06-01-2024, 11:54 PM
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.
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.
![[Image: VU13RwA.png]](https://i.imgur.com/VU13RwA.png)
Tag Team Record: 20-8*
La Pequeña Luz Solo Record: 9-5
Amelia Blythe Solo Record: 5-5-1
*The tag team turmoil on the 9/14/2023 Breakdown is counted in this record as the three separate matches LITD had in the gauntlet up until their elimination.
Breakdown 3/30/2023 - Kim Williams' Trios Cash-In
La Pequeña Luz: 3 Falls
Amelia Blythe: 2 Falls
*Neither one finished high enough to win any championships in this match
*Result listed separately and not counted in records due to lack of clarity on how to count falls
SCW Accomplishments
SCW Television Championship (Amelia Blythe - 29 Days)
SCW Television Championship (La Pequeña Luz - 98 Days)
SCW World Tag Team Championship [2] (1 - 81 Days) (2 - 109 Days)
2023 Tag Team of the Year
2023 Match of the Year (Kim Williams' Trios Cash-In)