13.January.2023
Blath Gardens Apartments
New York, NY

Blath Gardens was the apartment building Rogan found with the rose in the lobby. The legend was that the rose was the single keeper of reality as we know it. Within its bright pink illumination was a dark tower that housed all realities. The rose was known to just make the people around it feel good. One story told of a young boy whose acne was cured just by standing near it. Many others… consider it to all be nonsense.

It might be. It may all be some elaborate story to draw tenants to rent from them. Or… it may all be true, at least to some degree.

There was something else about Blath Gardens. Its tenants were… strange. But we’ll get to that soon enough.

At the moment, Rogan stretched across the leather sofa, his attention focused entirely on the action on the mounted television in front of him.

“So what are you going to do?”

Lucy’s question came from another room, and we’ve evidently eavesdropped on them mid-conversation. It must have been that slow ass elevator. Or perhaps the overly friendly bellhop downstairs.

When Lucy came into the room, Rogan shrugged.

“I guess I’m going to finish what Holden started. My feelings of regret and apprehension for this whole thing have faded and been replaced with impatience and aggression.”

Lucy leaned against the doorway, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“I know I keep harping on it. It’s hard not to. I considered him to be like a brother. Before the Engine of Chaos, I didn’t have a family. And yet, at one time or another, one of them has betrayed me. Is that what family is?”

He had been looking up at the ceiling as he reflected. Now he turned his head to look at Lucy for an answer. After some thought, she nodded.

“Believe it or not, yes, that’s what family does to each other.”

“Well, then I’m not interested.”

“I don’t blame you. But, not all families do that. Look at the family I came from and look at what I’ve done to them and vice versa. That doesn’t close my mind to the thought of starting a family.”

Rogan’s eyebrows raised in surprise. And Lucy literally took a step back, fumbling over her words.

“Uh, I mean, s-someday. Not literal—err, ahem… what I meant was, it doesn’t keep me from considering someone like you, or Eden, or Gabriel as being my family.”

She fanned herself with her hands, and Rogan eyed her suspiciously.

“I don’t know that I believe you, lass.”

“What else would I mean?” she challenged, her tone sharp. Rogan laughed and the tension lightened within her.

“I don’t know. You tell me!”

“Can we get back onto the subject of you and your feelings of betrayal from whom you considered to be your brother please?”

She smirked from the doorway and Rogan chuckled again.

“Nah, let’s go have dinner. We’ll talk about it later.”

They stepped outside the apartment and started towards the elevator past a woman unlocking her apartment door. Rogan stopped suddenly and turned to the woman at her door. Lucy walked ahead a few steps before realizing her date wasn’t next to her.

“Shawna!?” Rogan exclaimed, and the woman jumped, startled. Her face changed from startled to shocked excitement, however, when she realized who called to her.

Shawna was the waitress at the Pink Pony Pub who was a little sweet on the dark man during his stay in Gulf Shores. Lucy’s eyes shrunk to slits as she watched Rogan embrace the waitress. Socially, Rogan was quite a bit more friendly than Lucy. And even though it was just his personality, Lucy couldn’t help but feel a wave of bitterness wash over her as the waitress’s bright eyes and humongous smile flashed in her direction.

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be buying strange men drinks down in the Gulf?” Rogan asked as they pulled away from each other. Shawna giggled and took in a deep breath of air. The dark man had taken her breath away.

“I… I guess I needed a change of scenery. What about you? I wondered where you went!”

Rogan smiled and turned towards Lucy, holding out an inviting hand. She smiled politely as she joined his side, his arm wrapping around her waist.

“I guess Lucy and I could say the same. We decided to travel the country for a bit. Spontaneous decision. And then decided to get an apartment and settle down a little here in New York. Also a bit of a knee jerk decision we made. But that’s how we like it, right lass?”

He looked at Lucy with a cheerful grin and she managed another smile and nod. As she made eye contact with Shawna, something caught her attention and their eyes locked, briefly.

“Yes, that’s kind of become our lifestyle,” Lucy said, squeezing Rogan’s hand. “But it’s interesting though… All of us ending up so far from the Gulf… In the same exact apartment building, hmm?”

Lucy tries to say it lightly, but as the words hung in the air between them, she knew there was an almost accusatory tone to her question. In an attempt to look less like the psychopath she felt like as she clung to Rogan’s arm, she smiled sweetly at both of them. “Crazy the way the world works, isn’t it?”

“Small world, I believe the phrase goes,” Rogan said with a smile.

“Yes,” Shawna replied, her eyes scanning Lucy for a moment. “It certainly is.”

Rogan was gleefully unaware of the silent staring contest that was going on between the two women, that is, until Lucy finally broke eye-contact with Shawna and glanced up at Rogan.

“Well, it looks like Shawna is a bit.. Busy at the moment. Besides, weren’t you taking me out on a date?” She says sweetly, laying it on real thick as she pulls on his arm just a bit, wanting nothing more than to get out of this painfully awkward situation. Well there was something she wanted more, but she already had him, and she knew Shawna wanted him.

“Oh!”

Realization suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks. Well, sort of. He was still blissfully ignorant of the competition going on either side of him.

“Yes, of course! It was great seeing you, Shawna! I’m sure we’ll see you around!”

He gave a polite nod and he and Lucy turned back to the elevator at the end of the hall.

 

13.January.2023
Mastro’s Steakhouse
New York, NY

“No way,” Rogan says, chuckling as he sits across from Lucy at a candlelit table. He shakes his head for effect and grabs his drink, taking a healthy gulp. But when Lucy doesn’t immediately answer, he glances up at her and tilts his head to the side. “No way, right?”

Lucy simply shrugs her shoulders. “I told you.”

Rogan shakes his head again. “I don’t believe it, Lass.”

Now it’s Lucy’s turn to laugh, which only serves to confuse Rogan more.

“I’m telling you. She wants the Dark Man.” Lucy watches his face intently for a few moments, and slowly but surely a smirk crosses her features. “Are you blushing? I think you’re blushing…”

This of course caused him to blush even more. He looked away, an awkward laugh escaping him.

“I guess I’m just not seeing it. To be fair, I’ve never been very good at spotting stuff like that. Not that it matters these days. I don’t have to be on the lookout for women hitting on me anymore.”

He winked at the end of it in his semi-smooth escape from being embarrassed.

“In an incredibly abrupt change of subject, my steak is delicious. How’s your food?”

His color deepened a bit again as it really was a terrible change of subject. His awkwardness made Lucy giggle into her hands as she turned away from the table.

“You really are very bad at this.”

“I know.”

He held his hands up in surrender and Lucy’s laughter trailed off as she took in a deep breath.

“Oh, goodness. I love it, though.”

She smiled, and it was genuine and sincere and beautiful. It was one of the things that Rogan had fallen in love with over and over again. This evening was no different. As he looked across the table at her, she slowly tilted her head to the side, her smile softening – but never losing its intensity.

“What?” Rogan asks, sitting back and returning her smile.

“I just like the way you look at me.”

His smile widened. He took a sip of his red wine and his gaze remained on Lucy.

“Well, you’re easy on the eyes, Ms. Wylde. So that helps.”

His eyes drifted to the side a bit and Lucy cut him off before he could look completely away, clearing her throat. His eyes darted back to hers.

“What are you wanting to say? I know that look.”

A smirk forms at the corner of his mouth.

“It’s difficult to get anything past you anymore, you know it? I was thinking… I know we don’t really like to talk about our professional life during our personal time and vice versa, but I was wondering what your thoughts are for Monday?”

“Which part? The facing Seb two weeks in a row part, or the part where Donovan is up to something and I wanna figure out what it is before he gets up to his shenanigans?” Lucy says, taking a sip of her drink. “The Seb thing.. I don’t really have a thought on it. He beat me last week, but hey, that’s why he’s been Chaos champ as long as he has. The Donovan thing.. God only knows.”

She rolls her eyes.

“Donovan has been a thorn in both our sides. And you being the World Champ, it wouldn’t surprise me if they’re both gunning for you in some fashion. Everyone should be.”

He hesitated, then smirked.

“Can’t say that I’m not interested in laying on top of you for a three count… in the ring.”

He winked again, a mischievous smile on his face, as he cut into his steak once more. Lucy doesn’t say anything straight away, just watching him with an amused grin on her face. Finally though, she shakes her head.

“If I had a massive ego, I’d probably tell you that you’re the luckiest motherfucker in the place because you get to do both.. Well, you have the best chance at doing both. But you’re right. I know. It would just be nice just once to just be challenged instead of… well, you know.”

His grin widened and he laughed. Lucy tilted her head a little in confusion.

“Oh, it’s just that… you said ‘both’ as if the only two places I have gotten, or have the potential of getting, are in the ring and in the bedroom… when, you know, it’s quite clear that it’s been a plethora of–”

“Okay, you don’t need to spell it out anymore! And perhaps a little louder next time, I don’t think the chef in the kitchen could hear you!”

She covered one side of her face, embarrassed, but smiling nonetheless.

“I’m sorry, lass. It’s the wine talking.”

“No shit.” She says quietly, shaking her head. “Why is everything you do so cute? I swear. You’re impossible.”

Rogan grinned.

“I apologize. We were actually talking about work and I ruined it.”

He waved a hand in front of his face, pretending to replace it with a look of seriousness.

“Okay, let’s get down to business. I think it goes without saying, if there is any funny business this week, and I would venture to say that there will be, that we’ll be prepared for it. Donovan’s middle name is Shady.”

“…I know you’re joking, but I have no choice but to respond to that. So you’re not serious, right?”

“I actually don’t know Donovan’s middle name. I could see it being Shady though, sure.”

“Really? I imagined it being something like… I don’t know, Robert or something.”

“How about Marshall?”

Lucy’s eyes narrowed.

“Are you just making Eminem references at this point?”

Rogan grinned behind a bite of steak and tapped his nose to indicate she was right. She rolled her eyes again.

“You really are impossible.”

“I know.”

“If there is any funny business, I don’t expect Seb would be part of it. Maybe a year or two ago, but… I don’t think he would.”

“I don’t want to think he would, but you never know in this business. Seb enjoys feeling like he’s cunning and clever. Planning shenanigans with Hastings would be right in his blueprints for feeling that way afterwards. Even if it’s against two people he claims to respect.”

She considered Rogan’s thoughts and nodded.

“Fair point. What if I said that I have a gut feeling that he wouldn’t, then? I can feel it in my gut. You know what, don’t answer that. It was rhetorical and I can already see what you’re thinking with that goofy grin on your face.”

Rogan feigned surprise.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you don’t.”

They shared a moment in silence, just smiling at one another, before Rogan broke the silence.

“So I propose we just go out and have some fun then, yeah?”

“Be prepared for anything and have fun. I like the way you think, Dark Man.”

Rogan gives her another goofy look and she rolls her eyes.

“Yes, even when you’re thinking like… that.”

He raised his eyebrows flirtatiously and leaned back in his seat.

“Perfect. Then it’s settled. I expect you to be smiling when we come back to the locker room then.”

Lucy leans back in her seat, mimicking the Dark Man. “And I expect you to make it worth my while.”

Rogan grabbed his glass of wine and lifted it up, keeping his eyes locked on hers. “I’ll toast to that, Ms. Wylde.”