Team Desire vs. Light in the Darkness

[Wisteria Waltz]

OOC: Billy Heaven Jr. appears with permission. Also, just to cover my bases, despite not making actual appearances in this, something regarding Selena and Deanna Frost that appears in this CD was worked out with and approved by Hayden.
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In a way, Apocalypse was almost starting to become the pay-per-view that always set the stage for the next big step in the careers of Amelia Blythe and La Pequeña Luz.

Last year at this very event, they followed up a strong run through a tag team turmoil match by winning a triple threat tag match under lucha libre rules to officially become the number one contenders to the World Tag Team Championship, ultimately going on to win those titles for the very first time roughly one year after they'd returned to SCW.

This year seemed to set the stage for them on the singles front, giving them the chance to remind the world that they were both incredibly talented and dedicated wrestlers and not just a phenomenal tag team. Amelia, alongside Billy Heaven Jr. and Xander Valentine, had fought her way to the finals of this year's Trios Tournament and ultimately helped get her team across the finish line, earning her an open contract for any match of her choosing over the course of the next year. Luz, not to be outdone, had fought tooth and nail to earn the win in a triple threat match over Scott Reed and Marie Jones to become the number one contender to the United States Championship.

One would think the future would be looking incredibly bright for the young couple... but all they could focus on were the dark clouds that seemed to hide a lot of that brilliant sunlight that should be guiding them to the next step in their wrestling journeys.

With Apocalypse now off the air, Luz and Amelia had their heads hung as they made their way through the backstage area towards their locker room, painting a very different picture than what many workers they passed by were probably expecting to see. The prevailing plan right now was to get showered and changed (especially since Luz hadn't done so after her win, not wanting to miss a second of Amelia's match) before heading back to their hotel room. The urge to talk about what had happened tonight was certainly there, but they wanted to be somewhere private to work through all of it together and figure out what to do next.

After all, for as successful as Apocalypse had been for them tonight, that success had a lot of asterisks attached to it. And if there was one thing Luz and Amelia both hated with a burning passion, it was asterisks tainting their hard-earned efforts to pull off victories.

Amelia's was obvious, and she knew it was only going to come with its own set of problems. It would've been one thing if a tainted win would've come from Billy's antics because, despite her best efforts, she had no control over the guy and she at least could play devil's advocate considering how much Selena had been willing to stretch the rules and turn a blind eye to Polly and Andrew's antics if it got her what she wanted. Interference from Blake Mason, for reasons she still struggled to fully comprehend, opened up a whole new can of worms that only made her efforts to try and get through to her former(?) friend even harder now. She had a Trios contract now, and all the power that came with it, but she struggled to justify to herself having truly earned it. All that training with Xander, putting up with Billy's obnoxious nonsense, fighting to prove what she was capable of without Luz... in a way, it felt like it had been for naught.

Luz wasn't faring much better on her end. Sure, she'd actually won her match clean and there was no disputing that she had earned the right to call herself the number one contender to the United States Championship... the problem was all the questions and unknowns surrounding the title itself that hadn't fully been answered by the time the show had gone off the air. She'd seen the unsanctioned fight between Deanna and The Enigma, rooting her friend on the whole way as she overcame her own exhaustion and, hopefully, put that wannabe supernatural psychopath out of commission for the foreseeable future. Just as important, however, was the confirmation that Deanna had, in fact, won that match, meaning Luz would get her wish of properly challenging her for that title and earning it the right way in the kind of challenge she wanted to further prove herself. She didn't know when that might be, but she was more than willing to wait if it meant she got the best possible match out of Deanna, the match that everyone deserved between them. Overhearing CHBK and some of the road agents discussing the possibility of an interim champion pending how serious Deanna's injuries were, however... she knew who that would end up being if it became necessary, and she knew she'd earned it given her win tonight, but to her that scenario felt hollow at best.

“It didn't feel this complicated last year,” Luz suddenly said, unable to hold it in any longer despite the two of them not even being back to their locker room yet. “We won, we earned our title shot, and we went on to our very first SCW World Tag Title reign. Simple and effective.”

“I'm sure Glory and Brittany would disagree,” Amelia noted, though her tone lacked the playful energy she probably intended for it to have. “We didn't pin them in that match, we didn't pin them in the triple threat at Retribution... all their issues with us had to start somewhere.”

“OK, you've got me there,” Luz admitted. “But still, that's an issue we could at least deal with and eventually did. All of tonight, though? I... Ames, I don't even know where to begin.”

“I feel like it's going to have to begin with the Frosts... speaking of things that didn't feel complicated last year...” Amelia lamented, briefly thinking back to how simple it was when the Frosts were Tag Team Champions and they were the challengers, and that was all there was to it. “I know Blake wants to be in the World Title picture, but my team eliminated his in round one. I don't care if he's got anything against Selena like everyone else does, he screwed me out of a chance to show Selena that the right mindset does still work in this business, despite what she thinks and wants to give in to.”

“I saw him nodding to Billy's dad after the fall was counted,” Luz revealed with a sigh. “I don't know what kind of deal they made, but I know they could care less about doing anything the right way in this business. Idiotas egoístas...”

“Well... the good news is that I have an entire year to figure out what to use that contract for,” Amelia tried to justify. “Hopefully that will be plenty of time to prove that I've not only truly earned it but also whatever I decide to use it for. At least Selena's predictable enough to know her reaction to all of this... Deanna, on the other hand...”

“Well, the next Breakdown's going to be in Buffalo, and that fight took place in New York, so maybe when we head out that way we should go visit her in the hospital and see how she's doing.” Luz slowly grew more frantic and worried as she spoke. “Even if she's not conscious yet, she still deserves to know that we're worried about her, and not just because I'm on deck for her title now. It's hard not to think about it in a wrestler mindset though... I want to earn that title, I want to prove I can beat her for it because of how much she's earned her lengthy reign with that belt. If I have to call myself an interim champion until I can get that match...”

“Deep breaths, Lulu,” Amelia cut in, draping an aching arm over her fiancée's shoulders. They took a few deep, calming breaths together, knowing that they both needed it right now, before they realized that in their slow mental descent, they had reached their locker room without even realizing it.

“I just...” Luz groaned as she leaned her masked forehead against the door. “What's wrong with the simple, honest approach? Why do so many people have to cause so much chaos to get their way?”

“I wish I had a clue, I honestly did...” Amelia leaned over and kissed the corner of Luz's lips. As much as they both knew they should step inside so they can get ready to leave the Rogers Arena behind for tonight, they just stood there for a moment, leaning against one another up against the door to their locker room, trying to collect their thoughts.

“There's my resident baddie lesbian goddesses! And presenting the goods for the Young King himself too! Talk about getting the party started early!”

And just like that, it felt like a wrecking ball had swung in and demolished all the tension that was starting to wear on the minds of the World Tag Team Champions. Given who said wrecking ball was, however, meant that Amelia could hardly call it a good thing as she audibly groaned, her and Luz turning to find Billy dancing up to them. At least... that's what he probably thought he was doing, but neither woman would call his 'dancing' anywhere close to good, even giving him the benefit of the doubt because he was still clutching at the arm Selena had trapped in that hanging armbar of hers during the finals.

“I'm not-” Luz started to say, the exasperation clear in her voice, but Amelia gently elbowed her in the side.

“Believe me with how much I hate that I'm about to say this,” Amelia whispered in Luz's ear, “but just let him think that. He already won't leave me alone despite how clear I've been that I'll never be into men. If he knows you bat for both teams...”

Amelia was practically gagging at even having to say any of that, but despite the low growl that escaped her throat in response, Luz got the hint. People like Billy had been enough of a problem for the both of them throughout their lives in one form or another, but poor Amelia had to just grin and bear it to pull off what she did in the Trios Tournament. It still didn't answer why Billy was bothering them now, but maybe they felt they at least owed him the courtesy of a conversation. Amelia had put up with him up to this point, and Luz somehow managed to tolerate him despite everything he did that warranted getting his teeth knocked out... maybe they could put up with one more chat with him before they hopefully never crossed paths with him again for as long as they were all on the SCW roster.

“What'cha whispering about?” Billy asked as he got uncomfortably close, to the point where he tried to lean back against them so he could snap a group selfie only for Amelia and Luz to shove him away. He didn't seem deterred by this, unfortunately. “You don't have to whisper and hide it. I know you ladies wanna know what Heaven feels like.”

“Is there something we can help you with Billy?” Luz asked, somehow managing to sound like her usual kind self.

“Straight to the point, I like it!” Billy clapped his hands, only to shake out his one arm when he was reminded of whatever damage was done to it. Amelia couldn't keep from rolling her eyes, knowing firsthand for better or worse what signs indicated a broken arm, and Billy's was far from being broken for sure. “Alright, here's the score: I had this huge party planned for hashtag my crew for when we won tonight out at one of the local clubs, no expense spared. Sadly, big Xandy bailed on ol' Billy, said it wasn't his thing and threatened to get all violent and shit when I tried to talk him into reconsidering.”

“You mean when you got on his nerves enough he threatened to put you to bed early tonight,” Amelia noted, having spent enough time training with her Trios partners at this point to know what likely really happened.

“But! But!” Billy tried to keep going, not letting Amelia's likely accurate observation derail his flow. “I know a bad vibe like you Amelia would never turn down a good time out with B.H. Da Remix. You and Not-So-Little Luz here can back me up with those big, juicy asses of yours, celebrate her nice win too. Maybe even consider it a double bachelorette party, my little wedding gift to the both of you. What do you say? We can throw back some drinks, cut loose on the dance floor, maybe the both of you can bring some bootyquaking through my Heavenly-”

“No.”

Billy's eyes went wide, almost like he wasn't expecting to suddenly hear the record scratch sound in his brain, but Amelia was firm in her refusal.

“No?”

“No,” Amelia confirmed. “I'm sorry Billy, you make it sound so 'tempting' but... the tournament's over. Luz and I just want to try and get back to our normal routine, especially since we got confirmation earlier that we're defending our World Tag Titles next Breakdown.”

“Right now, all we want to do is get cleaned up and go back to our hotel to sleep off the aches and pains from our matches tonight,” Luz added, using a more gentle tone. “To be honest, we've got a lot on our plate coming up and we really should worry about that first.”

“It was... interesting, to say the least, getting to work with you Billy,” Amelia admitted, though she had a feeling Billy barely paid attention to the way her face scrunched up a bit on the word 'interesting.' “Maybe our paths will cross again in that ring... but for now, we're tired and just want to get some rest.”

Billy opened his mouth to perhaps try and talk them into reconsidering, but Luz had already opened the door and stepped inside, pulling Amelia in with her before it was closed and locked, in case Billy got any bright ideas. Both women let out sighs of relief, although they swore they heard Billy through the door say something to himself about their answer being a no “just for tonight” and that there was always next time.

“Is it weird if I feel like he could've been more... tolerable, if he didn't maybe have everything handed to him?” Luz asked as she and Amelia headed over to where their bags were sitting.

“I kind of feel bad for him,” Amelia admitted. “But maybe that's because I feel like I could've been him in another life. But that would've required my parents to not be so obsessed with a family wrestling legacy.”

“I'm sure you'd be a lot less crass about how you talk to people too,” Luz chuckled. “For what it's worth, though... I know it was an ugly beginning, but I think I like who you ended up becoming.”

“Me too,” Amelia replied with a bit of a bubbly laugh escaping her throat. “I'm exactly who I've always wanted to be and I've never been happier. Although... I'm sure that will change in a little over a month when we...”

Luz had been smiling as she pulled out the clothes she planned on changing into once she showered, but that smile faded a bit when she heard Amelia trail off. She looked over to see Amelia pulling something out of her bag that wasn't clothes, nor was it anything either one of them knew had been in there when they first arrived to the Rogers Arena tonight. She carefully moved to look over Amelia's shoulder, trying not to get her hopes up in case she was more tired than she realized and her eyes were playing tricks on her, but there was no mistaking what Amelia was holding in her hand right now.

It was a pair of RSVP cards, the same ones they'd included with every wedding invitation they'd sent out. One had the name Selena Frost on it, the other bore the name Deanna Frost.

And both of them had marked that they would be happily attending Luz and Amelia's upcoming wedding.

“I'm not hallucinating this... am I?” Luz hesitantly asked. “I want to hope I'm not, but I did take a couple of knees to the face from Marie tonight, not to mention some of Scott's bigger moves.”

“No, these are the real deal,” Amelia breathed out, her finger moving to trace along the elegant lettering that she knew could only match her beautifully looping script. “But... Deanna wasn't even in the country because of her unsanctioned match. And Selena...”

Luz's eyes widened as a light bulb seemed to go off in her head. “My match! Because I was obviously in the ring and you were meeting up with Xander and Billy for last minute Trios finals planning, it would've been the only time we weren't both in this room. She must've stopped by and slipped them into your bag.”

“Are you sure?” Amelia looked skeptical, though that might've been due to the guard she was careful about keeping up when it came to Selena for the moment.

“Nothing else makes sense,” Luz pointed out. “She obviously couldn't have done it during your guys' match, and I feel like she would've been watching the World Title match like a hawk since she's been lording her rematch over everyone's heads. Plus, Alex, Dean and Lucas were all near the gorilla position when I heard them discussing Deanna and the U.S. Title situation, and I heard Selena insert herself into it briefly. She must've swung by our locker room sometime right after that.”

Amelia just blinked as she looked down at the RSVPs, still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she was even holding them. She'd confirmed the Frosts had gotten them when Selena had talked with her after the last Breakdown and was practically waving hers around like it was a magic wand, but to actually know for sure that despite everything, Selena and Deanna would be attending their wedding in a little over a month's time almost felt as surreal as the realization that she was so very close to finally being able to call Luz her lawfully wedded wife.

“They were the only RSVPs we were still missing,” Amelia mumbled.

“Well, not anymore,” Luz grinned, although it was a lot more subdued than she usually did. “We can let Mamá know either tonight or tomorrow so we can finally finish up with seating arrangements and catering and everything.”

“And...” Amelia started, turning to look Luz in the eyes as hints of a more proper smile began to grace her lips for what felt like the first time all night. “Maybe, just maybe, I managed to get through to her after all. It's not much, but the fact that Selena decided to attend after all gives me hope that the woman we knew she truly was is still in there somewhere.”

“Then we'll just have to keep doing what we do best: staying the course and showing her that it's still possible to succeed even in this era of SCW by doing things the right way,” Luz declared with a voice full of hope and determination.

“And by not forgetting or foregoing who you truly are deep inside,” Amelia punctuated her wife-to-be's statement.

Reinvigorated despite how iffy they'd been feeling just minutes prior, the couple wasted no further time in hopping in the shower and letting the hot water soothe the soreness in their muscles after their respective matches. In a bizarre sort of way, they couldn't help but admit that Billy's unwanted advances followed by Selena's surprise gift had gone a long way in helping to pull themselves out of their own heads before they began to lose themselves. It was a reminder of all the connections they'd made, especially over the course of the past two years, that helped to remind them of exactly who they were and why they fought so hard to be where they are today, both in and out of the ring. From Ivy and Gage to Camila and Marilyn to even Valentina and Henry and beyond, they were all proof of the positive influences Luz and Amelia strived to be not just for each other, but for others as well, and the benefits for everyone involved that accompanied those efforts.

It honestly made it all the more baffling why anyone would feel it was necessary to try and destroy everything that the couple had worked so hard to build for themselves, but they had long since come to the conclusion that some people just weren't worth trying to comprehend or reason with.

It did reignite a brief conversation as they showered about the other dark clouds that had been lingering over their heads for a while, that being the mystery of who had been trying so desperately to convince them to call off their wedding altogether. While they were still no closer to figuring out the answer to that question, they were doing their best not to worry about it anymore. After all, Avery had presented Luz with her and Amelia's marriage certificates while she'd been training for her triple threat match tonight, and the couple had since signed them, meaning that legally they were already recognized by three separate countries as a married couple. Still, they wanted to stick with tradition and officially recognize their union as beginning on the evening of November 1st, during Día de Muertos.

At this point, they deserved the chance to have a proper celebration with no interference from anybody who had some sort of nonsensical issue with them, and even then, there was nothing any of them could do to actually stop La Pequeña Luz and the soon-to-be Amelia Nevado from beginning the next chapter of their lives together.

That didn't completely rule out the possibility of something happening, however, hence why the ceremony was going to have heavy security as a precaution. Just because The Empire had seemingly fallen apart once they'd cut off the head of the snake didn't mean that things hadn't been a little too quiet on that front for way too long, especially considering several failed attempts had been made over the past few months to try and spring Caleb from his 'unjust imprisonment.' Luz and Amelia knew that Caleb's direction wouldn't be needed to justify some sort of attempt to disrupt the festivities... after all, several Empire members had vandalized and ruined Día de Muertos celebrations last year, especially in regards to the ofrenda for Luz's father, not because Caleb had ordered them to but because they believed it was in service to the 'good word' that the delusional madman had been preaching to his cult.

That said, the couple would give anything at this point for the peace of mind in believing that all that security wouldn't actually need to be used for anything and they could just enjoy the biggest moment of their lives to date, being able to take that next step together without harassment or senseless fighting or manipulative mind games.

That was the hope that had them staying in good spirits as they finished getting changed and headed out to find their car, thankfully without any sign of Billy hoping in vain to talk them into doing something they absolutely were not comfortable with and wouldn't even consider even if he wasn't part of the equation at all. Sure, they weren't exactly too thrilled still about a lot of the question marks and asterisks that were attached to their wins tonight, but talking about it even briefly had made it clear that there wasn't much they could really do about it right now and they'd simply have to adapt and tackle things as they got those answers, which would likely be found in Buffalo. Until then, they had work to do to settle an old score with the Stewards come Breakdown, determined to prove once and for all that despite the fact that they hadn't eliminated Team Desire from the match at Rise to Greatness, The Light In The Darkness were the rightful World Tag Team Champions now and would continue to remain so for the foreseeable future.

“Well now, if it isn't The Light In The Darkness! Splendid performances tonight, both of you!”

Luz and Amelia froze at the sound of that voice once they'd gotten their bags loaded up in the car. Amelia had vague memories of it from old clips her parents had made her study back before she debuted in the business, and she swore she'd heard it a few times during some of their social gatherings. Luz, however, had recently become more familiar with it, and a chill ran down her spine at hearing it again here and now. She silently prayed in Spanish that she was just hearings things because of needing some sleep after her match, but as she and Amelia turned, there stood Theresa Saintsbury, slowly applauding for the both of them.

“What do you want, Theresa?” Luz asked, struggling to keep the frustration out of her voice.

“Oh sprout, there's no need to be like that,” Theresa said as she took a few steps towards them, the tone of her voice already ignited an inferno beneath Amelia's skin. “Look at how successful you both were tonight, and without one another by your side! Of course...”

“Don't even think about saying another word,” Amelia snapped, her fists clenching tightly. “I heard all about what you tried to pull on Luz a few days ago, and we're not interested in anything else you think we need to hear.”

“How rude,” Theresa scoffed. “And here I thought your parents raised you better than that, Amelia Blythe.”

“They don't dictate my life anymore, not that they could from a jail cell anyway,” Amelia fired back, a small smirk forming on her lips.

“Ah yes, I heard all about that unfortunate little incident and that sham of a trial,” Theresa waved off Amelia's words. “It truly is a shame to see such potential being wasted-”

“The only thing being wasted here is our time,” Luz immediately jumped in. “Sorry ma'am, but we're done with people thinking they can get into our heads and mess with us because it's become tired and overplayed at this point. So unless you have anything truly important to say, then we'd like to just go back to our hotel for some well-earned rest, if you don't mind.”

“Well...” Theresa growled, although the look on her face was more impressed than anything else. “Someone's suddenly feeling more confident, all of a sudden.”

“Taking the words of someone who thought they'd gotten into my head and proving them wrong will do that,” Luz replied.

“If you're going to say anything,” Amelia chimed in, “then why don't you tell us what your deal is? No offense, but a legendary wrestler who was on good terms with both my parents and Caleb White once upon a time making a sudden appearance with no rhyme or reason is suspicious enough, but then for the first thing you do to be trying to mess with Luz and convince her that we're codependent when we've always respected each others' boundaries and genuinely support each other's efforts?”

“I don't think I like what you're implying,” Theresa scowled. “All I want is to see two promising young athletes such as yourself pick up where I left off in paving the way for women wrestlers everywhere, breaking down barriers and proving yourselves. Is that so wrong?”

“No,” Luz answered, “but you also could've done that without the head games hoping to sabotage our relationship.”

Theresa hummed to herself, narrowing her eyes in this tense standoff, clearly having not anticipated for Luz and Amelia to be so willing to fight back and not let her seeds of doubt take root in their heads. A silence began to fall over the parking lot, broken only by the ambiance of the city of Vancouver late at night all around them. Theresa clearly wasn't looking for a fight, and given her age she knew she likely wouldn't stand a chance even if she wasn't outnumbered, but she also didn't seem like she was going to just walk away and leave this be either. Luz and Amelia, however, were absolutely not in the mood for whatever brought her out to look for them, not when they had so many other things preoccupying their minds to worry about in the immediate future and the woman formerly known as Lady Snapdragon was not one of them.

“Maybe I underestimated you two... maybe he wasn't wrong when he said this wouldn't be as easy as I thought...” Theresa mumbled under her breath. It was very quiet, and would've probably been missed otherwise had Luz and Amelia not been laser-focused on this last obstacle currently standing between them and a good night's rest back in their hotel room. The fact that they had heard it, however, suddenly raised a bunch of red flags in their minds. They glanced at one another out of the corners of their eyes, double-checking to make sure they were both understandably wary of whatever game this woman was trying to play, and Amelia opened her mouth to try once again to demand some answers.

“Lady Snapdragon!”

It wasn't Amelia's voice that echoed through the parking lot. Instead, it was a very familiar voice that she and Luz had all but forgotten about, certain that their dealings with him were done when he'd openly admitted that he'd been wrong and likely misled about the garbage he'd been spewing about them. And yet, the more they thought about it, the more they realized that the man jogging up to the elderly retired wrestler standing across from them still had a few unresolved mysteries attached to him as well.

“We... I need to talk with you...” Jacob Harrison huffed, taking a moment to catch his breath. Before he could continue, however, he glanced over to the side and immediately jumped back at the sight of the couple he'd been trying to 'expose' several months ago. “Oh shit! I'm sorry, you two, I didn't know... please don't consider this a violation of my restraining order, I legit didn't know you ladies were out here and...”

Jacob continued rambling on, literally falling to his knees and begging for them to not say a word about the fact that he was breaking the restraining order that was supposed to keep him far away from them, which had been put into place once he was done serving time for all the stalking and invasion of privacy he'd committed in his relentless pursuit of a false truth. Luz and Amelia tuned him out, however, instead taking notice of the fact that Theresa was trying to use Jacob's sudden arrival as a distraction to slip away. She did pause to look back at them, however, realizing that they were paying the YouTube wrestling vlogger no mind.

“He's looking forward to seeing the two of you again,” she said, having once again coated her words with that sickeningly sweet tone that the couple had grown so tired of hearing. Once she'd let that slip, however, she began to walk away.

“Wait, Lady Snapdragon!” Jacob cried out as he scrambled to his feet and ran after her. Whatever he needed to talk with Theresa about, however, was in a low enough tone that Luz and Amelia couldn't make any of it out now that they were a good distance away.

“What the heck do you think that was all about?” Luz couldn't help but ask Amelia as she mulled over the thought of letting Jacob's sudden appearance and breach of the restraining order slip to Avery once they got back to the hotel.

“And what did Theresa mean by 'he's looking forward to seeing us again'?” Amelia openly pondered.

The two of them would watch as Jacob kept attempting to talk, perhaps even interview, Theresa while she just kept walking away before they ultimately started heading back to their hotel. The entire drive over, though, there was an uneasy feeling beginning to form in their guts, almost like a few dormant puzzle pieces were finally fitting together. And yet, there was still a lot about all of it that felt off for reasons they couldn't quite figure out just yet.

Thankfully, they had plenty of time to think everything over, and with any luck, the next Breakdown would only be the beginning of putting it all together and forging ahead towards the future they were so close to making a reality at long last.