It’s time to catch up…

Wrestlestock had come and gone, and Lucy made it through with the world championship still in her possession. Not an easy victory in the least, but a victory nonetheless. It felt good to leave the desert with something having gone right, even if that victory set her down a one way road towards a showdown with one of her very best friends… winner take all.

“Somethin seems to be botherin ya, Lass.”

Lucy glanced up from the passenger seat and watched New York City begin to surround them as they got closer to home. She shrugged her shoulders in response to his statement – Unsure of how to verbalize how she felt.

She was glad to be back in the city. And while she certainly was looking forward to sleeping in their own bed again; the desert itself and the hustle and bustle of Wrestlestock week kept her from thinking about the gulf, and what had happened to ‘The Waystation’. But now, in perpetual silence – It was one of two things that loomed over her. Neither of which she had much control over at the moment.

Letting out a sigh, Lucy turned her attention to Rogan in the driver’s seat. “Yeah..”

“Not anything ya want to be talking about right now, yeah?” He asked, laying a hand on hers and squeezing. “Well, if that changes… I’m here.”

She nodded her head and smiled at him. “It’s not that I don’t want to talk about it. I just, I don’t know what to say.”

Silence settled within the vehicle for a little while. Meanwhile, Lucy’s mind was racing about inside her head – wondering if Brian’s figures were right, or if it would take even more to repair all the damage done to the bar. And then there was the threat of something even worse happening if she didn’t just put a cork in the entire endeavor.

The thought of it didn’t scare her though, it enraged her.

Lost in her thoughts, Lucy didn’t even notice the car stopping, or Rogan getting out. Only when Rogan opened the passenger side door, did Lucy return to the present.

“Here lemme help ya, Lass.” Rogan said, reaching out for her arm. “How’s that knee feeling?”

It was then she began to feel the throbbing and she remembered the attack that happened after she’d beaten Dave. She remembered fighting back, and that final blow to the knee – And then it was all a blur. She knew Joe and Knox were there, but before she realized anything else had happened, she was being whisked to the back and Joe was being rushed to a hospital.

She went and saw him before they’d left – She told him not to blame himself for what happened to her, but she knew he would anyway. After that, they began the journey home and she’d honestly forgotten her knee hurt as badly as it did.

That was, until now.

“It hurts, I’m not gonna lie. Just another thing to deal with, huh?” She replied as he helped her out of the car and helped her limp towards the apartment building. Rogan helped her to a bench within the lobby and asked her if she’d be alright there until he went and grabbed their things.

She nodded and when he left, she was once again alone with her thoughts. She pulled out her phone and brought up the text messages between herself and the contractor that had been helping her with the bar, rereading them.

His advice wasn’t wrong. It would be foolish to keep sinking money into the bar if that son of a bitch McNamera was just going to do something to it again.

Lucy wasn’t about to give up on it though.

She just needed to figure out her next steps. And as much as she wanted to believe that she’d never dealt with dangerous families, drunk with power and influence… Lucy knew that she’d come from one.

As Rogan stepped back into the lobby, holding their suitcases, she looked up at him and her eyes widened as she realized what step one had to be.

“What’s the matter, Lass?”

“..Nothing,” Lucy replied, shaking her head. “Just glad to be home.”

 

A Week or so later…

Her knee was getting better, but nurse Rogan was very diligent about keeping her off her feet as often as humanly possible. He’d also learned very quickly to ignore her whining when he wouldn’t let her get up to do something for herself.

So even though Rogan was out of the apartment at this exact moment, Lucy found herself being good and sitting right where he’d left her – On the couch with her leg elevated. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t still working on things…

While she sat, she had her phone up to her ear, waiting for the recipient of her call to answer.

“What a pleasant surprise, my dear. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Can’t I just miss you guys?”

“Of course. But we both know you’d be calling Eden right now if that were all you were calling about.”

Lucy rolled her eyes and chuckled. “You act like I only tolerate you. We have just as much history as Edie and I do, you know.”

“Oh, I’m well aware. However, I’m only stating the facts.”

She shakes her head and adjusts herself in her seat before she bothers to respond.

“Mmhm. How are you guys?”

“We’re doing well. Eden just mentioned the other day that the two of you should go and help you discover some more stores that don’t require donations in order to stay in business.”

Lucy hears Eden yell in the background and she can’t help but laugh – Even though they’re poking fun at her attire… again.

“Someday you two will get tired of making fun of the way I dress. I swear.”

“Perhaps, but don’t count on it, Dear. So…” She hears him say something that she can’t pick up before hearing a door close. “..What’s going on, Lucy?”

Lucy smirked. Guess she can’t procrastinate any longer. “I just wanted to pick your brain for a minute. Are you terribly busy?”

Gabriel chuckled on the other end of the line.

“Of course I’m busy, but what’s on your mind?”

Lucy sighed.

“My brother.”

She could sense Gabriel’s reaction, even more so when he didn’t respond right away. Lucy had no doubt that once Michael ended up wherever Gabriel took him to, that Lucy wouldn’t worry about how he was or what was happening to him ever again.

That was true until she realized he still had a bit more use to her than whatever suffering Gabriel was subjecting him to.

“I assure you, he’s being well taken care of.”

“I don’t doubt that, Gabriel. I.. I think I need to speak with him.”

Again, a few extra seconds of silence before Gabriel clears his throat.

“Might I inquire as to why?”

For some reason, she didn’t really expect him to question it. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized she should have known he would have. Whether he’d admit it or not, rather either of them would admit it – They were protective of Lucy.

In their own way, of course.

Lucy let out another sigh. “For the past… eight months or so, probably longer, I’ve been working on renovating a bar down in the Gulf Shores… for Rogan. He doesn’t know about it, and I’d appreciate it if he didn’t find out from you guys.”

“Noted. I’m not hearing a worthwhile reason for your request, though.”

“I’m getting there… But yeah, we were getting close to finishing it up and someone decided to send me a message by destroying it. I’m ninety nine percent sure who did it. Some motherfucker who doesn’t like anyone else trying to make money in their territory. And it got me thinking.. I came from a family like that. A well known family of terrible people…”

Her voice trailed off and Gabriel’s chimed in almost immediately.

“I think I’m beginning to understand. I’ll set up the meeting.”

Lucy heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you Gabriel. I really appreciate this.”

“But…” His tone was careful, warning. “… Don’t expect too much from him, Lucy. Okay?”

“I know better.”

 

Aren’t you tired of doing this shit over and over, Zane? I mean, what else can I say to you at this point that I haven’t already said numerous times? How many times do I have to tell you that I know you feel like I don’t respect you, and how the feeling is mutual and blah, blah, fucking blah…

It’s exhausting at this point.

Now, I know you, on the other hand.. You thrive on being able to double or even triple down on your convenient little narratives. I’m sure you’re chomping at the bit to tell me the same shit you’ve been trying to hammer into this hard ass head of mine for years now.

I guess I’ll never learn, huh?

It’s my turn to reiterate something to you though, Zane… I don’t like you. There’s nothing to like. Your only redeeming quality is the fact that regardless of what anyone says about you, you’re fucking deaf to it. No matter how stupid it makes you look, no matter how bad it makes you look… You just keep going.

I guess I could say that same thing about myself too.

Except that whole, looking like shit thing. But I digress. The point here is, we’ve got a history. Maybe it’s not as fancy and elaborate as the history I’ve got with Gabriel, or Eden.. or even Tempest.. But it is a history, nonetheless. We’ve both done shit to each other that proves that there’s no love lost in this rivalry.

That being said, I don’t wish you ill. I just wish you’d stop being on the other side of the card from my name. I’m tired of talking to you. I’m tired of facing you. I’m tired of dealing with you for fucks sake.

We’re all here to win. Some of us do that more than others. Everyone’s got that one person that they wanna beat more than the rest of them. I don’t know if I’m that person to you, because I feel like you treat everyone like they’re that person.

It’s boring. Of course you’re gonna try to beat me. That’s the point. And if given the opportunity, you’re probably gonna try and hurt me too. Also, part of the job, if we’re being honest. At the end of the day, no matter what happens, Zane.. I’m gonna walk out of that arena and I’m gonna forget about you. Just like every other time.

Not forget you completely… That’s just ridiculous. But you know what I’m saying. Your presence doesn’t affect my life in the slightest, Zane. When I see that I’m facing you for the three thousandth time, yeah, I get pissed off because how many times do we have to do this before everyone and their brother comes to the conclusion that they should have come to a long ass time ago… That nine times out of ten, I’m coming out on top.

And whatever this shit is between you and Ezra?

Why I’ve gotta be in the middle of it, I’ll never know.

And ya’ll wonder why I say the shit I say.

Ezra, Ezra, Ezra… little guy been getting a little sassy lately, huh? I know right now, you’re probably feeling pretty good about pissing Zane off, but I’m telling you now – in about two thousand more matches with him, you’ll be feeling a lot differently.

It’s like I said, I don’t really care about what’s going on between yourself and Zane. I’m not thrilled to be in the middle of it, but that doesn’t mean I’m not trying to get one over on the both of you. I’ve got a date with my BFF at Chaos in Chelsea and that’s far more important to me than any of this.

But I also know the value of momentum.

And Seb is the master of momentum.

So forgive me boys, but I ain’t fucking around with this little squabble of yours. If I gotta let the two of you punch yourselves out before I kick your heads off your bodies and take the win that’s rightfully mine? So be it.

Both of you should know me well enough by now to know that I’m more than willing to get my hands dirty. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve gotta sink my hands into the same pile of mud and bullshit – I’ll do it because that’s what I’m here to do. I’ve beaten both of you and no, that doesn’t mean a damn thing to this match on Monday night.

But it does mean my odds are pretty damn good, don’t it?

Then again, triple threats haven’t always been my bread and butter either. So who knows.

Anything can happen around here, and anything typically does.

I know better than to count my chickens before they’ve hatched. Even if it sounds like I’m already counting this as a win. I’m not. We’re all here to talk ourselves up and believe that we can win every single match we’re in – Right?

I believe in me and my abilities. I also know that you two are talented. You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t. Zane wouldn’t have beaten JC if he wasn’t. Ezra wouldn’t have held the championships he has if he wasn’t. Ya’ll are obviously good enough to be here. I just believe I’m better than both of you combined.

That’s all.

So put on your sassy pants, boys and I’ll see you Monday.