Continued from “The Darkness Within”

Wrestlestock
July 20th 2021
Tuesday

…

Before they realized it, Maggie was gone, leaving the two of them together by the fire. Lucy sighed and ran her hand over her head while Rogan simply sat there, his eyes lit up by the flames dancing in front of them.

“So tell me, you wouldn’t happen to know who this blonde haired girl was that Miss Lockheart was referring to?”

“You damn well know who she is. But I’m not that person anymore.”

Lucy replied as Rogan turned his head and looked at her.

“Well I for one would very much like to meet her sometime.”

Lucy’s eyes widened, the shock on her face palpable as she stared into his eyes.

“Really?”

She asked quietly, unable to wrap her head around why he’d want to meet the piece of her she’s tried to forget for all these years. A side of her born from the pain of having the only man she’d ever trusted up to that point in her life betray her trust so spectacularly.

“Yeah,”

Rogan shrugged, glancing at the fire again. Then brought his gaze back onto Lucy, his green eyes glowing in the campfire.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

It shouldn’t have bothered her as much as it did. At least that was what she tried telling herself. But the simplicity of the question.. the casual way he asked, it blew her mind.

She couldn’t pull her eyes away from his. She believed him. But why? Why would he want to meet… Jenova?

“I.. I don’t know.”

She answered, shaking her head and breaking eye contact with him. He looked back into the fire. It was as if, in between the stories told to him by his visitors, the fire shared its own stories with him. The way he just gazed into it. Dreamily. The silence consumed them for what seemed like an eternity. The crackling of the wood burning popped in the night.

“We’re friends, right Lucy?”

She nodded, still looking away, perhaps into her own fires.

“Mmhmm.”

Rogan nodded, mostly to himself.

“And we’ve rarely dug into each other’s personal life.”

She looked up at him now.

“Yeah? What are you getting at here?”

Rogan smiled a little, reaching over and putting an arm around her shoulders.

“I guess I’m just saying that I’ll continue to honor that friendship. We don’t have to pry and get all of the details of our lives. It’s enough, at least to me at this point, that we’re just here to support each other.”

And that was the first lie Rogan told Lucy Wylde.

She nodded her head, wanting to just relax and let it go. She wanted to forget, she wanted him to forget the story he’d just heard – But she knew that wasn’t going to happen.

It embarrassed her. Lucy hated that Maggie did that to her, and she hated even more that this wasn’t the first time that Maggie had tried to drag out the identity, the mask that Lucy had worn all those years ago. Something, or someone that Lucy didn’t want to think about anymore, let alone embrace.

But even more than that, she hated how uncomfortable she felt sitting right here, with Rogan because of it. She didn’t feel comforted. She didn’t feel safe. She felt exposed.

“I appreciate that…”

Lucy finally said, her voice cracking just like the embers of the fire burning in front of them as she slid her body out of Rogan’s embrace.

“I-I’m just going to head back to my room… Long day, you know?”

She forced a smile onto her lips as she stood up and looked down at him for a moment before she took off into the night, leaving Rogan to himself to think.

 

Wrestlestock
July 21, 2021
Wednesday

The Dark Man sat at the fire, gazing in. Absently, he fiddled with a stick, drawing random shapes in the sand in front of him. His phone whistled at him.

Next to him, Jase turned his head, then shook his head and rolled his eyes.

Rogan MacLean. I did not miss Twitter.

Jase’s phone whistled at him and his face froze. Rogan smiled, his eyebrows raised.

“Neither did I, Jase,”

Rogan said. He ignored the notification. Jase did not.

Rogan MacLean. What the fuck.

Rogan laughed, looking into the fire.

“What’s wrong, buddy?”

He asked mockingly, pulling his phone from his breast pocket. His grin widened at the tweet from Johnny Hitmaker.

“Ah, Mr. Hitmaker became acquainted with your red phone booth.”

Rogan MacLean. What red phone booth?

They looked at each other for a long time, before they roared with laughter. Jase’s laugh was authentic, not an automated robot laugh. Rogan finally composed himself.

“It’s not quite the same—your sarcasm, I mean,”

He said, his smile fading.

“I miss the sound of it.”

Jase’s smile faded and he squinted at Rogan.

Rogan MacLean. You’re a pussy.

And they both exploded with laughter once again. Finally, Rogan nodded to him.

“You can play dumb first if you want.”

Jase nodded back and opened Twitter.

After a few minutes of them having their fun, silence filled the air.

“Johnny’s so exhausted from his adventures, he’s lost his will to fight a Twitter war.”

Rogan MacLean. I am okay with that.

“The entire world is, friend. You don’t have to acknowledge my name each time you talk to me, either. We’re the only two here, ya know.”

Sorry. Programming issue. I think I got it.

“I’m going to go explore the grounds, Jase. You want to come with?”

Jase stared into the fire, his smile fading, but not faltering.

No thanks, Dark Man. I think I’ll stay here and enjoy this time to myself.

“Fair enough. I’ll catch up with you later.”

Rogan left the Way-Station and looked around. He looked around for a long time. It was easy to dismiss the size of what UGWC had created when sitting alone in your own world. But, when Rogan stepped out of his world and into UGWC’s, and gazed at what they had created, it took the Dark Man’s breath away. He put his hands on his hips and smiled. He missed this.

He took it all in, the sights and sounds, the smells, everything, as he walked through the grounds. Even for a man who traveled between dimensions, this was surreal. He made his way past the red phone booth and the Astro Creeps district, giving Daedalus his Walkin’ Dude wink as he stepped past him. Daedalus grinned back. Tempest watched him from the shadows, but Rogan knew he was there, for Rogan was the shadows.

He stopped at the Bubblegum District and ventured in, looking around at the bright pink and blue lights with a smile. He walked to a vendor and bought cotton candy. Along with the folded bill he handed the clerk, he also asked for a blank piece of receipt paper. He signed it, ‘Keep chasing the lights, kid. Your fan, Rogan MacLean.’

“Could you see to it that Sloane Taylor gets this please?”

He said, folding a hundred dollar bill around it and handing it to the clerk. The clerk smiled and nodded.

“Of course, sir.”

Rogan took his cotton candy and continued walking the grounds, eating the dissolving sugar every few steps like a child at a county fair. He intended to go to the Wrestlestock’s Got Talent district, but quickly found himself distracted by another district: The Hell on Heels district.

On cue, his phone whistled to him. He pulled it from his breast pocket. It was Eden.

He smiled. She was up to something. He responded, then made his way to the Hell on Heels district.

Unsure of what to expect, he approached with caution. When he walked through the door, he could see people, a lot of people. People that definitely weren’t his type of people. But, it wasn’t the people he was paying attention to. In the corner, platinum blonde hair caught his eye. His green eyes narrowed. Outside the district, a crow cawed mockingly. He gazed at the black dress that hugged Lucy’s hips, but not much more than that, he realized. She was leaning over, taking a sip of a drink and laughing at something Eden was saying next to her.

Jenova, Rogan’s mind whispered. He grinned to himself as he stepped out from the shadows to have a drink with his friends. Eden saw him first, her eyes darting from him to Lucy, back to him, and winking that Eden wink. He grinned back and nodded, but when Lucy turned to face him, bright blue eyes covered his field of vision. Temporarily, he forgot about Jenova. He forgot about palaver and stories and the way-station.

For the moment, the only thing in Rogan MacLean’s world was Lucy Wylde.

“Ladies,”

The Dark Man said, in a voice that seemed distant to Rogan,

“let’s get this party started.”

Lucy didn’t notice the satisfied grin on Eden’s face as she was more focused on the man that stood before her. She was honestly shocked to see him after what happened the night before. But that didn’t stop a soft smile from playing over her lips.

“Rogan. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

She said as Eden coughed obnoxiously.

“Right, that totally wasn’t my doing… Not at all.”

Eden said as Lucy turned to give her a confused look. Eden shrugged and glanced down at her bare wrist and tapped it.

“Would you look at the time? I think I’ll leave you all to… Have fun.”

“Eden.. You bitch, I swear to Go–”

Lucy couldn’t finish the sentence before Eden had slid off the stool she’d occupied beside Lucy and slithered off into the crowd, no doubt feeling quite accomplished and proud of herself. Lucy shook her head and turned her attention back towards Rogan.

“She’s such a bitch.”

Rogan smiled and nodded.

“Oh, I know. I’ve known her for quite some time. I know her ways. It’s best to give her little victories here and there, though. I consider this a victory for her, and for us. I feel like we’re back in… what? 2017? 2018? Picking right back up where we left off.”

He nodded to the bartender and requested a beer, then turned his attention back to Lucy.

“You look amazing, by the way. You should give Eden some tips.”

He gave her a wink and turned his head to grin at Eden in the crowd. Having no idea that he just made a joke at her expense, she of course smiled back.

Lucy nearly choked on her drink as she laughed.

“That’ll be the day. But.. thank you.”

She replied, a faint blush creeping up on her cheeks.

The bartender slid the bottle of beer to Rogan and he snatched it, gulping a drink. He looked at Lucy again and smiled. It wasn’t his hateful grin that he had plastered on his face up to this point. It was much gentler than that. It was impossibly opposite from the Dark Man.

“I’m going to respectfully disagree with you.”

He took another drink and looked around, taking in his surroundings for not the first time this evening. Lucy smirked down into her drink, taking another sip before turning on her stool to face him fully as he focused on the crowd.

“At least you’re respectful about it.”

She said playfully, crossing her legs.

“So…”

Lucy said after a few moments of silence. She tucked a wayward strand of wavy blonde hair behind her ear as she too turned her attention to the crowd around them, much more of a crowd than she’d expected here when she and Edie came up with this idea.

“So…”

Rogan said, still smiling.

“I’m impressed. You and Eden did a great job here. It really feels… high class, you know?”

He took another gulp of beer, signalling for the bartender to bring him two more. He intended on being here for a while… the remainder of the evening, in fact.

“Well, Eden is Eden.”

Lucy replied matter-of-factly. She shrugged her shoulders.

“I couldn’t even tell you how she comes up with the shit she does, but I’m just glad to be a part of it.”

He nodded, sliding his empty bottle to the bartender across the bar, then took one of his new beers and sat down.

“I don’t suppose they dance here?”

He looked out at the crowd, finding Gabriel and nodding briefly.

“I’m sure they do.”

Lucy said absentmindedly as she exchanged her empty drink for a fresh one.

“They do everything else around here.”

He looked at her, watching her take a sip of her new drink.

“Well, I don’t suppose you’d want to… sit here and make fun of those dancing, would you? It’s one of my favorite pastimes.”

He took a swig and looked out into the crowd. There were a few couples dancing, for the most part unorthodox, and Rogan pointed with a laugh.

“See?!”

Lucy followed his gaze and chuckled.

“That kind of stuff is what those rooms in the back are for…”

She shook her head. Rogan looked towards the back, then back to the couples dancing. He smiled, although a little confused.

“The rooms in the back?”

Lucy’s eyebrows arched as she slowly turned her head to look at him, wondering if he was messing with her. But when she saw the confused look on his face, she straightened up and let out a snort of laughter.

“Oh, that’s adorable.”

She mused, glancing back out at the crowd.

“Private rooms… Where… you know…”

Rogan finished taking a big swig of beer, almost choking on it.

“Ohh! Okay, I’m with you. Wow.”

He laughed a little.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised there are rooms like that here.”

He shrugged.

“Listen, umm… I feel a little out of place here. Do I stick out like a sore thumb? I mean, you look great, and all these people, save for the peculiar dancers over there, look great, too. Do I look… strange, I guess?”

For the second time in mere minutes, Lucy was taken back by the words that came out of Rogan’s mouth. It took her a few seconds to gather her thoughts, turning her full attention to him and finding herself shocked to see him looking uncertain.

“Rogan, no. You’re fine. You look like… The dark man.”

She finished with a wink of her own. His uncertainty softened, and he relaxed.

“Oh. Well, that’s naturally what I was going for.”

He took another drink and set the empty bottle down. He held out his hand.

“Come on then. Let’s go have some fun.”

 

Wrestlestock
July 24, 2021
Saturday

It was no real secret that day two of Wrestlestock didn’t go the way that either Lucy nor Rogan had expected. Rogan lost out in the first round of the open to Sylvia Lopez and Lucy, well, Lucy had lost her Chaos Championship to UGWC’s newest Grand Slam Champion, Sebastian Everett Bryce… The Third.

Lucy was disappointed. Of course she was. But she’d been through this particular disappointment enough in her career to know that it would pass and she’d be onto the next thing on her list soon enough.

For Rogan, it was just the second time he had been out and about the Wrestlestock grounds, and only the first time he had actually explored more than just a few of the districts. He was carrying a bottle of beer, beads of condensation standing out on it. He took a swig and gazed around the grounds curiously from his seat.

To say he was disappointed with his performance at Wrestlestock would be inaccurate. He wanted to win, of course, but he respected the event, and he respected his erratic opponent. Sylvia Lopez was no slouch, he found out. His wrapped fingers illustrated that. She found an opening on him, and she took advantage of her opportunity. For that, Rogan felt she earned that win.

Both of their opponents earned their respective victories, that was never in doubt. But that didn’t change the fact that there were still two days left of Wrestlestock, and for Lucy and Rogan, there was absolutely nothing for them to do.

So here they sat, amid the hustle and bustle, drinking their day away.

“You know…”

Lucy began, shaking her head as she took a sip of her second screwdriver of the day.

“I’m glad it’s just you and me today. I obviously wish we would’ve won yesterday, but this is good too.”

Taking a glance in Rogan’s direction, she sighed and took another sip, a much larger one this time, a thoughtful look covering her features.

“I let you down.”

Rogan squinted behind his beer.

“What do you mean, you let me down?”

Lucy shook her head behind the glass, opting to down the rest of her drink before fielding an answer to his question. She set the glass down in front of her, and wondered to herself if she could go get another before answering as well – But instead, she sighed once more.

“If I remember correctly, you said.. And I quote, ‘I looked good with that Chaos Championship.. Much easier on the eyes than some of it’s previous holders…’”

She looked down at her waist and motioned to where the belt would have been.

“But.. lookie here. No belt.”

Rogan chuckled and shook his head, taking another drink himself. Once he gulped it down, he let out a satisfied “Ahhh” afterwards.

“My statement holds true. You’re much prettier than Sebastian, regardless of how highly he thinks of himself.”

He stood to get a replacement for his empty bottle and Lucy followed.

“Besides, you’d have to do a lot worse than losing a match to disappoint me. Losing to Seb is nothing to be ashamed of. And now, we’ve got two extra days of vacation, the way I look at it.”

Lucy grabs the ingredients to make herself another drink, shaking her head as she works.

“Fine. You make a good point. Besides, the Chaos title really isn’t what I’m after.”

He raised an inquisitive eyebrow, popping the top off his fresh beer.

“Oh? Should Gabriel or Hastings be watching their respective backs in the coming weeks? I could certainly picture you reclaiming your throne at the top… and this one wouldn’t be cow-printed!”

Lucy snorts, immediately covering up her face.

“No, not quite. But good one. Really, really good one.”

She finishes making her new drink and takes a sip.

“I want the cooperative belts.”

Rogan stopped, mid-drink.

“The Cooperative belts? Interesting.”

He pondered, resuming the drink he had put on hold. He glanced out at small groups of people passing by, absent-mindedly bringing his hand to his chin while he thought about it. Meanwhile, Lucy was nursing her own drink, already feeling the effects of her earlier decisions to spend the day drowning herself in alcohol.

She nodded her head.

“It might sound a little… Vain… but they’re all I need to do what Sebastian just did yesterday. I guess I just need the right partner to help me get there. All this talk about legacies and shit has made me wonder what exactly I’m gonna be leaving behind when I’m finally finished… And I don’t want my name to go down in history as one of the best to never become a grand slam champ. It’s ridiculous, I know…”

He smiled a little.

“Nah, it’s not all that ridiculous. Wanting to build your own legacy? Isn’t that what we’re all here to do?”

He gazed out at the crowds once more.

“After all, that’s exactly why I came back. I’ve got a lot to do to solidify my legacy. I don’t want to go down in UGWC’s history as a one hit wonder. But, I’ve got a long way to go, I think.”

“I think this is a good start.”

Lucy replied, reaching out and clanging her glass against Rogan’s bottle.

“Now, I do remember you promising me a less than mild ride in that Buick of yours…”

She says, moving around until she’s beside him, with her arm wrapped around his free arm.

“Oh yeah? Is the lady interested?”

He took her arm into his and adjusted his posture mockingly to look like a proper gentleman.

“I must warn you, it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s why Eden never wants to take any rides in it.”

“You mean I have the opportunity to do something that Eden’s too pussy to do? I’m even more interested now.”

She replied, looking up to him with a playful grin.

“Besides, we’re here to have fun, hmmm?”

He burst with laughter, and began walking across the grounds.

“Well, that’s true. I’ll tell you what, I’ll find out what Jack’s doing later, and we’ll take a ride tonight, when it’s dark. We want it to have its full spooky effect. I believe the Buick has become something of an urban legend, yeah?”

“I suppose it is.”

Lucy agreed.

“So, until then.. What do you wanna do?”

“Drink.”

He said simply, and as if illustrating his point, gulped down the rest of his beer.

Later that evening…

Jack Levy sat in the driver’s seat. A cigarette hung from one side of his mouth, a trail of smoke swirling up and out the window. He rested an arm outside the door. Rogan and Lucy had been in the backseat for quite some time, but, thanks to a little “tip” from that Eden lady, Jack had no intentions of making the mistake of checking on them. He wasn’t about to step in on that business. So he sat, patiently waiting for Rogan to tell him where to go.

Until he got impatient, of course. After an hour, he decided to check. The stillness of the Buick encouraged him that nothing was going on anyway. He unlocked the separator between the front seat and back seat. As he did so, he stopped to think about it. Had that separator always been part of this vehicle? He couldn’t remember. But, he couldn’t remember a lot of features in this alien thing. He shrugged, and finished releasing it. He peered into the backseat, slowly at first, and then once he saw them, more quickly. He sighed and shook his head.

Lucy and Rogan sat, but Lucy was asleep, her head resting on Rogan’s shoulder. The Dark Man opened his eyes a little and held an index finger up to his lips. Somewhere in the desert, a crow cawed, but so quietly that it seemed like it was whispering.

 

July 26, 2021
Monday

The trip back home should have felt as if it were neverending.

Lucy and Rogan talked, they laughed and they sat quietly beside one another, staring out their respective windows simply enjoying the journey. And even in those moments of silent reflection, the journey was never anything less than pleasurable.

Another Wrestlestock was in the books, and everyone had to return to their lives. For Lucy, she was headed into another change, heading back to the hidden depths of Western Maryland, to her former home. She didn’t know what awaited her there, and deep down inside the former Chaos Champion, her nerves rattled about like the tail of a deadly snake, coiled up and ready to strike.

The uncertainty of it all made her wish she had just a few more days.. Just a few more carefree moments before she once again came face to face with her past.

The wind whistled through Rogan’s cracked window. He gazed out at the scenery as it changed from the desert, to the mountains, to the plains. Several times he glanced at Lucy’s hand resting between them.

Shake the hand that shook the world

He had murmured that phrase in several languages in several places of history in several realities. He was the Dark Man. The embodiment of Randall Flagg. The Hard Case. The Walkin’ Dude. The Man in Black. And yet…

He wasn’t. He wasn’t pure evil.

He glanced at Lucy gazing at the stars outside, then gazed at the stars himself.

“Lucy… I’ve been thinking.”

“Yeah?”

She turned her attention to him curiously.

“Yeah, I was wondering if you would be my…”

He cleared his throat softly.

“I was wondering if you would be my partner. My cooperative partner in UGWC, I mean.”

He felt her amused smile.

“Permanently,”

Her amusement disappeared. She watched him closely and he turned his head and smiled.

“Really?”

He could see she wanted confirmation that he was being serious.

“Yes,”

He said simply.

“But, the Killing Joke has run its course. We should come up with something new. Something…”

“Permanent.”

She finished his sentence, and smiled.

“I’d love that, honestly.”

“Good… then let’s set out for those titles.”

 

August 4, 2021
Thursday

Rogan slid open the door from his balcony. He was dressed only in swim trunks, black silhouettes of palm trees against a red and orange sunset pattern. It was quite different from what he typically wore. Of course, when in Rome…

He stepped into the bedroom and grabbed his laptop, walking back the way he came and setting it on a table that he had used to eat breakfast that morning. He opened it up and sat down, staring out at the ocean in front of him briefly, then powered it up. A soft mechanical whir followed as it came to life. He sat and waited patiently. He let his thoughts drift.

He had been gone for a long time. Just as his career had begun, in fact. Just as it was taking off. Now he had thrown himself into shark-infested waters, pardon the theme. And he was enjoying it. While he had yet to make much of an impact in his return, in his eyes, he felt the time was drawing near.

The steady sound of the waves rolling into shore must have lulled him to sleep. The sound of an incoming call startled him and he sat up straight. He looked through his blurred vision at the name and answered it. A few moments later, Lucy Wylde was on the screen smiling.

“Hey Lucy!”

He croaked, then cleared his throat. Lucy chuckled.

“Awww, Did I wake you?”

“Just dozed off a bit. It’s easy to do out here. How’s it going? How’s the house?”

He stretched out, making himself more comfortable, if that were even possible at the moment.

“It’s okay. Just weird, you know?”

She sighed as she sat back and crossed her legs as she sat on the bed, her computer situated on the blanket in front of her. Taking a look at the room around her, she shook her head and focused back onto the screen and Rogan.

“What about you? How’s the beach life? You look relaxed.”

“Oh, it’s amazing. Different, of course. But… I could get used to this.”

He lifted the laptop so the webcam captured the ocean meeting the sky behind him.

“It looks good on you. It really does. I’m glad you’ve found a place where you could settle down.”

Lucy replied with a smile.

“But we have business to talk about. I have no intention of letting history repeat itself on Monday.”

“Seb and Pierce. Not an easy task in the least. We’ll obviously have to be on our A-Game.”

He looked past Lucy at the interior of her home briefly, before turning his attention back to her. Lucy nodded her head.

“Seb’s riding cloud nine right now, talking about his ‘Grand Slam‘… And I’d like to knock just a little bit of that pompous attitude out of him. I like the kid, don’t get me wrong. But a small part of me needs to punch him in his pretty little face.”

Lucy chuckles and shrugs her shoulders.

“Might ease the sting of losing, just a little.”

“Seb has the ability to get under one’s skin. There’s no doubt about it. I encouraged it during his rivalry with Hide, when I was Creative Director. The kid seizes his opportunities, like he’s desperate to hang on before the opportunity passes. As if he’s expecting his career to be cut short or something. I know he drives Johnny crazy. That’s probably what I like the most about him.”

Rogan scratches at his beard, pausing at the sound of seagulls a few balconies away.

“I’m sure you’re looking for redemption. But let’s not get hung up too much on it and let it take our eyes off the bigger picture. Redemption would be sweet, sure, but you and I both have a tendency to focus on such things when there are other things more important. In this case, getting a win in the Cooperative Division.”

Lucy sighed and ran a hand over her head.

“No, no.. You’re right. Besides who knows how this pairing of Pierce and Seb is going to work out. We’ve gotta be prepared for it to be a match made in heaven. Even though part of me suspects Pierce to be as hard to partner with in the ring as he is in production. That is unless you’re Edie… and Seb isn’t Edie.”

She paused for a moment, listening as the breeze whistled through one of the old, worn out windows in the room with her. She watched Rogan open his mouth to speak but she put a hand up, stopping him.

“And before you say it. I’m not assuming anything about anyone. Pierce is a pain in the ass and Seb is a cocky, talented pain in the ass. But they both can win on their own, and we know that. Regardless of how much shit I’ve given Pierce in the past… Seb might have himself a pretty good fit here.”

Rogan smiled.

“I think you’re right. I happen to like Pierce, if I’m being honest. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m amused at how he gets under Eden’s skin.”

“I think he’s insufferable. But then again… Eden might be rubbing off on me.”

Lucy laughed.

“But seriously, he’s not horrible. He’s not amazing. He’s just there. He beat me to get into the first Conquest title match and I told him not to fuck that up – But he did. I don’t know. I’m not in the position to place myself above others because that shit bites me in the ass more often than not. But Seb really is the shining star of that pairing, regardless of Travis’ opinion of himself.”

“Seb needs a reality check.”

Rogan’s tone turned slightly more serious.

“I think he spends too much time goofing off. If he had taken Hide more seriously than he did, he probably would have been more successful in that rivalry. Then again, who am I to sit upon my high horse? I’ve certainly had a flawed past myself. Anyway, we could analyze our opponents all day, but I think the key to our success lies within ourselves. We focus on that, and I think it won’t matter who our opponents are.”

He paused, reaching back and scratching lightly at a bit of a sunburn on his neck.

“We’ve already had some success as a team since we’ve reunited. I think we’re starting to become reacquainted in the ring. We’re comfortable. Now, I think we’re ready to strike and make our presence felt in the Cooperative Division.”

“What better time than now?”

Lucy asked, pulling a blanket on top of her bare legs.

“That reminds me though, we should definitely set aside some time to practice.. Maybe come up with some moves that play to both of our strengths.”

He shot an index finger at the screen.

“Great idea! It wouldn’t hurt to get back into a groove of training regularly…”

He trailed off, looking out at the beach once more.

“…as much as I’d like to spend my days being lazy and sitting on the beach.”

He grinned childishly.

“Ain’t a damn thing wrong with that. I’m thinking about going hiking tomorrow before I head out for Chicago. Since, I don’t have a beach within inches of me.”

She sticks her tongue out at him and laughs.

“I guess I’ll spend one more lazy day in front of the ocean. Then it’s down to business. I criticize Seb for goofing off, while sitting on a balcony in a condo in the gulf. Define hypocrisy.”

He chuckled a little, shaking his head.

“Oh God, you’re right.”

Lucy said, putting her face down into her hands.

“Here I am bitching about Travis being mediocre and look at me. We’re a mess.”

She chuckled right along with her partner as she brought her face back into view.

“It’s ok. We’ll get there. And it’ll be a fun ride, too.”

He clasped his hands together and rested them on his lap. Silence settled between them for a little while, Lucy having pulled the blanket up around her shoulders and Rogan glancing between his partner on the computer screen and the beauty of the ocean in front of him. Finally Lucy cleared her throat.

“Go on. Go be lazy by the ocean. I’m just gonna… I don’t know.”

She laughed.

“I’ll figure something out. But I’ll see you soon, so be ready.”

Lucy finished that sentence with a wink.

“You’ll have to spend some time down here once you’re comfortable where you are. Then you can be lazy with me. I’ve got a guest room, ya know.”

He returned her wink with one of his own.

“I’ll talk to you later. Give me a call when you get to Chicago. I shouldn’t be too far behind.”

“You got it. I’ll see you then, Rogan.”

They closed the video feed and their respective laptops. Rogan sat for a moment, smiling to himself, then stood and watched the clouds roll by.  Back in a bedroom that she no longer feels is hers.. Lucy closed the laptop and laid back on the bed, wondering what she was doing there… And if this really was the new beginning she needed.