt sighs “...we should go. Mom is probably waiting.”

Kurt clasps Glory’s hand. She can tell that he is nervous, just as nervous as she is. With her other hand Glory takes Dawn and then the group walk up to the front door. This is a long time coming and Glory lets Kurt the honors of ringing the doorbell. She almost half-expects her husband to make a break for it, one last attempt to run away, but thankfully he does none of it. A few moments later and the door opens. Standing there is an older woman with curly brown hair. She looks elegant in a traditional sort of way wearing a quarter sleeves blue floral floor length dress. Is this Jean Logan? Is this Kurt and Katherine’s long lost mother whom they have lost all contact with, whom they have not spoken with in a very long time? This woman’s stoic gaze quickly breaks into a big grin and tears form in her eyes. The emotions are pouring out. Yes, this is definitely Jean Logan.

“Kurt! Katherine!” She quickly holds her arms. Kurt and Katherine approach and join in a big hug.

“Hi, mom!” Kurt says.

“Great seeing you, mom!” Katherine chimes in.

“Grandma!” This is the excited voice of little Dawn Logan. The trio break their embrace and Jean looks down at the little girl. Glory is calming down and relaxing. It seems as if her plan to repair this broken family is working out. Everyone seems so happy.

“And who is this darling girl?” Jean asks as she hugs Dawn.

“That’s my daughter.” Kurt says. “Dawn, this is your grandmother, Jean.” Jean hugs Dawn tightly. Clearly she is happy to meet her granddaughter. Then Jean stands up and is face to face with Glory Braddock. Kurt motions to Glory. “And this is my wife. Gloria Braddock.”

“Please, call me Glory.” Braddock says as she hugs Jean as well. What definitely seemed like loving embraces and warm heart filled emotions has changed. Glory doesn’t get that same sense when Jean hugs her. Jean seems a little distant, maybe even a little cold and guarded when hugging Glory. Braddock makes a mental note of it. Then after breaking the embrace Jean resumes her happy, cheerful self.

“Well it is nice to meet you, Glory. It is a joy to see my granddaughter and it is even more joyful to see my children again.” Jean is beaming with happiness. She motions for the group to follow her. “Come! Come inside!” Jean leads the group into the home. It is a small place, just barely big enough for a family of four to live comfortable. Glory Braddock finds it difficult to imagine all of the painful memories Kurt must be experiencing to have returned to this place again.

“You didn’t remodel much, mom.” Kurt points out.

“Oh you know me. If it isn’t broken do not fix it.” Jean points out.

“So did you really live here, daddy?” Dawn asks.

“Sure did, Dawn.”

“Wow…” Dawn is in awe at being here where her dad grew up “...you too, Aunt Katherine?”

“Yep. Want me to show you our old rooms?”

“Yay!” Dawn says enthusiastically. Katherine looks up at Jean.

“Can we?”

“Of course.” Jean answers with a nod of her head. “Your rooms are where they always were. Very little has changed.”

“Great.” Katherine takes Dawn by her hand. “Lets go!” Katherine leads Dawn off in another direction while Glory Braddock follows Kurt and his mother Jean into the living room area. Kurt and Glory sit down on an old somewhat raggedy red sofa. Jean sits down on a brown recliner that sits perpendicular to the sofa. The sofa and recliner do not go together, it is a stark contrast in decor, but Glory doesn’t say anything.

“You really haven’t changed much in here, mom.” Kurt says as he looks over at the room, taking in its surroundings.

“I haven’t seen the point.” The sweet old says with a shrug of her shoulders. “Kurt, dear, why don’t you go and find your sister and Dawn? I’m sure your daughter would love if YOU showed her your room personally.”

“Uh, you sure?”

“I insist.” Jean says. Glory quickly realizes what is going on. Jean obviously wants to talk to Glory alone. Kurt realizes this too. He looks at Glory, almost as if to ask permission. The British Bombshell just nods her head simply, to tell him its ok.

“Yeah, sure.” Kurt gets up and walks away. Once he is out of sight Glory is left alone with Jean. Glory is honestly not sure what will happen next between her and her mother-in-law whom she only just now met. But the warm smile on the woman’s face seems to put some of her nerves and fears at ease.

“I understand that you are responsible for this reunion?”

“Yes, Ms. Logan.” Glory answers. Jean chuckles and shakes her head.

“Please, you can call me Jean.”

“Ok, Jean.”

“Thank you for making this happen, Glory.” Jean remarks. “I thought that I would never again see my children. But you brought us back together. You brought my son and daughter back together. I could not thank you enough.”

“Well I love, Kurt. I love him and I would do anything for him.” Glory chuckles. “He was a little nervous and afraid at first but he and I both knew that it had to be done.”

“I understand his nerves. His childhood was far from perfect.” She sighs. “I am certain he told you about his childhood, hasn’t he?”

“Yes.” Glory does not tell Jean that he only told her about his childhood in the past month, after basically having to force the truth out of him. She doesn’t want Jean to have a bad impression of her son. “And I understand his fears. My own childhood was far from perfect.”

“I suppose I could have done better.” Jean says quietly. “I should have done better. Me and their father could have done far better.”

“You did the best you could.” Glory insists. “Your situation was far from ideal and you played the hand that you were dealt. Marriages are not always perfect.”

“Oh I know this all too well.” Jean smiles. “And I must admit, that is why I wanted to talk to you privately. Alone. I am a little concerned about you and my son.”

“What?” Glory is somewhat taken aback by this. Of everything that could have happened, this was the last thing she was expecting. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Gloria, my dear, marriage takes a great deal of commitment and without that commitment marriage is at risk. Just look at myself and my husband…his name was Robert. He was never committed to me, to our children, and definitely not committed to the sanctity of our marriage.” Jean rolls her eyes. “Oh he was certainly committed to drugs, to alcohol, and all of the women he kept seeing on the side.”

“He cheated on you?” Glory knew about the drugs and the alcohol abuse. She didn’t realize Kurt’s father was a two-timer as well. Jean nods her head.

“Yes, he had many women on the side.”

“Forgive me, but…” Glory shrugs her shoulders “...why didn’t you leave him?”

“Because unlike my husband, I was committed to our marriage and I refused to give up on it. It’s as the saying goes, ‘til death do us part’, and I remained committed to my marriage to Robert until his death.”

“Ok, but what does that have to do with me?” Glory asks while Jean stares at her with that strange, sweet smile on her face. As Glory and Jean stare at one another it suddenly hits her. Glory finally realizes what this is all about. “You don’t think I am committed to Kurt, do you?”

“I hate to be rude, Gloria, but you haven’t shown any sign of commitment.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Glory wants to be polite, she wanted this opportunity to help heal this broken family, but she also does not want to be disrespected like this. The British Bombshell will not take it lightly.

“Well for starters.” She points to her own finger, which has a wedding band on it. Then she points to Glory’s finger. “You are not wearing your wedding band.”

“I forgot.” Glory shrugs her shoulders. “Big deal.”

“Also why are you using your maiden name?” She points out. “You married my boy Kurt LOGAN, shouldn’t you be Gloria Logan, now?” Glory is growing frustrated and tired of Jean being nitpicky over these small, seemingly minute details.

“Yes, well I am a well known professional wrestler and in the wrestling world the Braddock name is respected. Kurt seems to understand and doesn’t have a problem with continuing to use the name Braddock for my career purposes.”

“Are you, perhaps, more committed to wrestling than you are to your marriage?” Jean asks. Glory is now downright offended but she does her best to hold back her anger. She does not want to let Jean know that she has successfully gotten under her skin.

“I am committed to both.”

“My husband thought he could be committed to his numerous…hobbies…and to me at the same time.” Jean shakes her head. “But he didn’t, he wasn’t. He loved the others but not me. He grew to resent me.”

“With all due respect, Jean, your husband’s hobbies included drugs, alcohol, and other women.” Glory points out, her frustration finally beginning to show. “My other commitment is something my husband shares a passion for; wrestling. We both love it. So he gets it and he gets me.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Gloria.” Jean remarks in a sickeningly sweet tone. “But my dear, please understand that I only want what’s best for my son, and if he’s happy with you…”

“He is.” Glory says sharply.

“...if he is happy with you, then I want your marriage to succeed. The last thing I want is for him to cheat on you, or you to cheat on him, the way my Robert cheated on me.”

And with that, Jean Logan stands up and exits the room. Glory Braddock remains behind, somewhat dumbfounded. She had been angry at Jean for the sharp judgment levied her way. But those last words of hers really hit home, because there had already been cheating involved in their relationship. Glory had already cheated on Kurt Logan. Luckily they managed to repair the relationship, they saved their marriage. But the truth of Jean’s words finally hit home. Does Glory need to be more committed to Kurt and the marriage? Has she lost focus on what is important in life?

[Braddock]

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May 21st, 2024
Miami, Florida
Off Camera
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Taking Hold of the Flame is fast approaching. In fact, there is only one Breakdown to go before one of the biggest, most important events of the SCW calendar year. And for The British Bombshell and her tag team partner Brittany Lohan, this will be a very busy night. Twisted & Sadistic specifically will have to try and coexist with their on again off again enemies turned allies Light in the Darkness to take on the combined force of Dangerous Minds and the Cowgirls from Hell in an eight person tag. Lohan, for her part, finds it frustrating that this is even taking place, that they have to coexist with Amelia and Luz, the pair that have the SCW World Tag Team Titles that Twisted & Sadistic want so badly. Braddock, on the other hand, gets it. She understands that they are, at least, partially responsible for this chaos that has been created in the tag team division and now, hopefully with the help of the tag champions, they can put an end to the chaos so that they can move on to finally challenging for the tag team titles. It would be busy enough if that were the only bit of business Glory Braddock had to take care of at Taking Hold of the Flame. But The British Bombshell has other business to take care of that night, because it is on that night that the forty person Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal will take place to determine a number one contender for the SCW World Championship. Her critics and detractors may call it greed or selfishness, but Glory just calls it her competitive drive, and her competitive drive makes her want to shoot for the stars and there is no star higher, no prize bigger, and no competition greater than Taking Hold of the Flame or the SCW World Championship. Glory would be crazy to ignore such an opportunity and it would go against her very nature to reject such an alluring competition, such an alluring challenge. She knows this means pulling double duty, she knows it means competing twice in one night, but this is what she lives for, this is the kind of competition she thrives upon. And she will do everything within her power to turn Taking Hold of the Flame into the single most successful night of her career.

Braddock is plagued by only one tiny mental issue; doubt. The past few days The British Bombshell has found herself in doubt of her own commitment. It all started over the weekend when she flew herself, her husband Kurt, their daughter Dawn, and Kurt’s sister Katherine to Houston, Texas. The plan was simple; reunite Kurt and Katherine with their mother whom they had not heard from in decades, a woman they thought might have been dead. Glory wanted to repair a broken family relationship. And things seemed to go so well, Kurt and Katherine seemed to enjoy their mother’s company and, likewise, Jean Logan seemed to enjoy seeing her children again. Unfortunately things broke down when Glory Braddock was alone with her mother-in-law. Jean Logan questioned Glory’s commitment to Kurt. She questioned whether or not Glory took her marriage seriously. At first Braddock was enraged and offended; Jean was bringing up tiny, minor, nit picky issues such as Glory not wearing her wedding band and Glory not taking Kurt’s last name of Logan. But as time went on Glory realized that Jean might have a point about her commitment issues. Glory did cheat on Kurt once. Yes, it was a time when Glory was suffering from a nervous breakdown and yes, she and Kurt did make peace, but still the affair happened. Plus one can look at other issues to question her commitments. Just look at Taking Hold of the Flame. Glory and Brittany want to become SCW World Tag Team Champions, they are already number one contenders and are trying to deal with two angry teams who want their heads on a platter. Yet at the same time Glory also wants to compete in the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal itself. Glory still has her eyes set on potentially earning a shot at the SCW World Title. Is Glory truly committed to anything? Is Jean Logan right about her?

It is late in the evening at the Braddock-Logan household in Miami, Florida. It is near pitch black dark outside with the exception of a few street lights and the moon hanging overhead. It looks lovely as Glory Braddock, sitting on a plush cream colored sofa in her luxurious living room area, stares out at the window. She is wearing purple shorts and a plain white t-shirt. Her long blonde hair is pulled into a ponytail in the back. Sitting next to her is her husband, Kurt Logan. He is wearing denim jeans and a black t-shirt. Sitting across from them is Brittany Lohan. Yes, Glory’s friend and tag team partner is staying with them this evening. It makes perfect sense, after all, since Glory and Brittany are tag team partners and traveling to SCW events together. Tomorrow they will catch a flight to Quebec, Canada for Breakdown. In the meantime they have spent all day today working out and preparing for the eventual showdown at Taking Hold of the Flame against Dangerous Minds and the Cowgirls and, potentially, the chaos that might ensue on Breakdown; a point that Lohan is quick to point out.

“We need to be ready. Dumont, Striker, and the Straders will probably come after us again.” Brittany says, directing her words at Glory. But The British Bombshell doesn’t seem to notice. She seems rather distant. “Glory? Did you hear me?”

“Uh-huh…” Glory says unconvincingly. Brittany furrows her brow and nods her head.

“Ok. Then how is this for a plan? You lure them outside and I will run all four of them over with a car.” Kurt even looks astounded at this suggestion but Braddock doesn’t even flinch. She just nods her head.

“Uh-huh…”

“Glory?!” Kurt shouts, which finally gets his wife’s attention. It startles her enough to turn and look at Kurt and Britttany.

“Huh?”

“Were you listening to anything Brittany just said?”

“Yeah, of course.” Glory says lying.

“So you are ok with Brittany running over your Taking Hold of the Flame opponents?”

“What?” Glory shakes her head. “No! Of course not!”

“Forgive her, Kurt.” Brittany smirks. “I mean, it wouldn’t be the first time vehicular homicide was attempted live on an SCW Breakdown.”

“Well we do NOT need to take things that far!” Glory exclaims. “We already pushed this too far as it is.”

“Then what do you suggest?” Brittany asks. “Angelica bought you a week. I doubt Dumont and Striker will be kind enough just to give you another week. Not that I care.” She shrugs her shoulders. “I’ll fight them whenever and wherever.”

“Unfortunately you’re right.” Glory remarks with a sigh. “Those four seem to be just like you, Britt. Dangerous Minds, The Cowgirls, they want to fight first and ask questions later. I’m surprised Angelica was able to buy me a week. I don’t think we’ll be lucky this time. They’ll probably attack and we need to be ready.”

“Good.” Brittany smirks. “I’ve been waiting to clobber them.”

“Clobber away, mate.” Glory remarks. “But between this week’s Breakdown and the chaos that brings and then Taking Hold of the Flame, we’ll be busy, and it is late. You should probably go get some rest, huh?”

“Busy?” Lohan scoffs. “Not as busy as you. You’re pulling double duty by entering the battle royal too.” She shrugs her shoulders. “But you’re right, it’s getting late. I should turn in.” She stands up and stretches.

“You remember where the guest room is, right?” Kurt asks. Brittany nods her head.

“Sure do.” Lohan turns and walks off, making her exit. Glory goes back to staring out the window. Kurt meanwhile listens for the footsteps going upstairs. Once he is certain Brittany is out of sight and out of earshot he once again turns his attention back to his wife, who still seems fairly distracted.

“Glory?”

“Huh?” She is again startled and turns back to face Kurt. “What?”

“Are you ok?”

“Of course I’m ok.” She tries to force a smile. “Why wouldn’t I be ok?”

“It’s just that you have seemed a little distant lately.”

“I’m fine, love. Trust me.” Glory says unconvincingly. But Kurt is skeptical and shakes his head.

“I don’t buy it, babe. You have seemed a little off. In fact, you haven’t really been the same since…” he pauses and it looks almost as if a lightbulb went off over his head “...ever since Houston.”

“Houston?” Glory repeats. “What are you talking about, mate?”

“You know what I’m talking about.” Kurt says. “Did something between you and my mom in Houston?”

“Kurt…” she sighs “...I’d rather not discuss it.”

“Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Kurt, please I…” Glory stares into his eyes for several tense moments before finally she sighs and nods her head “...oh ok, fine! I admit, I have been a little upset lately. It’s because your mom, she…” she sighs and shakes her head “...she doesn’t think I’m committed to you, to us, to this marriage.”

“She…” Kurt is almost in disbelief “...she said that?”

“Yes, but…” Glory tries to explain it in greater detail but it is too late, the cat is out of the bag and Kurt Logan is now angry. He is seeing red and shaking his head angrily.

“How DARE she?! Where does she get the nerve to question you when her own marriage to my asshole of a father was a train wreck from day one?! She has no right to question you or to judge you!” He growls angrily. “I’m gonna…”

“You are not going to do anything!” Glory says sharply. “At least not until you have calmed yourself down and had time to think this through.”

“I have thought it through.” Kurt remarks. “She had no right to judge you. My mother has always been super traditional about everything, and I mean everything. That’s why she never left my dad. She viewed him as the head of the household even though he was a complete dick. She has no right to say anything to you with her own delusional, twisted beliefs!” Kurt places comforting hands on Glory’s shoulders. “But you and I, what we have is different. I look at us as equals. You are my equal and I treat you as such.”

“I agree with you on that.” Glory says, forcing a smile. “I do think that is part of why we have succeeded so well.”

“Good.” He kisses Glory on the lips. “So quit listening to my mom’s nonsense, ok?”

“It isn’t that simple.” Glory shakes her head. “She questioned my commitment to this marriage but it got me to thinking about my commitment in general. Am I really committed to our children? I nearly lost Melinda. She hated me for awhile. Sure, we’re growing closer again, but I had to throw money at her to do it. And then there’s her boyfriend, Clyde Sutter, who I still do not trust yet I am just letting that go, I am just ignoring it because I want my daughter to like me.”

“I don’t trust Sutter, either.” Kurt remarks.

“But it isn’t just that. I grew close to a woman who was close to me, who still is near and dear to me…”

“Aphrodite?” Kurt asks. Glory nods her head.

“Yes. I grew so close that I agreed to become her adopted daughter when she asked. I do not even acknowledge her publicly as my mother. I did not take her last name, just as I did not take your last name when I married you. Does that mean that I am not as serious or as committed to either of you as I would like to think?”

“That’s more of my mom’s delusional thinking.” Kurt states sternly. “You are free to do whatever you want. If you want to take my last name, fine. If you want to take Aphrodite’s last name, fine. If you want to keep your Braddock name because it is respected and revered, then fine. All that matters is what’s in your heart. All that matters is the love that exists between you and me.”

“I do love you, Kurt.” Glory answers quietly. “I love you with all of my heart.”

“Then that’s all that really matters.” He insists. “It doesn’t matter what my mom says. As long as you and I love one another, everything else is just secondary.”

Tears form in the eyes of The British Bombshell as she lets the words of her husband soak in. He is right, of course. Wearing a wedding band isn’t the end all be all determiner of love. Changing your name isn’t the ultimate sign of love. Love is far deeper than that and so is commitment. Glory Braddock is committed to Kurt and the love she shows him is evidence of that. Just like she is committed to Brittany Lohan and their team of Twisted & Sadistic. Brittany stepped up to the plate to help her become a Supreme Champion and Glory is committed to helping Brittany become a tag team champion again and being in the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal to try and earn a shot at the SCW World Title does not change that commitment in any way. Glory Braddock’s commitment is second to none and she will be ready to test herself, to challenge herself in the greatest way possible, at Taking Hold of the Flame.

==========
London, England
On Camera
==========

We open inside of an old wrestling school that has certainly seen its better days. The first thing that we encounter is the pervasive smell of sweat, mold, and the faint tang of old blood. The air is thick and musty, contributing to the oppressive atmosphere. Flickering fluorescent lights hang from the high ceiling, casting a dim, uneven glow across the room. There is a standard regulation size professional wrestling ring located in the center of the main area. It’s an old, sagging square ring with frayed ropes and faded turnbuckles, its once-vibrant colors now dulled to a drab gray. The mat is stained with years of sweat and effort, patched in several places with duct tape where the fabric has torn. The wooden boards beneath the mat creak and groan with every step, a constant reminder of the wear and tear they’ve endured.

Just then we hear the clicking of heels from off in the distance. It isn’t long before we see the lovely Glory Braddock entering the scene from the right. Her long, golden hair cascades down her back in soft, loose waves. Braddock is wearing a royal purple silky blouse that is a vibrant contrast to her fair complexion and golden locks. The neckline is modest yet flattering. The blouse is tucked neatly into a pair of high-waisted black jeans, their slim fit highlighting her tall, athletic build. Over the blouse, she wears a black leather jacket that adds an element of toughness to her ensemble. The jacket is fitted, hugging her shoulders and arms just right, with silver zippers gleaming against the dark leather. She is perched atop black ankle boots with a slight high heel.

“This is the wrestling school where I learned under the sometimes harsh tutelage of my late father, Glenn Braddock. He taught me everything he knew about this business and every single one of his lessons I took to heart. He molded me into the wrestler that I am today. I adopted most of his philosophies and approach to this business, and one of those philosophies, one such approach that I have adopted is his approach to competition. You may love me or hate me, you may cheer me or boo me, but I have never once changed my approach to competition. It is a lesson my father taught me and one I have kept near and dear to my heart. Competition is about challenging yourself. Since even before I signed with SCW so many years ago, I have always had this same competitive drive to find a challenge and meet it head on. The first challenge was quite a big and heavy one; I was told that I didn’t have what it took to hang with the elite of Supreme Championship Wrestling. So I set out to prove them all wrong. I did just that, I took on all comers and I beat them all. I became a champion. Then I set my sights on my next goal, becoming SCW World Champion. Yes, that was a short lived reign but damn it I did it. I achieved that goal and my name is forever in the record books as a former World Champion of one of the most elite promotions in the world today. We will revisit that goal momentarily.” She winks.

“I had achieved that goal so I needed to set my sights on a new goal. I looked back on when I first started in this promotion, how people I couldn’t make it in SCW, and I decided my next goal would be to shove it in their face by achieving the ultimate prize of Supreme Champion. I only needed two championships to achieve it. I won the Television Title in short order but the Tag Titles proved elusive. I needed someone to step up, someone willing to work with me and help me achieve my goal. I have Brittany Lohan to thank for stepping up to the plate. She had nothing to gain. She had no reason to do it except for her loyalty to me. But she stepped up and we reunited as Twisted & Sadistic. We dominated every tag team SCW had to offer and despite a few setbacks here and there I just knew that my goal was on the verge of being reached.” She closes her eyes. It is almost as if she were reliving a joyous memory from the past. “It feels like yesterday, me and Britt defeated Light in the Darkness to become SCW World Tag Team Champions. It was supposed to be my crowning achievement…until Ravyn and Syren ruined it, and thanks to their interference, thanks to their involvement, my moment was ruined and then OUR championship reign was cut short at Retribution.”

“I have no problem apologizing for how Twisted & Sadistic handled business after the fact but I will not apologize for my fierce competitive spirit, I will not apologize for refusing to just accept the fact that me and Britt were being thrust to the back of the line because of the actions of Dark Fantasy. And newsflash to Ravyn and Syren, if I meet you in the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal, I will do everything in my power to make sure Syren is eliminated so that she never again gets anywhere the SCW World Title. I will not apologize for the righteous indignation both Britt and I felt for being screwed over. But we did create chaos, we created a problem, and now we have to deal with that problem and that problem comes in the form of Dangerous Minds and The Cowgirls from Hell.”

“Striker and Dumont, Straders, obviously you lot love to fight and obviously you lot love to fight Twisted & Sadistic. You want our heads on a pike and that’s fine. Britt and I will gladly give you the fight you wanted. All you had to do was ask and we would have given you this fight. You didn’t have to keep getting involved in our business. You didn’t have to keep jumping us during our matches or jumping us backstage. Don’t get me wrong. I get it, we started this shit and you all want revenge. But even you have to understand and accept that this cannot keep going on forever. Eventually this has to come to an end. Competition is one thing but this, this isn’t competition. This hatred. You hate us and we…well, at least Britt may hate you. I don’t want to speak for her. Me? I honestly do not hate you. Hell, I respect you. Veronica, you beat me one on one and that right there earned my respect. Cara pushed Luz to the limit and as someone who tangled with that fierce warrior before, I know how tough she is, so that earned my respect. Dumont, Striker, both of you have fought my cousins, Marie and Kim. Dumont nearly had Marie beat for the Television Title. That match was a bloody beautiful banger to watch. And Striker, anyone who can take on Kim not just once, not just twice, but three times in the Underground, one of which was the Long Road out of Hell, is definitely someone worthy of respect.” She nods her head.

“I do respect you…but you are also annoying the hell out of me. This whole thing between us is annoying me because it not only punishes me and Britt, but it punishes Light in the Darkness and the entire tag team division, because the more you involve yourselves in our business, the more revenge you try to exact on us, the longer this feud gets drawn out, the more another rivalry is delayed…namely the rivalry between Twisted & Sadistic and Light in the Darkness. I mean, hell, look at how long the tag team division has been held up now! It has been held up on delay since Taking the Leap. I speak only for myself, not for Britt, when I accept the blame I have for causing this delay…” she points a finger at the camera “...but you four share some blame because you refuse to let go. So you lot want your revenge? You want to kick our asses? Here is your ONE and FINAL chance and it happens at Taking Hold of the Flame. Make the best of it. Good luck.”

“This sport is built not upon revenge but upon the spirit of competition, it is built upon the ideal of setting goals for yourself and reaching out, striving to achieve those goals. Me and Britt certainly ruffled some feathers in our goal of trying to win back the SCW Tag Team Titles. But certain people, namely Xander Valentine, thinks that I have decided to rest on my laurels, that I have been content with being in the tag team division.” Braddock smirks knowingly and shakes her head. “That shows you just how LITTLE that big oaf knows about me. I may be a lot of things but one of those things that I am NOT is content. I am always looking out for the next big challenge. My last big challenge was to become Supreme Champion. I achieved that. Did you honestly believe that after becoming Supreme Champion I would NOT seek out a new challenge for me to face? Did you really think that I would not seek out a new way to test myself, to challenge myself? Once I saw that Taking Hold of the Flame would be coming to my native home of London, England I knew exactly what my next big challenge would be.”

“See, unless you have been living under a rock for the past two decades then you know that Taking Hold of the Flame is the official kickoff to Rise To Greatness season. Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal is the one single event where you can catapult yourself to superstardom in one single night. Now you look at someone like me and you see someone who has taken every single brass ring SCW has to offer. Supreme Champion? Done it. Trios Tournament? Won it twice. Main event of Rise To Greatness? Done it. But the one thing that I have never done, the one brass ring I have yet to claim, is to win Taking Hold of the Flame.” Braddock winks at the camera.

“Now how is THAT for a challenge? And this would not just be any ordinary challenge, this would be the ultimate challenge, the ultimate test for any SCW wrestler. I am competing twice in one night; first I go out and handle business with Britt and Light in the Darkness against Dangerous Minds and the Cowgirls from Hell. Then I come right back out and compete in the greatest rumble match in the history of our sport. You cannot create a bigger test for a wrestler like that. And if…” she pauses to reconsider her wording “...no, no, WHEN I win Taking Hold of the Flame, I will punch my ticket to the main event of Rise To Greatness. I will return to the main event of Rise To Greatness to challenge for the SCW World Championship.” She shuts her eyes and lets out a satisfied sigh, almost as if she already won the match.

“Oh and how sweet a victory would that be? My first Rise To Greatness main event came about because I used my Trios Tournament to insert myself into the main event. I wanted to make the match a triple threat to increase Syren’s odds of losing the SCW World Championship. But this time will be different. This time I EARN my way in the right way, I earn my way in by winning Taking Hold of the Flame. And then I can either smack some reality back into the power mad Selena Frost…or get one third and final shot at Xander Valentine…either way, Selena or Xander, it will be my time, not theirs. It will by time to step up and reclaim the SCW World Championship and finally have a proper run as champion! I can wipe away the stain of the short lived reign I had from 2021.”

“Taking Hold of the Flame, Dangerous Minds and the Cowgirls from Hell who want to maim me…and then thirty nine other competitors in the Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal itself, all of whom want the same thing I want, all of whom who are standing in my way and want to stop me from achieving my goal…there is no bigger, no greater challenge than that. And that is what competition is all about, that is what this business is all about, and believe me when I say that I will fight to my last breath right here in my hometown, in front of my friends, my fans, my family, my loved ones, to win the big one for them! To win it for each and every one of them!” She shakes her head. “And there is nothing anyone can do to stop me.”

Glory Braddock turns and walks off. The camera fades to black.

[PhantomTroupe]

{The screen static jumps to a shot of the world famous Hunter’s Mark gym, once known as the “War Room Dojo”, in Jamaica, New York. This is the school that trained such wrestlers as the “Mad Dog” Ryo Sakazaki, The “Wild Boys” tag team of Billy and Jimmy Wild, Jocelyn Sky, Noah Krieger, "Hot Stuff" Kain Reyes, The "Bad Pajama Mamma" Cassie Wu, Tiffany Santana, Leonhart, Harmony Avery, Ashlyn Moon, Trafalgar Law of the Phantom Troupe, and its most successful student in the multi-time world champion, "Total Elimination" Jacob Striker, among many others.

Now the school was under the control of the daughter of its late original owner in Serenity Scorpio and her fiance in Jacob Striker, who now helps to train the next generation of wrestlers, but as the camera takes through the hallways of the school, which is closed down due to it being afterhours, we are shown all of the usual rooms and such connected to a wrestling school when eventually we find ourselves in the main training room itself where we find the “Front Man of the Dope Show” himself, David Bam Bam Striker, working out in one of the training rings but who he is training with is equally surprising as his training partner is none other than his older brother Jacob Striker himself.

The two men are going fast and furious, trading wrestling holds and suplexes like there is no tomorrow at such a rapid fire pace that it’s almost startling until finally David is finally able to hit a spinning German suplex on his older brother that sends him flying over the top topes to land on the padding on the outside where Serenity is, serving as the “outside ref” for those thrown over the top ropes}

Serenity: JAKE’S OUT!!

{Jake tosses a mock-glare at his future wife who simply gives him a playful smirk in return as she goes over and helps Jake up while Dave heads to the ropes closest to where they are}

David: You alright?

Jacob: Yeah, just wasn’t expecting that move out of you though.

David: Well what did you expect, you tried to lock in that fucking cravate yet again!

{Jacob couldn’t help but smile at his kid brother before nodding}

Jacob: Well it is one of my bread and butter moves after all.

Serenity: Yeah tell me about it, Stephanie used to go on and on about how your brother could just about hit anything that he needed out of that one simple hold ranging from a suplex to a submission and then just keep going. And that’s how you’re going to be too one day, David.

David: If you say so, I’m not the prodigy that my brother is.

{Jake arches an eyebrow as he walks over to a set of chairs with a cooler on top of them and pulls out a Gatorade as Serenity crosses her arms over her chest as she focuses a similar look on the younger of the Striker brothers}

Serenity: What’s the supposed to mean, David?

David: I’m just facing facts, Serenity. I’m just facing facts, that’s all. I mean look at what I’ve got ahead of me at the next SCW pay per view. I’ve got a massive tag team match *AND* then I’ve got that massive battle royal to crown a contender to the SCW championship, and to be quite honest I don’t know how in the name of *FUCK* that I’m going to FIRST help my team win the tag match and THEN, win the rumble to secure me that contendership…

{David then easily swung himself out of the ring to land right in front of Serenity, ice blue on light blue}

David: *THAT* is what I mean, Serenity.

{The two stared down each other for several seconds before Serenity’s eyebrows furrowed slightly and then she slowly nodded and turned to her boyfriend, gently placing a hand on the shoulder closest to her and whispering something into Jake’s ear before giving him a quick kiss on the lips before she headed off to leave the two brothers alone.}

David: So…what was that about?

Jake: She wanted to give us some alone time, Dave. Especially to give you a chance to blow off some steam and cool down. But we can do that in the ring.

{David nodded absently in agreement and then the two brothers climb back into the ring and then started to go slowly through the paces of the match, exchanging holds and submissions with Jacob noting how his brother had improved and made note of it as they went along}

Jake: So I’ve been watching you and the boys on SCW television, I won’t lie and say that I’m not happy with watching you lose the last couple of title matches.

David: Yeah, yeah…

Jake: But it’s mostly because I want to see you succeed more than anything, David. I mean if anyone understands how hard you’ve worked your ass off to get where you are and be your own man in the industry, it’s me. I mean you’ve thrown it in my face enough times over the past couple of years…and yet when you needed me, I made the time for you, true?

David: Yeah. So why aren’t you happy when I lose?

Jake: Well like I just said, I know how hard you work your ass off for those matches and then to see you lose, it makes my heart go out to you.

{The two men separate and then clash again, with David quickly locking in a headlock that he quickly transitions into a three/fourths half nelson that he then spins the two of them over and grounding his shorter-older brother and keeping the hold locked in}

David: So you think that I should’ve won those titles?

Jake: It’s not about the titles, baby brother. Yes, I think that you should have won the *matches* because you’re just that good, I mean your first run at Kimberly Williams for the Underground title I think that you should’ve won simply based on how hard you threw yourself into getting ready for that match, the title wasn’t important in my opinion to you earning that victory and proving yourself to yourself.

{This distracts David just long enough for Jake to quickly bend just enough to hook his right leg around David’s neck and yank him backwards so that Jake could then arch his back and lock in a kind of submission on David}

Jake: So…how’s your dating life?

David: OH fuck me! Not you too!

Jake: Yeah, you know mom’s been curious about that lately. I mean if Chris of all people can get a girl…

David: Yeah, but to hear him say it they’re not together and after that most recent promo from Aisling…

{Jake then revs up the torque on the submission hold just a little bit more before he breaks the hold and the two men get back to their feet and circle each other in the middle of the ring, testing out their respective defenses}

Jake: Yeah, Yeah…the point being is that he’s gotten a lot closer to Aisling than you with..what’s her name?

{David lets out a frustrated sigh}

David: Colleen?

Jake: AH *YES*!! *Colleen*! I can see why you’re attracted to her. She’s loyal, fun loving, and acts more like a Jessica Rabbit version of Sammi Belmont.

David: I could kill you sometime..

Jake: Hey, it’s not my fault I found out. I mean you’re the one who decided to trust Devon freaking Neidhart, even though you knew better than to trust him with something like that!

{David let out a low growl before suddenly exploding into a charge at his older brother who simply catches his kid brother’s extended right leg, hooks him, and then sends him flying across the ring hard into the upper left turnbuckle area with a very quick and explosive Exploder suplex}

David:...yep, I deserved that one. But dirty pool, Jake, dirty pool.

Jake: I know I know, but needless to say that I hope that you’ve learned the lesson there.

{David blinks as he slowly extracts himself from the turnbuckle, a slightly confused look on his face that his brother easily reads}

Jake: I’m not worried about you being in that tag team match because you’re a freaking *STRIKER* and our family, just like Chris’, have made our bread and butter primarily in the tag team ranks over the years. Remember, my first title *ANYWHERE* was with Lash as one half of the very first Pro Wrestling Nova World Tag Team champions and we went through over forty other teams in one night to grab those straps for ourselves.

So you leading the charge against this other team at the pay per view and LEADING them to a hard fought and extremely bloody *VICTORY* is one thing that I have an absolute belief in you being able to do, baby brother, but battle royals are a completely different being all together and yes, I’m using the right title for it because when you have more than ten people in a match, especially in a situation like that, it tends to take on it’s own psychological existence and that’s when you get some of the truly nasty and horrible things being thrown around that ring.

{Jake then crouches down low to look David squarely in the eyes before Jake taps himself on the right side of his head}

Jake: You got to stay focused because during a battle royal, you get some of the truly fucked up shit thrown in your direction in terms of trash talk. If I had a dollar for everytime somebody tried to tell me how good a lay Serenity is or anything like that during the course of a battle royal, I could easily take a year or two off from the sport and focus on just playing Final Fantasy Online.

David:...I didn’t know you liked that game…

Jake: Not the point, Davey. The point being is that in a battle royal, you need to remember two things. The first being to always keep your mind focused on the matter at hand, basically don’t overextend yourself during the match and don’t try to do anything fancy. Both Ryo and Kain can tell you horror stories about things that they have done in battle royals…and Uri could write an entire fucking book about his own experiences.

And secondly, you need to remember that in a battle royal to just push past all of the trash talking because all that bullshit is someone trying to force you to lose your cool so that they can get you over that top rope and them onto an ego boost so that they can keep going on to win the match.

{Jake then straightens up before offering his right hand out to David}

Jake: If you can remember those three things, then you’ve got yourself your shot at that Supreme Championship Wrestling title and *fuck* everyone else, David.

{David turns this information around in his head for a few seconds before silently nodding in agreement and then reaching up to allow his older brother to help him up to his feet…when a thought suddenly hit him in the head}

David: Wait…you said if I remember those “three things”, but you only said two. What was the third?

{Jake simply gives David a smile, a truly devilish smile}

Jake: Oh, that one is easy to remember and goes without saying, my brother. Always remember that you’re a Striker, and we just don’t get hungry…we’re always *STARVING*!!

{The screen then static cuts to black as the two men move back to starting positions}
=============================

{The screen then static cuts back from black and we find ourselves in the locker room of the Hunter’s Mark gym where we find David peeling the athletic tape with a rather wicked smile on his face}

David: You know sometimes it’s good to get back to basics and touch base with family, You see after I got screwed out of my victory on Breakdown, my soon to be sister in law offered me a chance to come down here and spend some quality time with her and my older brother before I take my flight to London to make family history by headlining an event at blood Wembley Stadium.

On June the first, in front of ninety thousand people and the millions at home watching on international television, will watch as I will not only lead my friend, my tag team partner, and my BLOOD *BROTHER* in Chris Dumont, but also Cara & Veronica Strader, the Cowgirls from Hell, to an oh so honestly bloody and beautifully brutal victory over La Pequena Luz, Amelia Blythe, and those twin twits in Glory Braddock and Brittany Lohan...but the world is also going to witness me tear the witches and dig through the ditches as I will become the final being standing in the Taking of the Flame rumble to become your *NEW* number one contender for the Supreme Championship Wrestling World's Heavyweight title.

And I’m going to do all of this because my brother is right, I have worked too hard and put too much of myself to let such an epic chance slip through my fingers, and I have worked too hard to get myself to this point to just let such an opportunity slip through my fingers like so much water through an open hand and I’ll be *DAMNED* if I let that happen.

And so to the thirty nine other wrestlers involved in the Taking Hold of the Flame Battle Royal, I want to personally offer up my most humblest of apologies for shattering your dreams by taking what is rightfully mine at Wembley…

{David’s face slowly breaks out into a rather dark smile}

David: Well, I offer up my apologies for *ALMOST* everyone because there are a few right cunts out there that rightfully deserve to have their dreams shattered without mercy nor hesitation.

Glory and Britanni, what you have coming to you at Taking the Flame, you’ve had fucking coming to you all of this time and for all of your self absorbed bragging and egos, you must have known that this was going to be the end result the moment that you laid your hands on one of *MY* people. You two must have understood that the moment that you manhandled one of my closest and dearest friends that the end result was the two of you being shoved through the fucking meat grinder at the cost of your title dreams must have been too much for your oxygen starved little pea brains to comprehend because that’s exactly what’s going to happen at the pay per view the moment that the bell rings, I’m going to latch this hand, Glory…

{David holds up his right hand and stiffly flexes the fingers on that hand}

David: and I’m going to latch these fingers onto your fucking head and I’m going to *squeeze*, Glory, and I’m going to squeeze with such a force and strength that it’s going to send you screaming over the edge into your own abyss that you stay in and wallow your own filth and self pity until *I* decide that you’ve had enough.

Meanwhile Chris is going to break your little tag partner in Bitchy Britt. The last time that I spoke to him he wondered just how many times he could spike Britt with the Code Zero before her bloody head just snaps off like what she’s done probably to her own Barbies when she was a little girl and he is most happy to try it because that’s how angry he is and if there is anything that I’ve learned from spending time with Chris and his family is that a Dumont looking for revenge is not a healthy sight and you Britt, you’ve done and given him a legit reason for wanting to bring your head low before that final execution and you know that it’s coming, no matter what your ego screams at you.

The days of Twisted and Sadistic are slowly coming to an uneventful end..end of story.

But it’s not the end of the story for you, Kirsten Scott. OHhhh, no. Not by a long shot.

Do you recall how confident you were, carrying on and on about how you were so sure like death and taxes that you were going to make an example out of me…a STATEMENT out of me on the last edition of Breakdown and that there wasn’t a damned thing that I could do about it because I was going to instantly fold or some bullshit like that?

Did I fold, Kirsten?

Did you walk right over me and make your fucking “statement” like you were so admantly sure was going to happen without fail??

{David’s smile becomes just a little bit more devilish}

David: Things didn’t go exactly to plan for you did it? The person that you were oh so sure was going to fold before the oh so great “ONE” instead put up one hell of a fight and instead turned right around and made *you* into the STATEMENT instead and that STATEMENT was that maybe you should’ve checked your fucking ego at the door before you automatically assumed that I was just going to be a willing victim for your sorry ass.

And yeah, before you even try to bring it up-I know that I didn’t win our match either because of some fucking bullshit that *you* caused pure and simple, but the point of the matter is that I had you dead to rights and there was not a damned thing that you could’ve done to stop me from winning either way, just like at Taking the Flame when you watch me toss your sorry, worthless ass out of my ring on *my* way to victory, Kirsten, and before you start going off about your conspiracy reasons as to why I’m after you and your chance to become the next SCW World Champion, allow me to put all of that bullshit to rest by simply saying this;

I *BELIEVE* in SCW.

I have believed in this company since I was first introduced to it, I have believed in the talent since the very first time that I saw Polly and the rest of the Playgirls throw down here in SCW, I’ve been a fan since the very first time I saw Kimberly Williams and Konrad Raab throw down individually in that very fucking ring.

Most importantly I *BELIEVE* in this company, and that’s why I am fighting to become it’s next world heavyweight champion because I honestly believe that it’s time for someone NEW to step up and take the reigns of Supreme Championship Wrestling-someone who isn’t carrying the baggage of past hatreds, someone who is much more incredibly open minded and more than willing to try new and incredible things AND someone who isn’t afraid to throw down with ANYone and EVERYone in this company-no matter the division!!

Now I believe in this just as passionately as I did when I was having my matches against Kimberly because this is not just some passing fad like some of you fuckers keep shoving in front of yourselves to make you seem larger than life, NO! I was just days separated from having the most hellacious match of my career when I made myself walk into that arena, square my shoulders the fuck back, and declare myself for the rumble because that’s how much I fucking *BELIEVE* in this company and what its true potential is for the future of this industry because SCW doesn’t focus on one very small select group of privileged assholes to run roughshod across its brands like a few other promotions that I could name, promotions that take some of the hottest talent that this industry has ever produced and runs them ragged just so that they can serve as easy wins for the bigger names in the company.

No, SCW doesn’t play that kind of fucking game and instead you see each and every talent on this company’s roster be given a chance to shine in his or her own way and that’s one of the many, MANY different reasons why I believe in this company and want to do what *I* feel is best by stepping up and tearing through the rumble to take the flame for *MYSELF* before I take that world title for myself!!

Now this isn’t arrogance, Ladies and Gentlemen. This isn’t me hyping myself at the expense of everyone else in this match, no.

This is me, David Matthew Striker, purely and simply putting what’s going to happen at Taking the Flame at Wembley and that is I’m going to lead my team to a total and complete brutal victory earlier in the night and *THEN* I’m going to become your NEW Number One Contender for the SCW World Heavyweight Championship because I *am* the new blood that this company needs at the top of its champions pyramid!!

Someone who has the best wishes and hopes for SCW in mind and who won’t treat that ten pounds of gold as nothing more than some fucking piece of bling, but someone who will treat the championship like it should be treated!!

And that somebody is going to be *ME*!!

So this coming weekend in London, show up to the card…strap your boots on good and tight…and grit your fucking *TEETH*, because it’s time to go good and proper fucking *WAR*!!!

{David then walks off, whistling a familiar tune as the screen static jumps to black}

[PhantomTroupe]

{The screen static jumps to a shot of the backstage area of the Bell Center where we find none other than the "Ronin" Chris Dumont already in his street gear outside of the Phantom Troupe's locker room. When he notices the camera, Chris angrily shoves back his blonde hair as he looks hard at the camera}

Chris: You think that you’re really fucking clever don’t you, Brittani? You either are of the erroneous belief that by taking me out ahead of the match at the pay per view this weekend that it will mean that your team will have a supposedly easier time of beating my team or you are actually high enough off of your own fucking supply that you belief that just because you were once a somebody in this promotion that you can just walk all over anyone here without paying the consequences.

To me, it really doesn’t matter because the moment that you tagged me with that kick of yours tonight is the moment that you signed your own fucking execution warrant at the pay per view and I know full well that when you see this, that you’re just going to wave your hand dismissively at it and not think anything more of it….up until you’re in that ring at the pay per view and you feel a pair of arms wrap around your scrawny, pencil fucking neck and then you start to struggle in a dead panic, fighting to get out of the most perfect submission hold in the history of submissions and then slowly, surely…without question your struggling will slowly start to come to a halt until finally you’ll start to feel yourself slipping loose of your earthly bonds…right before I spike your fucking head through the nearest turnbuckles.

One…right…after…*ANOTHER*!!

{Chris closes his eyes and takes a few breaths to try and focus himself for a couple of moments before he opens his eyes once more and keeps his hard look locked onto the camera, but his tone-while still field by rage-is lower, more focused than it was a moment ago}

Chris: People like you, Britanni, seem to be of a certain self-destructive belief that the world revolves around them, that they cannot do anything wrong because they have had an inkling of success in one place or just because they have someone that hangs with them that has the most minute inkling of power to them. You have this belief and for the past few weeks, you’ve been trying to make everyone understand that you and Glory run this promotion when you attacked me…attacked the friends of the Troupe…and you just kept doing more and more of your bullshit just because you and Glory just had to throw some little tantrum because you lost the SCW World Tag Team championships to a team that was better than you in every sense of the word.

And now then, you get called on your bullshit by so many people, you are shown the very consequences of your tantrum and all that you can believe in that little rotten puss bucket of yours that you call a brain is that not a single one of us knows where our place is because of whatever fucking reason you want to imagine up.

Tonight, no matter whatever you want to come up with for an excuse, you attacked me while I was checking on a woman who is five *MILLION* times the woman that you could NEVER be in Aisling, thinking that you were free and clear of any kind of punishment.

{Chris lets out a dry, dark chuckle which causes his lips to quirk into an almost smirk before he shakes his head}

Chris: You know, if all of you are going to go around this promotion are going to go running around like masquerading as overgrown children cosplaying as adults, then you’re going to have to pay the toll like everyone else and you, Brittani, most especially is going to have to pay this toll and it is steep.

But if you think that you and Glory have some kind of grand plan that will win the day at Taking the Flame, then you’d better think again because the Troupe is already five steps ahead of you because David’s a thinker, he never stops planning and preparing, which makes your little wild card antics nothing more than a pebble in the shoe of a runner, a minor annoyance than anything….but that won’t stop me from choking you out and putting you on the injured list like you tried to do to me here at Breakdown tonight and for that, I cannot forgive nor forget…and that is why at the pay per view you will pay the toll and you will pay it in *full*.

Now, let us move onto our newly crowned television champion.

Now I’m going to be upfront with you kid and say that this isn’t because you didn’t help me when I got jumped by a short-sighted little pedantic twat tonight nor am I targeting you because you are the newly minted Television champion right off the bat….because that will come later.

No, right now I’m addressing you because in the run up to your match against Aisling tonight, I saw your words and I know the intent that you spoke of and that was to turn somebody that I quite fond of and care about into some kind of great “example” for whatever egotistical reason that you claim that you don’t have, Waylon. You see, as I have mentioned before in that I grew up in this business and I’ve been backstage of a great many wrestling promotions and heard a great many of people speak to their rhymes and reasons that they do certain things, but while you try to stand there and claim that you are better than those who have laid claims before because you understand some kind of greater truth, I challenge you by laying down that you aren’t fighting for some supposed “greater truth” but in fact you’re just using that as an excuse for your reason to be a silent self righteous asshole and for that and that alone, you sir have to pay the tollman as well.

You see Waylon, you made your true intentions plain and pure and clear as crystal when you said that "I'm going to bring my resolve and a left hand oh so patiently waiting to clasp itself around your throat."

You came into Breakdown not with any intent other than claiming the SCW Television title at the expense of using Aisling as your stepping stone, you heaped words of glory and beauty upon her in some dark twisted attempt to supposedly soften the blow but instead all you did was reveal is that you are the same kind of liar just like Kevin Hunter, John Blade, and so many others like before him;

You say that people need to be held accountable because they, according to your babbling, need to know of a fictional fine line between desire and truth and that hope, according to you, is a lie or some bumpkiss like that.

The point that I wish to make is that you took something that Aisling worked her ass off to obtain, she fought for the right to become the SCW Television championship and you stole that from her, and no Waylon, there is not a damned thing that you can say to make me believe otherwise because you and I both know the truth and in the very near future, you're going to see me take these supposed chains that oppress the masses that you spoke of and I'm going to use them to choke you into submission with.

I'm going to leave you senseless and unable to move, just like you did to her and then you're going to understand your true place in this promotion, just like everyone else is going to learn and that is when the time comes, you need to tuck your chin because it'll be time to pay the toll.

{Chris then closes his eyes again and he takes a couple more cleasning breaths before he opens his eyes once more-the hard look is still there, but now it is much more focused...dedicated and directed even}

Chris: To all of my opponents at Taking of the Flame, this situation that we find ourselves in is because of two overgrown children who believed that by throwing a temper tantrum that they would get their way and that nobody would be willing to step up and make them pay for their poor choices.

Well Twisted and Sadistic, the time for you to pay for your piss poor life choices is fast coming up and very shortly, live in front of over ninety thousand *STRONG* at Wembley, you're going to come to understand the true meaning behind a phrase that my father once used against two of his own opponents back in two thousand and two when he first stepped into a wrestling ring at Wembley;

Glory Braddock and Britanni Lohan...Sorry, about your damn luck!

So Britanni, get ready to be the reason why you lose the match of a lifetime all because your ego keeps trying to cash checks that the Bank of Reality refuses to accept.

See you all at Wembley.

{Chris then walks off as the screen static jumps to black}

[Wisteria Waltz]

Even when everything seems to be going your way, it can all change in an instant if you let your guard down.

Throughout their careers, Amelia and Luz had kept that concept in the back of their minds. There was truth in it, after all... they could be on the roll of a lifetime, winning match after match and appearing to be unstoppable only for all of that momentum to come to a screeching halt with one loss, no matter the circumstances behind it. From there, it became a challenge of trying to turn things around to return to the winner's column or keep letting that momentum slip through their fingers until they could get a grip on themselves and finally regain control. They didn't even need to be beaten cleanly to find themselves at the edge of that slippery slope, as letting their guards down could be as simple as assuming your opponents will truly play fair to earn the win with nothing but their own talents and determination, or even underestimating outside factors that could see them lose through no fault of their own because someone else decided to intervene, perhaps in the name of revenge or simply looking to make a statement.

They hadn't really thought at first that they would ever need to utilize that belief outside the ring, but a lot of the events of the past few years had made it clear they may always need to watch their backs for one reason or another, as much as they wished they could just live their lives in peace and enjoy the company of both each other and all their friends who had collectively formed a sort-of family around them.

The perfect example of this had been the recent headache that was Jacob Harrison. From bursting into a private onsen while they were trying to bathe in Saitama to breaking into their Anaheim home and being caught when the couple and their friends had returned from the Breakdown in Los Angeles that night, the wrestling conspiracy YouTuber had made it clear the women's privacy was irrelevant so long as he got what he thought he was looking for. Luz and Amelia had thought they finally had a chance to get their lives beyond the ring moving forward at long last and no longer had to worry about stuff like this, only for this nutjob to come barreling in out of the blue without a care in the world for everything he spat in the face of along the way.

How on earth he was bailed out in Saitama after breaking a major cultural taboo was still beyond them... thankfully, Avery being an FBI agent gave them a lot of pull in hopefully making sure he wasn't going to be seeing the outside of a prison cell so soon a second time.

The engaged tandem knew better by now than to make assumptions and hope they stuck, however. Jacob had somehow been let go once before, and if someone who had it out for them was bankrolling his misguided efforts, then nothing was off the table.

That wasn't even getting into SCW matters where this also applied. For the moment, it seemed like Luz and Amelia's singles wins over the Straders in the past two weeks had been enough to forge a respect between the two sides, leading to the Cowgirls backing off at least in terms of trying to pick any more fights with Twisted & Sadistic outside of the ring. Glory also seemed to have realized the error of her ways and was trying to admit to her mistakes, but Brittany had been refusing to change course and that was only giving the Dangerous Minds more reason to continue the fighting. The couple were at least grateful that this hadn't escalated too much further in Montreal, but as much as they hoped this whole mess would finally be resolved at Taking Hold of the Flame, that was a dangerous assumption to make until they knew for sure this fire was well and truly put out. After all, just because the Cowgirls From Hell had come to understand and respect the way The Light In The Darkness wanted to handle business didn't mean they weren't going to conveniently forget about it with the objects of their ire also sharing the ring with them, and that wasn't even getting into the unknown of where they stood in the eyes of Striker and Dumont.

Truth be told, The Light In The Darkness was the wild card in this whole scenario. Everything had started with Twisted & Sadistic's rampage to try and force their way back into immediate title contention only for the champions to deny them and refuse to back down because of how they'd gone about it. This had led to the veritable car crash of a number one contender's match at Taking the Leap where Glory and Brittany had survived the consequences of their actions and, at the very least, properly earned what they were after. Since then, they had been the ones in the center of it all, still dealing with those consequences as the two newest teams to SCW refused to simply accept that result on the same grounds that had invoked the former champions' fury in the first place, determined to get their pound of flesh by any means necessary. The only involvement Luz and Amelia truly had in this mess, on paper, was the fact that they were the World Tag Team Champions, which had somehow become both relevant and irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

And yet, they had interjected themselves into the matter anyway, trying to restore order to the division they stood atop. They had publicly stated their reasons time and time again, but there was another reason they hadn't quite acknowledged yet. Perhaps seeking some sense of normalcy in the maelstrom, this had also become a matter of further challenging themselves so they could continue to evolve as wrestlers. They had hoped to have their title defense against Twisted & Sadistic, but they knew a clean result was out of the question so long as other teams were still holding a grudge they refused to solve in the ring, where all wrestling problems should be solved in their honest opinion. They were not about to let their own issues with Glory and Brittany persist because of yet another viable excuse tainting the end result, and they also weren't going to just sit back and do nothing while their next challengers dug themselves out of the hole they'd made. By adding themselves to the mix, even if it was just trying to do the right thing and help break up these constant fights to lead by example as champions, they had a means to push themselves not only against new competition but also prove themselves as leaders by stepping up to take control and reinforce the simple-yet-effective system they believed in.

Whether or not they would come to regret that decision, only time will tell. Luz and Amelia, however, had no regrets about the choices they've made because they know, in their hearts, they were the right ones.

While they had spent a good amount of time since landing in London preparing for the pay-per-view and the fight they knew they were in for, they also couldn't resist the chance to just try and enjoy themselves. After all, it wouldn't be too often that they got to come back around here anymore since rejoining the SCW roster, and it felt good to let the nostalgia of past dates and outings from when they were establishing themselves on the British and European wrestling scene wash over them. A callback to when things seemed so much simpler and the battles before them seemed so much more manageable, back when the only thing they needed to worry about outside the ring was trying to thwart the efforts of Amelia's parents to drag her back under their control.

It wasn't lost on them just how much that problem still persisted even to this day, but it wasn't the only issue they were hesitant to ignore. This had been their first trip back to England since The Empire had begun establishing itself, and despite the efforts of the NCA to flush them out and round them all up, there were still far too many of its members unaccounted for in the wake of Caleb White's arrest, of which Aleister and Ophelia Blythe were only two of those confirmed to not be locked up yet for their role in everything. Luz and Amelia weren't sure how many had simply been lying low and scheming ways to break Caleb out, or who was 'unaccounted' because they had turned against Caleb now that all of his tainted promises of a better world weren't constantly whispered into their ears, but still... better safe than sorry.

That was why, even though the soon-to-be-married couple had opted to spend the day before Taking Hold of the Flame going out for a long overdue traditional date, they weren't exactly alone. Ivy and Gage were accompanying them, as well as Marilyn, Avery, and Camila. The others in their little found family were either doing some digging to see if they could figure anything out regarding the remnants of The Empire or, in the case of Henry, being kept close to the NCA agents who had practically adopted him in the wake of Caleb's downfall as a safety precaution. It wasn't quite 'traditional' all things considered, and Luz had admitted that it felt weird knowing her mom was going to be present during a date between her and Amelia, but the others had all agreed that once they got to the restaurant the couple would be given plenty of space to just enjoy their time together while they kept their eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary.

Amelia had to admit she and Luz could certainly use the peace and quiet of a nice lunch together to take their minds off everything... especially as they watched something that made them sick to their stomachs.

“Onto our next big wrestling scoop today, and the biggest reason for the recent hiccups in my upload schedule. As many of you true believers out there know, I've been following a major conspiracy recently regarding the so-called 'Light In The Darkness' after being tipped off by a trusted inside source who wishes to stay anonymous, and I can't blame them given what's going on out there. Now, we all know the current SCW Tag Champs to be these beacons of hope or whatever, but what if I told you it was all an elaborate ruse? Recently I made yet another attempt to expose the truth that the Amelia Blythe and La Pequeña Luz you've been seeing in recent weeks are actually imposters working for the cult-like group known as The Empire, desperate in my attempts to track down the real Luz and Amelia so that they can return to us all and these phonies can be brought to justice before they either continue the whims of their leader or, worse yet, attempt to spring him from prison. Unfortunately, I come to you all today bearing terrible news, true believers. The corruptive influence of The Empire has spread farther than I thought, as an actual FBI agent recently tried to arrest me for trying to bring the truth to light! This agent was determined to protect these imposters and keep the truth under wraps, which can only mean one thing-”

The latest video from Jacob and his YouTube channel had gone live just a few minutes ago, and the couple couldn't stand listening to this man's senseless garbage any longer. The fact that he had even been able to make it when they'd once again had front row seats to him being arrested for violating their privacy had baffled them, and they couldn't help but quietly turn to Avery walking behind them for some sort of explanation.

“I'm sorry girls,” they sighed. “I had given the local authorities very explicit instructions that he was not to be allowed any bail and anyone besides his lawyer seeking to speak with him required my presence for said conversation.”

“So how the heck did he get out, then?” Luz asked, the confusion heavy in her voice.

“Someone who wasn't his lawyer did attempt to make contact and even offered an outstanding amount of money to get the police to look the other way on my orders of no bail,” Avery explained, looking disgusted as they did so. “They were denied and refused the condition of being allowed to speak with him only in my presence while we sorted out his charges... so they somehow went above my head and got the Director to agree to override me and release him.”

“How!?” Gage couldn't hold himself back from exclaiming.

“According to what I was told, this person—I assume this 'trusted insider' he keeps mentioning in his videos—was willing to bargain for his release by giving us information regarding the whereabouts of some of the higher ranking members of The Empire that were still unaccounted for,” Avery stated.

Everyone's jaws dropped at that, though Luz and Amelia were the most stunned. Someone, who seemingly had it out for them, supposedly had information that not even the authorities could find regarding arguably the greatest threat to their very lives, and was willing to hand it over in exchange for the release of a conspiracy theorist who was becoming a pain in their asses because of the lines he was willing to cross? Something about that explanation simply wasn't adding up, and they could tell everyone was picking up on it.

“So they just... agreed to it?” Amelia had to ask.

“Not right away,” Avery clarified. “We wanted to verify the information first to make sure we weren't being conned into releasing someone who, even if he's not dangerous enough to warrant proper FBI involvement, my Director does agree needs to be serving jail time for the laws he keeps breaking. Lo and behold, following the leads we were given we managed to find and arrest no less than five of the more prominent members of the cult, so we had to abide by the agreement and let him go. That said, he is being kept under house arrest and has to wear an ankle monitor that immediately informs the police if he leaves to go anywhere that isn't pre-approved, so he won't be bothering you girls while we're here in London unless he wants to end up behind bars again, and next time he won't be seeing the light of day for a long time.”

Luz and Amelia let out a sigh of relief they weren't even aware they'd been holding in at that news. It still wasn't too great considering Jacob was once again free to continue his conspiratorial smear campaign against them by claiming they weren't who they said they were, but he'd at least been hopefully rendered a non-factor in terms of the threats they needed to keep an eye out for unless he wanted to cross a very clear line that had been drawn knowing full well he was out of chances this time. The fact that this had also come with some peace of mind regarding the still-at-large Empire remnants that progress was being made to make sure it couldn't rise from the ashes with or without Caleb was oddly comforting... even if it still left a bad taste in their mouths because this mysterious benefactor was clearly up to something and knew what cards to play to get their way.

The only person they knew who was that disturbingly cunning was Caleb himself, and he had openly shown disdain for many of his own followers just because they didn't fit his 'vision' of how the world should be even if they were throwing away their lives to change and be a part of it. That said, the only people Caleb was even allowed to talk with were the same agents who'd put him behind bars in the first place, and even if he'd somehow found a way around that, drawing too much attention to the mere possibility that a plan to bust him out could exist would never benefit him because of the heightened security it would create around wherever he was being kept at.

“Well... if he's not going to show up all the way out here to bother us at least,” Luz started to say as she rubbed her mask-covered forehead while slipping her phone back into her pocket, “can we stop thinking about him? Trying to figure out his weird game is giving me a headache and I just want to enjoy some quality date time with my future wife right now.”

“Aw... mi preciosa bebé está creciendo muy rápido,” Camila cooed.

“Mom!” Luz yelled as her face turned crimson beneath her mask, leaving her and Camila to start a short conversation in Spanish about her embarrassment while Marilyn and Avery couldn't help but laugh.

Even Amelia let out a few giggles before sighing, a part of her wishing she had a parent who would playfully embarrass her like this in front of the woman she loved.

“At this point, I'm sure she sees you as a second daughter, even if you and Luz haven't tied the knot yet.”

Amelia glanced over at Ivy, who had started walking alongside her while Luz's focus was on her mom and the other two parental figures she and Amelia had kind of adopted into their lives at this point.

“Was I that easy to read?” she asked, to Ivy's amusement.

“Unfortunately,” Ivy confirmed. “When it comes to Aleister and Ophelia, I can just kind of tell by reading your face. You get this frustrated look that you're totally justified in having, for the record.”

“Noted,” Amelia smiled, although it was brief. “How are you doing, by the way? I know it's... been a very long time since you've even set foot on British soil despite being born here because of...”

“Honestly?” Ivy pondered as Amelia trailed off. “I almost feel like just another tourist visiting a place I haven't been to before. Obviously I have this feeling of familiarity, but it's been so long it all just feels different, you know?”

“I kind of do,” Amelia replied. “Luz and I haven't really been back here since that fateful night two years ago now where we were in the crowd and revealed we'd re-signed with SCW... kind of grateful for that, in hindsight, with all the Empire nonsense we've had to deal with in the past year. Obviously it's much different because it's been longer for you and-”

“Hold up Ames, take a deep breath for a moment,” Ivy put a hand on Amelia's back to cut her off, waiting until she'd done as instructed to calm down before she continued. “I know you still feel guilty about what happened all those years ago, but look at us now. Yeah, we're not where we used to be, but I'd say we're pretty darn close now that we've talked through everything and gotten to know who we truly are, and if that was the end result? I think I can forget about the past and keep looking to whatever tomorrow has in store... how about you?”

Amelia took a moment to ponder Ivy's words, surprised at how much she seemed to finally move on from their awful past with one another, but she managed to find a sense of peace within the thought. She was right, they would probably never be as close as they once were, but being able to see one another for who they truly were beneath it all was probably the path they were better off traveling together. As much as Amelia still regretted her actions from their childhood, maybe Ivy was right about finally letting go of that past and just moving forward.

As she turned her attention back to Luz, she found the other woman having turned to lock eyes with her as well, and an exchange of smiles had them both feeling like it was the first time they were truly seeing one another all over again. It was a cheesy thought, for sure, but they could both think back on who they were before crossing paths and recall how far they've come since those days. That was probably the one thing they loved the most about each other: the fact that while they had inspired change in one another, it hadn't been a desire to change for the other just to become who they were looking for. They had each wanted to change for themselves, become the women they truly wanted to be, and the other was just the spark that lit the fuse. Perhaps that was why it was so easy to feel like every tender moment between them felt like love at first sight... all they knew was that, for as strong as they were on their own, they would always be stronger together, no matter what form that took.

“Hey ladies,” Gage tried to call out to them. “Um... we're here...”

“Sheesh, and here I thought I used to be oblivious when I was in love,” Marilyn laughed.

“What do you mean 'used to'?” Avery grinned, causing Marilyn to almost choke on her own laughter for a moment.

That did seem to snap the lovebirds out of their daze, though, as they realized they had arrived at the restaurant. They just blushed and sheepishly laughed at the absurdity of it all.

“Well, while these two work out whatever's going on between them,” Camila started, pausing only to shoot her own smirk at Marilyn and Avery as they tried to pretend they hadn't heard her, “we'll let you two go in first and get a table. Unless something happens, and I pray to the heavens above nothing does, this is your time to just be together and enjoy each other's company.”

“Have fun, you two, and we'll be making sure no one bothers you,” Ivy added with a smirk as she cracked her knuckles.

As Luz and Amelia did just that, heading inside and getting a table for just the two of them knowing the others would follow and have their own table so the couple could have some admittedly long overdue privacy, they couldn't help but think about how much trust had slowly been built and rebuilt within the little group that had become their newfound family in a sense. No matter what, they always had each others' backs and would do everything in their power to make sure they were all kept safe and would never have to face anything alone that may be too big of a threat to overcome alone. Honestly, for as much as the couple always supported one another, they'd openly admit that they probably would have buckled under some of the pressures they'd endured as of late had it not been for that support system that truly cared for them and vice versa. Having those kinds of bonds was rare these days... they both should know, considering how much Amelia had lost while trapped under her parents' thumbs and how easily the bond between Luz and the one person she truly had left after her father had passed broke.

That's what made tomorrow night such an interesting challenge in their minds. They were no strangers to having to work together with others who might not be on the same wavelength as them, considering they'd endured SCW's first ever twelve-person tag match and Luz had been the one to score the winning fall for their team in the end, but this was a whole different beast than teaming with a James Evans who had respected them at that point and the trio of Polly, Colleen and Aisling fresh off of Amelia dethroning Polly for the Television Championship. Twisted & Sadistic could trust them, even if they had no reason to believe that, because it's who Luz and Amelia are. Whether or not Glory and Brittany would show them the same courtesy was still up in the air, as was how united the Cowgirls From Hell and the Dangerous Minds would be to exact their revenge or whether or not they would fight over who got to try and be the one to claim credit for the fall if it came down to it.

“So...” Luz said after they were seated and had given their orders to the wait staff. “Do we want to talk about work right now? Or do we want to just have a break from it and discuss this later?”

“We probably should,” Amelia stated as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and folding her hands together. “I know Glory seems to be turning back around, but it's hard to say we can truly trust her to have our backs until she actually proves it once that bell rings.”

“I doubt Britt will,” Luz sighed and shook her head. “Maybe enough to make sure we try and win this match, but I don't think she'd argue against us being softened up for her and Glory even if part of the reason we intervened at all was so they didn't have that excuse if we finally prove we can beat them.”

“I hate to say it, but I wouldn't be surprised if this match devolves into pure chaos,” Amelia lamented. “Striker, Dumont and the Straders are united in their desire to pay Glory and Brittany back for their stupid decision to go attacking everyone. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to isolate things so they can get their wish without us getting involved.”

“I don't think that would work out too well for them,” Luz noted as she reached over and took one of Amelia's hands in her own. “Ignoring us in that ring is not a smart decision... ignoring the obvious reasons, we're the reigning champions. You don't think they wouldn't be interested in trying to pin one of us to call that shot of being next after we finally have this defense against Twisted & Sadistic?”

“I think that's the more obvious reason,” Amelia chuckled.

“Whatever,” Luz grinned. “Point is, whatever chaos may go down, we'll be ready to handle it and get this division back in order. We're the champions, after all, and we control our own destiny no matter what anyone else thinks.”

“And that,” Amelia returned Luz's grin, “is just one of the many reasons why I'm marrying you.”

Luz couldn't help but put on that blinding smile that Amelia was always enamored with, the two of them slowly drawing closer so they could kiss.

“So, Amelia, where are our invitations to this ill-fated wedding of yours?”

Both women stopped dead in their tracks, a familiar chill running down their spines as they slowly turned their heads, quietly pleading with whatever deity was listening that their ears were deceiving them. Unfortunately, their pleas fell on deaf ears, as Ophelia and Aleister Blythe stood next to their table, looking down at the couple with disdain. Another man stood next to them, nervously glancing between this situation and something on the other side of the restaurant, and they had a pretty good feeling it was their backup ready to pounce at the interruption of their date from someone they certainly did not want to see.

“I really don't think this is a good idea, you two,” the man quickly stated. “This isn't really going to help-”

“That's your problem to figure out,” Aleister snapped at him. “We're just taking advantage of a rare opportunity to catch up with our estranged daughter while she's back home.”

“I may be a proud Brit,” Amelia bit back, “but this isn't really my home anymore, and I don't have to explain to the two of you why that is.”

“Of course not, dear,” Ophelia replied, using that familiar sickly sweet tone of hers that grated on their nerves. “We understand completely... after all, you're just as much a victim as we are.”

“Come again?” Luz questioned, raising an eyebrow as she was not a fan of whatever implication Amelia's mom was going for here.

“Well...” Ophelia began as she slowly pulled a chair out.

“You're not joining us for lunch,” Amelia immediately warned her before she even thought of sitting down.

“Oh, but Amelia,” Ophelia brushed it off, “this isn't exactly a conversation to be had like this. It's downright degrading to be made to stand before someone's table like some urchin begging for a handout.”

“I think your daughter's made it pretty clear we're not interested in having a conversation with the two of you, period,” Luz sternly told the woman, who shot her the most offended look she could manage. Aleister opened his mouth to respond, looking like he was going to struggle with holding his tongue, but the other man with them held up a hand to stop him before he could utter a word.

“Now ladies,” he began, any trace of his earlier nerves gone and now replaced with the kind of confidence that easily borderlined arrogance. “There's nothing wrong with a civil conversation about matters pertaining to the wrongs The Empire has committed against the Blythe family, is there? Especially since you, Miss Luz, will be joining that family fairly soon if I understand correctly.”

“And who are you exactly?” Luz asked, not bothering to hide her irritation with this man's tone as Amelia glared daggers at him, seeming to know exactly who he was already.

“My name is Adrian Verner, proud legal counsel for the Blythe family and many other high profile names across the country,” he introduced himself, motioning in that haughty kind of way that was meant to hype himself up but only succeeded in earning a growl from Luz as he extended his hand for her to shake, which she ignored and he finally took the hint after a moment.

“AKA the scumbag lawyer trying to find every loophole in the book to keep my parents out of prison for their involvement with The Empire,” Amelia stated in a monotone voice, knowing that's not the first time she's described this man in that way but doing so to his face at least got her to crack a smile at how overly offended he looked at the accurate description.

“Yes, well... this 'scumbag lawyer,' as you so eloquently wish to insult me as,” Adrian replied, his tone growing more dramatic as Luz really began to see why Amelia hated this guy so much, “does happen to know the potential legal and career ramifications of creating a scene in a public setting, not just for your SCW careers, but also the careers of your so-called loved ones.”

He glanced over in the direction of where Ivy, Gage, Marilyn, Avery and Camila were slowly approaching, although they stopped their advance as he acknowledged them.

“Tell me, you two... how to you feel using them and throwing them under the bus just to try and keep your records clean so you can continue to wrestle?” Adrian grinned.

“We actually love them and care for them, unlike your clients who have caused us nothing but grief and misery for years,” Luz growled.

“And for the record,” Amelia added, turning her attention to her parents, “you two will not be receiving any invitations to our wedding, and I will gladly have you arrested if you try to crash it just because you still won't accept that your racist and homophobic attitudes are just one of the reasons why I've cut you both out of my life and am much happier for doing so.”

“That disgusting wedding shouldn't even be happening in the first place...” Aleister mumbled under his breath, but everyone at the table clearly heard it.

“Well,” Ophelia huffed, “we were hoping to catch up with our daughter and her little... friend...”

“Fiancée,” Amelia sternly corrected.

“But it's painfully clear that you're as stubborn as always,” Ophelia continued, not even acknowledging what her daughter said. “Perhaps all that unsightly mud being slung about you will finally humble you both, like being deceived and brainwashed by Caleb did for us.”

Luz and Amelia briefly exchanged glances, eyebrows raised at that little comment as Ophelia began to try and walk away, with Adrian ushering Aleister off as well. Amelia opened her mouth to inquire, but stopped herself when she saw her mother glance back, almost expecting her to take the bait and give them a reason to continue the conversation. Picking up on this, Luz reached over and gently took Amelia's hand, squeezing it to remind her that she was here and they held no power over her anymore. Seeing the two of them begin to ignore her once more, Ophelia loudly huffed before she, her husband and their lawyer actually left this time.

“I knew this was going to happen,” Amelia groaned once they were well and truly gone, “and yet I still hoped it wouldn't.”

“Sadly, it's too much to ask for your parents to ever take the hint and leave us alone,” Luz sighed. “You were their 'rightful heir' and all that junk, and I'd bet all of my masks that seeing you accomplish what you have in SCW and us not hiding the fact that we want to tie the knot at some point this year has them scrambling.”

“Are you two alright?” Ivy quickly asked as the other approached their table.

“Yeah, we're fine,” Amelia said, breathing a sigh of relief in the process.

“Amelia wasn't joking when she called her parents' lawyer a scumbag,” Luz huffed. “Guy acts like a coward one minute, then the next he thinks he's the center of the universe or something. And that's not getting into their threats to ruin you guys or their attempts to get an invite for our wedding.”

“I should've grabbed one of those serving carts and rolled them out to the dumpster,” Marilyn growled.

“Unfortunately, I think that lawyer knew we wanted to and was banking on it,” Avery noted.

“Probably better not to do anything drastic until they do first so we can at least call it self-defense,” Gage pointed out.

“Well, I'm just glad nothing escalated and you two are alright,” Camila said, looking specifically at Amelia to make sure she knew she was just as valued as her own daughter when she said that.

“Yeah, we're fine,” Amelia smiled at Camila, although the smile faded as she pondered something, tuning out as Luz reassured everyone that this wasn't going to be enough to deter them from having a proper date. She did snap back to it, however, when Luz gently took her hand again and had been calling her name.

“Ames? Something on your mind?” she asked once more.

“Maybe...” Amelia admitted. “It was something my mom said...”

“You mean that blatant lie about Caleb 'brainwashing' her and your dad and how it humbled them now that he's behind bars?” Luz openly pondered.

“I know they're full of it, and that's probably what Adrian's working with to try and convince the courts that they're victims and not active associates of his,” Amelia shook her head at the tactic. “But I was referring to that whole thing about us being 'humbled' by the mud being slung about us.”

“You think she's actively buying into that conspiracy nonsense?” Marilyn asked, chuckling to herself at how hilarious that would be if Ophelia Blythe were to fall for such garbage.

“No... I think she may be supplying it,” Amelia stated, getting everyone's attention. “I can't be completely sure, but she fits the bill. Money and connections to keep bailing this creep out, being former wrestlers makes her and my father 'trusted insider sources,' and she's the only person I know of besides Caleb who's petty enough to throw others close to her under the bus so long as she benefits from it in some way.”

“A willingness to sell out other top-tier Empire members that we're looking for would go a long way in proving her own 'innocence' so she and Aleister can actually avoid jail time for the role they played in this whole thing,” Avery realized.

“And if it erodes everything we've worked so hard to build...” Luz gasped as it began to dawn on her too. “Then they think they've got a shot at getting you back and 'fixing' what they think I 'broke' with you!”

That realization created a bit of an uneasy atmosphere that didn't go away when things calmed down and the couple resumed their attempt to have a nice date, ultimately deciding that they would need to try again another time to truly enjoy doing something nice together when they hopefully wouldn't be interrupted and have the mood killed entirely. Still, while they couldn't be too sure, all the pieces did seem to fit for this puzzle, and Amelia wanted to kick herself for how obvious it seemed in hindsight.

Almost too obvious, admittedly...

Still, Avery made a note to mention it to Darius and Evie the next chance they got so they could look more into it to confirm this theory, vowing to do everything they could to prevent another mess like what happened with The Empire so Luz and Amelia could keep their focus where they wanted it to be: on planning their upcoming wedding and on their SCW careers.

After all, the last thing the champions needed was to lose focus now because of outside forces conspiring against them, especially when SCW was on the verge of entering it's biggest time of the year.

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

As we open up, we find our focus on the iconic London monument that is Big Ben, its clock face glowing against the night sky as it proudly tells everyone in the city that it's close to midnight. The brilliant clock tower doesn't remain our focus for long, however, as we begin to pan back quite a ways until it stands proudly in the distance, towering over several other prominent fixtures in the city. The further we pan back, the more it becomes clear that we're actually on the Westminster Bridge, creating a rather beautiful and surreal sight as the bridge is illuminated by the lamp posts that line the stone guardrail preventing people from simply walking straight into the River Thames despite the beautiful reflection of the city that exists within its surface. Following the row of lights piercing through the darkness of the night, it almost feels appropriate that we find the tag team known as The Light In The Darkness staring out over the river, hand-in-hand. After a moment, they glance over to where Big Ben stands to check the time before turning to face us, the both of them dressed in rather elegant looking attire that would fit right in with London's fashion scene... perhaps with the exception of Luz's mask and the SCW World Tag Team Championship belts around their waists, but clearly the couple are out here this late at night for business and they don't intend on putting it off any longer.

“You know something? A part of me was a bit nervous coming back here. I may have been born and raised in Oxford, but I've become very familiar with London over the years as it was a frequent stop of mine when I got my start on the European wrestling scene. In fact, there are several promotions here in Britain alone who still hold connections with the Blythe name... though none of those matter to me much anymore. Nothing against those companies because I will always owe them everything for giving me my start in this business and being fairly kind to both Luz and myself once we joined forces, but I think I've made it pretty clear that I'm much better off without the toxic influence of those who were supposed to be my parents and I'm proud to be able to forge my own legacy and become my own person. Still... as much as I still love England and will always be proud of my heritage, it's never easy to return to a home that didn't always make you feel safe and comfortable.”

“The last time Amelia and I were here was all the way back at Under Attack 2022, live from the exact same arena that Taking Hold of the Flame will take place in tomorrow night. Back then, we were fans enjoying the show, although we also shared the news on that night of our re-signing to SCW and our desire to give this company one more shot to prove that we belonged here. About a year and a half later, and I'd say the championship gold around our waists is proof that we have, in fact, proven that we belong here among the very best in the world and that we keep striving every single day to keep getting better and proving ourselves, both as wrestlers and as leaders in the locker room. That is the responsibility that comes with being a champion, and that's why we made the decision to step up and try to restore order to the tag team division when everything seemed like it was falling apart on our watch. It hasn't been easy, and I'd argue we still have plenty of work to do, but Ames and I have never met a challenge we weren't willing to face head-on. After all, you can't improve if you shy away from the tough challenges you'll have to encounter in both life and in wrestling eventually.”

They pause for a moment, seemingly contemplating their next words as we see their held hands squeeze one another for comfort.

“Even though we've tried to explain this before, we know that some of you still question this decision of ours. Why get involved in a matter that really didn't have much to do with us? Why not let Twisted & Sadistic be dismantled as karma for their actions that started this whole mess? Why can't we just let the Cowgirls From Hell and the Dangerous Minds take their pound of flesh and focus elsewhere, like the battle royal or even just taking the night off? Truth be told... as much as Striker, Dumont and the Straders are justified in their anger towards Glory and Brittany, two wrongs don't make a right. Everything that's been happening ever since before Taking the Leap has been a poor reflection of what the SCW tag team division should be, and considering we've taken up the challenge of trying to show each and every week why SCW has arguably the greatest tag team wrestling in all the world, all of this chaos is spitting in the face of all the work Luz and I have been trying to put into proving that. We want to lead by example, to encourage teams to step into that ring and give it their all regardless of whether they're facing us or each other, to prove that they're ready to one day step into this role as champions and leaders of this division. What really gets accomplished if you aren't willing to prove anything in the ring and think if you put somebody on the shelf then you're going to be rewarded?”

“Nothing, that's what. Amelia and I, albeit through very different means, both came up in this business under the mindset that only what happens in that ring truly matters for anything. You can pick fights, you can make somebody bleed, you can have your revenge... but what's stopping that cycle from continuing until all parties involved have lost just about everything that drove them to be here in the first place? If you meet in the ring, however, then the winner walks away with a result set in stone that they truly are the better wrestler, even if it's only on that night. That's a result that is not only definitive, but also helps put you one step closer to whatever your end goal is that probably had a role to play in why you were fighting in the first place. As for the loser? If it bothers them that much, then they step back, learn from their mistakes, and when both sides cross paths in that ring again down the line they can try to earn that win back by showing how much better they've gotten from the whole experience. That's a cycle of healthy competition that will ultimately sustain this business... sure, maybe you think that sounds boring, but the solution to that is to give those fans a reason to watch you compete every single week, give them the show they paid to see. If you aren't here to prove yourself as one of the best, something that can only be accomplished in that ring, then it raises the question of why you're here and you think you're going to gain from all of this in the first place.”

“Now, we're going to make this crystal clear one last time: we do not support what Twisted & Sadistic did to create this whole mess in the first place. If you go back and watch the Breakdown where they proceeded to dig this hole for themselves by attacking everyone, you'll clearly see us tell them, to their faces, that this wasn't going to earn them a shot at these titles no matter how much truth there is to the question of whether or not we deserve to be holding these again when we never directly defeated the actual champions. Brute forcing your way to the front of line isn't going to get our attention or justify your choices. That said, whether you all like it or not, Glory and Brittany did end up winning the match spawned from their actions and are officially the number one contenders to our titles, earning the right to have that rematch they want so we can settle this once and for all and prove that Luz and I are good enough to not only defeat them, but prove that we deserve to be the ones standing at the top of the mountain.”

“Which is why we have to ask this question to the Cowgirls From Hell and the Dangerous Minds: what exactly do you hope to gain from the constant fighting with Twisted & Sadistic week after week? That satisfaction of paying them back may feel good, but it's not going to change the fact that they're next in line to try and take these titles from us, nor is it going to convince us that you deserve to have that opportunity in their place if you were to succeed in taking them out altogether. Further still, it gives Glory and Brittany an out for if we do end up beating them because they could fall back on the possible excuse of being less than 100% because of what you've done, and what's stopping them from running this whole thing back one more time to try and get back to the front of the line? Actions have consequences... Twisted & Sadistic faced theirs at Taking the Leap and will be facing them again at Taking Hold of the Flame, and we doubt any of the four of you want to do this song and dance all over again hoping that this time we get a different resolution. That's why we stepped in: not necessarily to protect a team that still needs to earn our respect back, but to make sure they won't have that excuse when our title match does come while setting the example we want to about what is going to sustain not just the tag division, but SCW as a whole going forward.”

Luz and Amelia take a moment to unclip their titles from around their waists using their free hands before holding them up to make sure we can focus on them.

“This is the reason why we stepped in to put this fire out even when it didn't directly involve us on paper. This is why we opted not to enter the battle royal this year despite our own desires to one day be able to call ourselves SCW World Champion. Right now, we are the SCW World Tag Team Champions, and these belts mean everything to us. This is where our focus needs to be. These are a symbol that tells the world that, right now, we are the best tag team that SCW has to offer. That alone should be enticing enough to drive people to want to step up to us and give us their very best in hopes of being the ones to succeed us. Being able to one day hold these should be all the reason any tag team needs to prove themselves ready to challenge us for our crowns. We happily welcome this challenge, the fight to stand atop this mountain for as long as possible, because that's all we want: to watch as each and every tag team in this company fights to prove they're able to take us down, to welcome new teams into the fold like the Cowgirls From Hell, like the Dangerous Minds, who believe they can give us a fight we can't handle so they can prove themselves worthy just as we did. Being World Tag Team Champions is a honor we had to fight to earn, and the responsibility that comes with being in this position is why we're not dividing our focus and proving, even now, that we are ready to keep leading this division in the upward direction it's been heading in for some time now.”

“At the very least, we can see that Cara and Veronica Strader are willing to understand where we're coming from. Over the past few weeks, Amelia and I have bested them in singles matches, and we'll fully admit that they pushed us to our limits in both cases. Heck, Veronica even beat Glory one-on-one, and that alone speaks volumes and got our attention, just as it should be. We know, despite any lingering issues you still have towards Glory and Brittany, that the two of you respect what Amelia and I are capable of and will see our involvement in this match as your chance to make up for those losses, to give us an even greater fight to get those wins back from us and prove that you do deserve to challenge us for these titles. That's all we could ever ask for, and that's why we know to expect a fight from the both of you come match time. We've already made it clear to the both of you by now how much this business means to us, what being World Tag Team Champions represents in our eyes, and you know full well what it's going to take to prove to us that you're ready. We can't promise it'll happen right away because, as we said, we have our own unfinished business with Twisted & Sadistic we need to resolve first and we have to honor the fact that they are the number one contenders right now... but we welcome the extra fire we know you'll bring to this match and we'll match it with our own, and if yours is greater on this night, then we'll definitely keep that in mind once the board is clear.”

“We can certainly count on the respect we've forged with the Straders over the past few weeks to expect a fight for the right reasons even if they still want to make Glory and Brittany pay. Sadly, that's more than we can potentially say for the Dangerous Minds, who have proven themselves so tunnel-visioned on getting their pound of flesh that they've barely even acknowledged this opportunity to, in this same match, step up and prove themselves to the champions. To be quite honest, there's a lot about what Striker and Dumont had to say that came off to us as a bit misguided. David, for instance, talked about having the best wishes in mind for SCW and wanting to treat any championship gold he holds like it actually means something, wanting to give others on the roster a chance to shine. You couldn't sum it up any better because those very same qualities are what drive Luz and I every single time we set foot in an SCW arena and why we've been trying to restore order around here, why we encourage wrestling problems to be resolved in a wrestling ring and ask that anyone facing us really steps up and gives us their best so we can respond in kind. We know we won't be champions forever, but if we're going to step down from this pedestal again, then not only are you going to have to truly earn it, but you better believe we'll earn our way back to try again in the spirit of competition at the highest level.”

“Not to mention Chris following that up with claims that nobody would step up to make Twisted & Sadistic pay for the choices they've made, again ignoring that Amelia and I have done exactly that and without having to pick a pointless fight where it wasn't going to matter. We denied them the title shot they tried to force their way into having, we made it clear they would have to earn it since they couldn't trust in us to sort everything out in as fair a manner as we could, and we've acknowledged that they did earn that opportunity which makes them our problem to sort out now. That lack of respect and even acknowledgment of us, despite being the champions, is honestly enough reason to motivate us to show you two firsthand, just like we did with the Straders, how we conduct our business and why it's how things should be settled around here. You can still have your shot against Glory and Brittany, we're not going to stop that this time, but forgetting about The Light In The Darkness is a sure sign that this match might not turn out the way you guys hope it will, and you'd have nobody to blame but yourselves for being so focused on revenge that you denied yourselves an opportunity to prove just how much this means to the both of you.”

“We're not trying to be mean about this, nor are we afraid of whatever form this fight takes come Sunday night, because we know we're ready to step up to the plate and defend every last drop of blood, sweat and tears that we haven given to SCW and its tag division to be where we are right now. Our voices are not going to be ignored any longer, so we want both teams we're facing in this eight-person tag match to listen closely.”

“This Sunday night, regardless of the outcome of this match, this whole thing comes to an end. You guys want payback on Glory and Brittany so bad? This is your last chance for right now to have it, so you'd better make it count. We're not going to stop you this time, not within the confines of a sanctioned match where the end result will actually mean something. That said, we're also going to use this as an opportunity to further prove ourselves as well, make our statement loud and clear and remind everyone why Amelia and I are your World Tag Team Champions.”

“This is the end of this whole issue, no matter what. After Taking Hold of the Flame, Glory and Brittany are our problem to deal with, as it should be. To the both of you, know that you can trust us to cooperate to try and earn this victory on Sunday night.”

“To the Dangerous Minds and the Cowgirls From Hell, we hope that you get what you want out of this match regardless of the end result. Because when the clock strikes midnight and Taking Hold of the Flame is in the books, your time for vengeance will be up, end of story.”

Almost on cue, Big Ben begins to chimed its midnight toll in the background, the bell echoing throughout all of London to signal that we've crossed the threshold into the day of Taking Hold of the Flame. At that, Luz and Amelia rest their title belts over their shoulders and give one last nod of acknowledgment to us before they turn and begin to head off into the night, presumably back to their hotel room to rest up for the fight ahead. Regardless of whether or not that's the case, however, the message is clear: this fire will be put out at Taking Hold of the Flame, no matter what happens.

[CowgirlsFromHell]

OOC: I am sorry I am an idiot. I thought I hit post last night. I went to work all day (crazy 12 hour day) and rushed home to get second one up when I noticed. I'm all sorted now, and so sorry it's double bombing you all...

Part One

He's Coming

Part Two

Taking What's Ours...