July 29th 2022

A boy.

Eden Morgan and Gabriel Baal are having a little boy. Lucy honestly wouldn’t believe it if she weren’t there, having seen the ultrasound herself. But it’s true, and Lucy couldn’t be happier for her friends, even if she was having a bit of trouble grappling with the surrealness of it all.

Years ago, Lucy couldn’t have fathomed a world in which herself and two of the people who’d made the UGWC so unwelcome for her would be here… The best of friends. Never would she have imagined Eden and Gabriel wanting her around, let alone wanting her to be a part of some of the biggest, and greatest moments of their lives.

She walked Eden down the aisle at their wedding.

She was there when they found out the gender of their first (first? Only? Who knows?) child.

And she hoped to be there for every other milestone moment to come.

What makes it even better now is having Rogan by her side as well. From co-workers, to acquaintances, to friends, then partners… And now… well everyone and their brother knows what they are now. But Lucy couldn’t imagine waking up next to anyone else each morning, or trading stories around the campfire at night.

To say she was grateful for what their fate had bestowed upon them, would be underselling it.

So why, on today of all days, was she feeling something that she’d not felt for a long time. That nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach, the same feeling she’s had time and time again when things were going well in her life.

But this time it feels different. The worry.

The seeds of doubt, creeping into her mind as she looks around at the three people that, unlikely as it ever seemed, are the three people she finally feels like she belongs with and she doesn’t immediately believe that she’s going to lose this. For the first time in a long time, she doesn’t feel like everything is going to fall apart around her.

There’s just a… A sensation that there’s something missing in her life.

 

July 29th 2022

“Something feels off.” Rogan says quietly as the two of them step through the threshold and into the hotel room they’d procured for the night here in New York. His eyes followed Lucy as she took a few steps further into the room, dropping her bag beside the bed before heading toward the window to take in the view of the city.

“I’ve always loved looking down at the city at night. So pretty.” Lucy replied, garnering another curious glance from the dark man as he followed suit – coming to stand beside her, the two of them staring out at the skyline in all its glory. After a few moments, Lucy felt Rogan’s eyes on her, and when she turned their gaze met. She smiled softly at him, and turned away from the window. “So, it’s not really my business… But did you and Gabriel have a nice chat?”

“We did.” Rogan said, turning to watch Lucy once more. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but since they’d emerged from the doctors office earlier in the day, he’d sensed something to be amiss with Lucy – Even if she were putting on a good show, he saw through it. “It’s been a while since he and I spoke.”

Lucy nodded her head. “Good.”

Rogan watched as she sat on the bed, the look in her eyes telling him that she’s in some faraway place. “Is everything okay?”

“Mmmhm.” Lucy responded almost immediately as she slowly brought her eyeline up to meet his. “I’m fine. Just a bit tired.”

She feigned a yawn, but the Dark man still wasn’t biting and Lucy could tell simply by the look on his face. But how was she supposed to describe a feeling to him that she couldn’t quite understand herself?

She was happy for her friends. Even if the entire thing hit her out of left field, she was happy. Their life was changing in a way that Lucy might never know, and she thought herself okay with that fact… Until now. It was then the realization washed over her like the waves crashing over a sandy beach.

It was almost like the Dark man could sense the change in her demeanor because he reached out as he sat down on the bed and pulled her in, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

“It looks like you’ve figured something out, Lass.” He said, placing a kiss on her forehead.

She closed her eyes and nodded. “I did. I just don’t know why…” Her voice trailed off. She hesitated going into anymore detail because she wasn’t sure this was something that she or Rogan needed to be talking about at this stage of their relationship.

Lucy didn’t want to scare him off, if such a thing were even possible at this point.

“You don’t know why… I’m afraid I’m not quite following.” Rogan remarked, sitting up enough to bring his other hand around his body and pull Lucy’s face up to meet his. “But whatever it is, I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”

He smiled at her, reassuringly and she chuckled. “It’s nothing that needs to be figured out perse. I-I just don’t really know how to describe what I’m feeling.”

“Ah.” Was all Rogan could really say at the moment. “Well that’s okay too.”

Lucy returned his smile.

“We might not be by the campfire, but let me tell you a story that might help you understand what’s going on in here…” She pointed at her head. “..A little better, hmm?”

“Aye. Well now you’re speaking my language.”

 

October of 2016

The day was as bleak and dreary as Lucy felt on the inside. She and CJ had just arrived back home from Riko’s funeral. As they entered the door, CJ made a beeline for the stairs, while Lucy stood in the doorway, her eyes red and wet with tears.

She knew that CJ wanted to be alone. She knew that he had his own way of grieving, and that she should just let him go – and take his absence as the respite that it was…

“Ceej.”

But she couldn’t. CJ stopped midway up the stairs and turned back around. But he didn’t move back down towards the foyer, it was almost as if he knew what was coming and he wished he’d moved a little faster – to avoid what was about to happen.

They both knew it wasn’t going to end well, but Lucy just couldn’t let him go without this.. The respite couldn’t truly be a respite without speaking her mind just one more time.

“Can we please not do this right now, Luc–” CJ tried saying before Lucy stepped forward, placing a hand on the banister – Those ice blue eyes of hers staring a hole through her husband.

“No. We’re doing this right fucking now, Charles. How could you?”

CJ sighed. “I’m sorry, Lucy. I know that doesn’t do anything to change what–”

Lucy slammed her hand down on the polished hardwood, the thud echoing through the foyer and sending a painful jolt through her arm and into her shoulder. “No it doesn’t do a Goddamned thing to change that you. Didn’t. TELL ME! I spent days on the phone with those fucking people to get YOUR son home where YOU wanted him. The same child you adopted without telling me!”

Tears were once again streaming down her face as she stared at him, his own face growing redder with every passing moment. Lucy knew this was not the time to be having this discussion again, she knew she should just leave well enough alone and let CJ go – But the longer she stared at him, the angrier she got. The more she saw his sadness, and his sorrow… The more she wanted to hurt him.  Badly.

The more she wanted to hurt him, the more Jenova struggled against her shackles… Her thirst for blood and suffering almost unable to be contained.

“I know… I know I fucked up.”

“Yeah you’re damn right you did. But why would you ever have bothered asking me if I would have wanted to be a part of this? I mean, you’re the same motherfucker who decided to bring some whore into our home in order to make sure I left you, right? Who fucking cares what Lucy wants? It sure as hell AIN’T YOU.” She spat those last words at him in a blaze of rage filled despair. “Fuck it, right? The only people that really fucking matter to you are dead, huh? I’ve never pushed you in regards to having a family one day, CJ. I knew that losing Hope affected you, and I respected that… But God damnit CJ…”

Lucy stopped, her breath catching in her chest – along with the grief of another lost opportunity. Another opportunity taken from her, regardless of how brief it was – it was still an opportunity to have been a mother. And he took it from her without a single thought. Without a single consideration as to what her feelings would have been.

“Luce…”

“Save it. You don’t get to say anything. Not now. You never even gave me a chance. Just like you did last time. You never even gave me a choice but what did I do?” Lucy shook her head in disgust. “I fucking stayed here… and I worked my ass off FOR YOU. I sure as hell didn’t do it for myself. You’re welcome, by the way.”

Finally, Lucy pulled her eyes away from him and she looked down at the ground, watching a few tears fall from her eyes and onto the hardwood below her.

After a few moments of silence, Lucy hears the stairs creak and she assumes that CJ is trying to sneak away, but when she glances up, she sees him approaching her – a deer in the headlights look on his face. “Lucy… I’m so sorry.”

CJ reaches out for her, but she slaps his hand away. “Don’t fucking touch me. I don’t even want to look at you right now.”

And with that, she turns away and leaves him standing at the bottom of the stairs.

 

July 29th 2022

“Wow…” Rogan was at a loss for words. He stared at Lucy for what felt like hours before she finally noticed and looked up into his eyes, a combination of embarrassment and residual anger etched into her expression.

“Yeah.” Lucy replied bitterly, shrugging her shoulders. “I’m incredibly happy for Gabriel and Eden. And I’m even happier with… us. It’s just… It’s something I have had to come to terms with over the years and.. I don’t know.”

Her voice trailed off again, and she looked down – shaking her head. “It’s stupid.”

Rogan shook his head. “It’s not. Lucy, it’s not.”

 

Hi, Ezra.

I’m not sure how nice it’s going to be to meet you, so I’ll save my opinions for after we’ve had our match.  But regardless of the niceties, I’m not naive enough to believe anything besides the facts that you’re kinda new around here… again… And I’m the world champ.

You put two and two together, and anyone with the correct amount of brains will come to the same conclusion that I have.

You’ve gotta come in guns a blazing on Monday, gotta make a good impression against the big champ.. Gotta make sure all those eyes are on you.. Gotta make sure you show em what you’re made of.  That you’re worthy of whatever it is that you want.

I know you recently failed against my guy for the Conquest title, and trust me, I know how that feels.  Been there, done that twice myself.  I mean, not against Rogan.. but you get my point.  You’re hungry.  You’re unwilling to just sit by and take what leftovers somehow make it all the way down the ladder to where you’re standing.  I respect that.

And judging by what I saw at Wrestlestock and in the weeks afterwards, I think you’ve got style.  I think you’re gonna give any one of us a run for our money, especially looking behind the scenes and seeing who you’ve got guiding you through the chaos that is the UGWC.  I can’t claim to know very much about Mr. Pax – and I’m damn sure embarrassed to admit that fact,  but at least I do know a little bit.   Former World Champ and UGWC Hall of Famer.   You couldn’t have found yourself someone more qualified, Ezra.

But then again, you do know a little bit about what goes on around here, don’t you?   You’re a former Chaos Champ yourself, and even if the landscape has changed a bit since you were here last, Ezra – I think you know exactly what you’re doing, and where you wanna be.

And you wanna make an example of me, hmmm?  You wanna show everyone that that loss to Rogan was a fluke and that you’re just as good.. no, no… Better than you were the last time you graced the UGWC with your presence.  Am I right?

Then bring your very best.. and maybe even a little more than that because there’s a reason I’m here and you’re there, you know?  Fate waits for no man, Ezra Wolf.   But the Dark Lady is ready and willing to make you earn that clout that you want so badly.

See you soon.