LITD/Twisted & Sadstic vs. Cowgirls/Dangerous Minds

[Braddock]

1 of 2
=====

==========
May 18th, 2024
Houston, Texas
Off Camera
==========

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.”

==========
May 18th, 2024
Houston, Texas
Off Camera
==========

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?