Marie Jones vs. Cassie Wolfe

[The Matt]

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Note: this takes place immediately after my first Kimberly RP. You don’t necessarily have to have read it to follow along. You can easily follow without reading Kim first. But if you are curious about the events that Marie and Kim reference in the below RP, then you should read my first Kimberly RP.
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February 24th, 2024
Boston, Massachusetts
Off Camera
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Breakdown in Vancouver was certainly a huge test for The Phoenix. In just her second match back with SCW she had to confront a ghost from her past, a haunting moment that created the need for this redemption journey in the first place. Years ago Marie had walked away from SCW, walked away from a tag match she was scheduled to compete in; a tag match pitting herself and Kimberly against Deanna and Selena Frost. Now, in 2024 as Marie returns to SCW in hopes of redeeming herself and rebuilding a tarnished reputation, she would have to face Deanna Frost one on one. The Phoenix came up short in her one on one effort against the reigning United States Champion, and while the Marie of old would have been throwing a tantrum, this new, more enlightened, more mature Marie Annabelle Jones is surprisingly at peace. Even in defeat she was impressive, pushing Frost to her limit. And even though she lost, she still faced down her demons of the past. The match she robbed the SCW fans of, in some way she managed to correct that error. This match that took place in Vancouver, it was one of the most challenging mentally and psychologically for The Phoenix, and even though she lost, she still feels accomplished in that she got through the match and she can continue her march towards redemption. And maybe, if a rematch ever does happen, she can get the win this time and maybe become United States Champion to boot. For now she must turn her attention to Glendale, Arizona and her match at Retribution against Cassie Wolfe. Cassie came along to SCW while Marie was on the sidelines. Despite some bumps in the road, Cassie has proven to be quite impressive and Marie plans to take this match at Retribution very seriously. Both wrestlers will want to get back to their winning ways and Marie intends to make sure that The Phoenix is the one with her hand raised high in the air in victory.

Things are certainly beginning to look up for Marie and she certainly looks forward to continuing the upward trajectory at Retribution. She can think of no better way to celebrate than to go visit her sister Kimberly, but more importantly than that, visit her son, Sean Connor Jones. If there is one aspect of this redemption story that is more difficult for Marie than returning to SCW, it would have to be repairing the relationships and the bridges she burned with her family. Twice Marie abandoned the family to join her secret lover Julianne Buchanan in the Inner Peace Enlightenment cult. Both times Marie ultimately left but this left a bad taste in the mouth of Kim and their mother Angelica Jones, so much so that they are not sure they can trust her just yet. Kimberly has moved into Marie’s home and is raising Marie’s son Sean. There is little Marie can do about it. While under the spell of Inner Peace she sold her majestic, elegant home to Kimberly believing that she would never return. Now she is forced to live with their mother because she has nowhere else to turn. And she cannot just take Sean back, because she knows if her family forced her hand, social services would agree with them and take custody away from Marie anyway. The Phoenix knows that it is best to play ball with her family. Besides, she does need to earn their trust. She does need to suffer the consequences of her actions. Lucky for her, she does still get to visit her son, and that is her plan for today.

Marie Jones is walking up the long walkway towards her former upscale home in Boston, Massachusetts. She is wearing a flared floral print black midi skirt, a pink top, her signature black leather jacket, and black high heeled pumps. Her long red hair hangs straight and unrestrained to past the shoulders. This walk is so familiar to her, she has made it so many times before, and yet it is no longer hers. This path, this home, it legally belongs to Kimberly. Marie can only hope to have it back someday, if she can only earn her trust back. The Phoenix rounds a corner and stops dead in her tracks as she spots a man walking away from her home. He seems to be in a hurry and Marie cannot quite make out much about him but he does look familiar. She stands there, thinking for a moment as she watches him disappear in the distance. Then it hits her…

…Larry? Is that Larry Dempsey, the friend of Kimberly’s she met recently? She can’t be certain but she does know that she is concerned about Larry and whatever relationship he has going on with Kimberly. There is something there, something that Kim will not tell her, and it doesn’t set well with Marie. In a way, it is hypocritical. Kimberly expects Marie to be honest and truthful, open and transparent, and yet Kim refuses to tell Marie everything that is going on between her and this mystery man. Oh well; there is nothing she can do about it right now. She pushes the thoughts out of her head as she walks up to the front door and rings the bell. The Phoenix waits for a few moments before she sees the door swinging wildly open and an angry Kimberly Williams is standing there in the doorway. Marie’s identical twin is wearing torn denim jeans and a black “Queens of Chaos” logo t-shirt. She has a furious look on her face.

“What the hell is it now?! I told you to…” Kim stops suddenly as she realizes it is just her sister Marie standing there. Marie, for her part, smiles meekly and waves. “...oh, it’s just you.”

“It’s just me, yeah.” Marie quips. “Sorry to disappoint you. Were you expecting someone else?”

“Nah, I just had to run some Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons off the property.” Kimberly grins from ear to ear. “I threatened ‘em with Betty White and they ran like crazy!”

“I bet.” Marie just nods her head. She doesn’t let on that she knows Kim is lying. Instead she plays along, for now. “May I come in? I thought I’d stop in and see Sean.”

“Sure. No problemo.” Kim steps aside. Marie crosses the threshold into the home. She immediately hears the sounds of the television coming from the living room. She assumes that must be where Sean is. Marie quickly makes her way across the hall and into the living room. Sure enough she finds Sean sitting directly in front of the television set, watching SCW reruns.

“Sean!” Marie exclaims. “You’re way too close to the television.”

“Sorry, mom.” Sean looks over and his eyes grow wide. “Wait…mom?”

“Yeah, its me.” Marie says. Sean immediately jumps up and meets Marie. Mother and son embrace in a tight hug. “Ooof, careful sweetie. You’re a lot stronger than you realize.”

“Sorry, mom.” Sean smiles as he breaks the embrace. “I love you. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too, sweetie.” She ruffles his hair. “Have you been good for your Aunt Kim?”

“Of course he has!” Kimberly declares as she walks over and sits down on the sofa. “As you can see I have him studying up on all of my best material.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Marie remarks.

“Awww, mom, I thought it was ok to be a wrestler?”

“It is, but honestly, I would rather you take on something closer to my style of wrestling than your Aunt Kim’s.”

“Don’t be a prude, sis.” Kim remarks with a grin. “Besides, you know as well as I do that I am just as good a technical submission wrestler as you are, probably better.”

“Yes, I’ll give you that, you probably are better at technical wrestling than me.” Marie looks over at Sean. “Hey, sweetie, would you mind going to your room for a moment? I need time to speak to Aunt Kim alone.”

“Sure, mom.” Sean gets up and exits the room. Marie and Kim remain silent as they listen for Sean’s footsteps going up the staircase. Once they are confident he is out of earshot, Kim turns her attention back to Marie and frowns.

“Ok, what’d I do wrong?”

“Huh?”

“You sent Sean to his room so you can talk to me alone?” Kim rolls her eyes. “You must think I did something wrong.”

“Alright, you got me.” Marie nods her head. “Something does bother me. As I walked up to the front door, I couldn’t help but notice some creepy guy running away.”

“I told you I chased away Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons.”

“Realy?” Marie seems very skeptical of Kimberly’s explanation. “All I know is you and that creepy friend of yours Larry have been very close, lately. And you seemed quite upset when you opened the door. You obviously were expecting someone else.”

“Yeah, I thought you were a Jehovah Witness. Or a Mormon.” Kim frowns. “You aren’t witnessing for Jehovah, are you?”

“Quit it, Kim!” Marie exclaims. “Was that Larry or not?”

“You’re going to accuse me of having some secret meeting with ol’ Lawrence of Arabia?” Kim smirks. “That’s rich coming from you. What is it that the good book says? He…or rather SHE who is without sin cast the first stone?”

“What do you mean?” Marie asks, arching a brow out of curiosity.

“What I mean is that I know you weren’t on some promotional tour last week.” Kim shakes her head. “Oh no, you lied to me because you were no doubt up to some no good. With…Julianne, perhaps?”

“You’re wrong.” Marie says in a vague denial of her sister’s accusation.

“I’m not the one in need of rebuilding trust and earning trust. I’m not the one who burned the bridges of this family’s relationship.” Kim points a finger at Marie. “That would be you. To rebuild and repair those relationships, it’ll take honesty. Now I KNOW that there was no promotional tour. So tell the truth, where were you last week?” This accusation hits Marie hard, like a punch to the gut. She sighs and quickly realizes that she does need to be honest.

“I was with…Julianne.”

“What were you two lovebirds doing?”

“Nothing sinister, if that’s what you’re thinking!” Marie says defensively. “I know you don’t trust her, I know mom doesn’t trust her, but we BOTH were conned and manipulated by Inner Peace and Raul. We BOTH were abused and both of us were victims. Julianne left, just like I did, and we still care for one another.” She points a finger at Kim. “What’s the difference between you and Larry, huh? You say your relationship with him is all sweet and innocent, because you two went through a similar traumatic event, right? Well how is this any different?”

“Marie…”

“Julianne and I both went through the same traumatic experience together! What’s wrong with the two of us being there for one another?”

“Marie, just shut up for a second.” Kim remarks coldly. Marie is stunned that her twin would tell her to shut up but she does oblige and remains silent. “Thank you…now then, if you’d let me talk, I would have explained that I have nothing wrong with you dating another woman. If that’s how you swing, you go girlfriend! Mom certainly would have no problem with it, either. Hell, she’d be a hypocrite for judging your relationship because she has had her fair share of romantic twists with men and women alike. My problem is why did you lie about it?”

“Because…” Marie sighs “...I do not believe you would ever accept my relationship with Julianne. Be honest with me, Kim, can you really say with a straight face that you have ZERO issues with me dating Julianne?”

“I only have a problem with it NOW because you lied about it.” Kim points out. “If you had been honest from the start, that’s one thing, but the fact that you lied about it and I had to catch you in the lie makes me wonder if she is once again leading you astray? I mean, twice before she led you into the clutches of a cult. Is the third time going to be the charm?”

Marie is angry at first, angry that her sister does not trust her or her judgment. But then The Phoenix recalls just why the trust isn’t there. Marie hasn’t given her any reason to trust her. She needs to try and understand where Kim is coming from.

“You’re right… I haven’t exactly been trustworthy lately. It is partly my fault, I suppose…”

“Don’t beat yourself up, sis.” Kim wraps an arm around Marie’s shoulder. “This is a work in process. You are a work in process. Honesty is what will rebuild this relationship.”

“Would you ever accept me and Julianne being together?”

Kimberly sighs. “I want you to be happy. If she makes you happy, then I support it. But I do not trust Julianne. I do trust you, though.”

Marie smile sheepishly. “Thanks, Kim. That means a lot.”

“Just don’t lie anymore, ok? I know you are busting your ass to make things better, to repair this whole thing you broke. But lying won’t help matters. You need to be honest with me from now on, with mom too. Ok? So you know what you should probably do next, right?”

“Yeah.” Marie nods her head.

“You should tell mom.”

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February 27th, 2024
Boston, Massachusetts
Off Camera
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It is now Tuesday, a few days since Marie visited with her twin sister Kimberly. That visit was supposed to be a joyous occasion, a time when she could reunite once more with her son Sean. She is doing all of this, this entire redemption journey, for Sean, and to win back her family’s support. But her joyous reunion with Sean was overshadowed by the confrontation she had with Kim. Her identical twin learned that Marie had been secretly seeing Julianne Buchanan, the woman who had twice before lured her into the clutches of the Inner Peace cult. The distrust from Kim when it comes to Julianne is understandable. Julianne did lead Marie down a path of destruction on two occasions and counting. Anyone can see why Kim might fear Julianne leading Marie astray for a third time in a row. But Marie believes…or at least she wants to believe…that Julianne has indeed changed. After all, Marie has changed, she is trying to change, so why couldn’t Julianne change? Why couldn’t she be a different person? Perhaps a bigger issue here is the fact that Marie did lie to her family about this continued relationship. Marie knows full well that is honesty and trustworthiness is the only way she can fully repair her relationships and yet she has been lying to everyone about this secret relationship with Julianne. Kimberly may be crazy, but she is definitely right about one thing; Marie does need to start being more honest and that honesty begins by telling their mother the truth about Julianne.

Marie Jones is following her mother, Angelica Jones, downstairs into the basement of her large home in Boston, Massachusetts. Marie is wearing her workout gear, consisting of black workout shorts, white sneakers, and a plain white t-shirt. Her long red hair is pulled into a ponytail in the back. This is one convenience about living with her mother again; her mother has her own private workout area in the basement. Angelica would always use this area to prepare for her matches when she was a full time active wrestler. Now Marie uses it for her own wrestling career, and with a match against Cassie Wolfe coming up at Retribution, now is as good as any to make use of it.

“I know you are eager to move back home,” Angelica begins as they make their way to the bottom of the staircase and into the basement “but I have to admit, it has been great spending more time with you these past few weeks.”

“Yeah, it’s been great. And this workout area you have, it has been a life saver.”

“I knew you’d like it.” Angelica grins. “You know, you and your sisters are always welcome to use it anytime you like. All you have to do is stop by for a visit.”

“I will remember that in the future.”

They make their way towards the workout area. Marie spots the weights, heavy bags, and even a regulation size wrestling ring set up not too far away. She wonders what the plan is for today? What does her mother have in store?

“So, your opponent is Cassie, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well you’ve more than proven yourself capable of mat wrestling your opponents. You ran both Aisling and Deanna Frost through the ringer.”

“It wasn’t enough to beat Deanna.” Marie points out.

“Deanna caught you with that knee strike. That’s what I think the difference was. Had you managed to catch her just one more time with The Angel’s Arch, maybe she would have tapped out? But she caught you first with that knee. And THAT is what I want to work on today as you prepare for Cassie and Retribution. We’re going to work on your striking. Making someone submit is great, but you need to be fast and need to be able to strike Cassie first to keep her down, either for the pin or to wrap her up in a submission.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Marie nods her head.

“But most importantly forget about Breakdown. You had a hell of a match against Deanna, and yes, you lost, but that shouldn’t be the big story here. You went out there, gave her a hell of a fight, and you held your head high even in defeat. Do not go into Retribution trying to prove anything to anyone. Just go out there and have the best possible match against Wolfe and, hopefully, produce a win.”

“Don’t worry, mom, trust me when I say that my head is in the game.” She pauses. “Well, mostly…”

“What is it?” Angelica asks curiously. “Is there something else wrong?”

“Nothing wrong. It’s just something I should probably tell you.”

“Do I need to sit down?”

“Probably.” Marie laughs lightly. Angelica then walks over to a couple of nearby chairs. She sits down and motions for Marie to sit next to her. Marie sits down and stares back at Angelica. She knows this might not go well but she has to get it off of her chest.

“So, what is it that you need to tell me?”

“It might make you upset, and if it does I apologize in advance, but Kim pointed out that I need to be honest with you…with the whole family…if I ever hope to earn your trust back. So I am going to be honest and tell you the truth, even if it might end up hurting me in the end.” The Phoenix sighs. “I’m…I’m still seeing Julianne.”

“Seeing her as in what?”

“I’m sleeping with her, mom.”

“Gotcha.” Angelica nods her head. “I don’t care who you sleep with, that’s none of anyone’s business but your own. Although…”

“I can see it coming…”

“I admit, the fact that you are still seeing Julianne is a little concerning.”

“I know.” Marie nods her head. “Kim told me she doesn’t trust her, either. But I am telling you, mom, there is nothing sinister about any of this. I care about Julianne. That’s all there is to it.”

“Is the feeling mutual?”

“I…think it is?” Marie shrugs her shoulders.

“You need to KNOW it.” Angelica pats her daughter on the back. “I think Kim would agree that it isn’t your relationship with Julianne itself that bothers us. Like I said, what you do in the privacy of your own bedroom is your own business. But what does bother me, and I’m sure what bothers Kim too, is your continued reliance upon Julianne.”

“Relying on Julianne?” Marie is confused. “What do you mean?”

“Face it, Marie, your blind loyalty to Julianne has led you to twice lie to the family, twice abandon and reject the family, simply because she said so.”

“She was manipulated, just like I was!” Marie insists. “She is a victim, too!”

“Maybe she is. But the fact is that you did lie to us about it. That is a problem. The whole reason for this arrangement you have, why you are living with me and why Kim has Sean, is because we’re not sure we can trust you yet. You need to prove yourself.”

“What can I do to prove myself?” Marie asks. “I regained my wrestling career and I am slowly regaining the trust of the fans and the SCW locker room. But more important than that is my family. I want you guys to trust me again. So what do I need to do to prove to you that I am a changed person?”

“There is one thing…but I’m not sure you’d like it…”

“I’ll do anything!” Marie insists.

“Well, obviously the experiences at Inner Peace were quite traumatic. It might be a good idea to go see a psychiatrist.”

“A…psychiatrist?” Marie’s face goes pale. The thought of seeing a psychiatrist frightens her. She definitely wants to avoid that. “Do we…do I have to?”

“Look, I get it.” Angelica pats her on the back to comfort her. “Mental instability runs in the family. I was institutionalized, Kim was institutionalized, and…”

“...yeah, I might end up institutionalized too.”

“Yes, you’re worried about that, but it is highly unlikely that would happen. All that the psychiatrist would do is help you cope with the trauma you have experienced from the Inner Peace cult. And maybe seeing a psychiatrist would help you to see more clearly? It would help you make better judgments? More importantly, doing this would be a huge sign to anyone who doubts you that you are truly sincere about repairing your life and fixing yourself.”

“And Julianne…” Marie’s voice trails off “...you and Kim…”

“We don’t care about her. If that’s who you want to spend time with, go for it. All we care about is helping YOU. And I do think that seeing a psychiatrist could help.”