Supreme Championship Wrestling

2 RP Limit for singles

Deadline for ALL MATCHES: 11:59:59 pm ET Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Blake Mason wasn’t alone in his hotel room, Jaxson Sullivan sat on the bed scrolling through his phone. The big man wasn’t there to protect Blake from any imminent danger. The Bostonian has been shelled up in his room from the moment he arrived in Ottawa a day ago. While Jaxson was looking at whatever he was looking at, Blake was standing. Sitting down wasn’t going to accomplish much with the anxious mood he was already in, so he opted to shadow box. 


Every jab. Every right hook. Every uppercut thrown he was imagining beating the living hell out of Giovani Aires. He couldn’t allow him to get away with smashing a picture frame over the love of his life’s head. 


The story of Blake’s life. All roads lead to Kelcey. Over the past couple of weeks, Blake knew full well what he was doing. Defending Kelcey at every turn. Giving her a burner phone with the intent of no one being able to trace their correspondence with each other, being in each other’s company on Father’s Day. He wasn’t naive. All roads were destined to lead to the implosion of him and Taylor’s engagement, just a matter of who was going to end it. Five days ago he didn’t need to worry about directly doing it himself, his actions led to Taylor being fed up with how he was acting, willingly showing signs of where his heart belonged. 


One would assume Blake would be relieved Taylor performed a mercy kill on their relationship. That wasn’t to be. Blake spent most of the weekend in isolation. Spending the weekend in a hotel felt like the best course of action. Knowing he had a fight with Giovanni on the horizon made life a lot easier. A task to focus on. A distraction to steal his mind away. 


He told Kelcey. Not to tell her “come home to me.” He just needed someone to talk to. She promised him they would talk more about the end of his relationship with Taylor when they arrived in Ottawa. She knew what hotel and room he is staying in.  


A knock on the door broke Blake’s concentration. 


Jaxson stands up to get the door. 


Blake waves him off. Soon as Blake reaches the door he opens it. Standing in the hallway is Kelcey Wallace. Seeing Kelcey always brought a smile to his face. Always representing the light to his shrouded darkness. With a smile he greets her with, “Thanks for coming.”


She immediately hugs him.


He wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. 


Knowing this couldn’t last forever, as much as he wanted their embrace too, he lets her go.


Kelcey walks into the room. 


Blake shuts the door. 


“Would you like anything?” Blake cordially asks. 


Kelcey turns around. She shakes her head. “No thanks.”


Jaxson Sullivan stands up. He greets Kelcey by nodding his head. He walks over to Blake. Patting his employer on his right shoulder, Jaxson silently walks past Blake, opens the door and exits the room, closing the door behind him. 


With Blake and Kelcey officially alone, she takes a seat on his bed. 


Blake opts to remain standing. 


“How are you holding up?” Kelcey asks. 


“Can’t think about any of that right now, Kelcey. Giovanni is the only task on my mind. We can discuss me being an absolute failure at relationships later.” Blake says with a cheeky smile.


Kelcey shakes her head. “Please don’t do that, love. You promised we would talk about this.”


“And we will, Kelcey. Now is not a good time. I need to focus one hundred percent on Giovani. Who knows what scheme he has in mind. On the bright side, if he does suck me into his abyss, I doubt Taylor will give a crap. ” 


“That’s not true. She may be upset right now. Taylor loves you. Give her time. You can fix this.”


“What if I don’t want to?” Blake sternly says. 


“You don’t mean that.” 


“What’s the point Kelcey? Gio is a madman. Most of what he says is completely unfounded. But there is one thing he said to me that actually made sense. I am always crossing a line to walk it back later. This is one line I am done apologizing for. I am tired of always saying I am sorry for the love I have for you.” Blake states with certainty. “Bree couldn’t accept it. Thought Taylor would be different. Guess not. My feelings for you will never go away. If no one can accept that, I’d rather be alone than deny what I feel when we share the same room.” 



“Blake--” Kelcey said, searching for the words to say. 


“Was I too strong?” Blake asks. 



“No. You were being you.” Kelcey says. 



“Good or bad thing?” Blake says. 



“Right now? Both. Why are you so maddening?” Kelcey says shaking her head. 



“Brings all the girls to the yard and chases them away. Catch 22.” Blake shrugs.Tired of standing, Blake walks over to join Kelcey. He takes a seat on the bed next to her, placing his hand on her knee; he continues “Taylor will be fine, she’s better off without me. She deserves a guy who is one hundred percent committed. I wanted that guy to be me. Life doesn’t always work out the way you want. But it does for you.”


Kelcey raises her eyebrow. “What do you mean?”


“I already know.” 


“I don’t follow.” Kelcey says unaware of what Blake is talking about. 


“Remember when I was using my connection with the Board of Directors to facilitate my career advancement a couple years ago?”


Kelcey nods. 


Blake continues. “Between us, I have a source or two still on the board. Since returning to the company I haven’t gone out of my way to use those relationships. Someone, not at liberty to say who, passed along some information I would be interested in. A little birdie told me Mr. D signed off on you making a return to the ring? Is this true?” 


“Yes.” Kelcey doesn’t hesitate admitting.  


Blake continues. “Wish you didn’t, Kels.”  


“Love, I can handle myself.”



“It’s not that.” Blake smiles. “I get it. Professional wrestling was taken away from you. Fate dealt you a horrible hand. If I was in your position I would do everything in my power to return back to the ring. I will always view the classic we had at the End of the Year Special as... perfect. After all the chaos I brought into your life; being your last match meant... still means the world to me.”


Blake takes a deep breath. “Our match was a representation of us closing that nasty chapter in our lives. You forgave me for all the sins I committed. Felt poetic. Part of me always felt I had to continue to make you proud. To honor what we shared that night. I haven’t always been a paragon of virtue. I never will be. Knowing you are able to return to the ring; I’m happy. But I... being your last was an honor, ya know.”


“That’s sweet of you to say.” Kelcey leans in, kissing him on the cheek. “You know I need to do this. Giovanni can’t get away with what he has done.” 


“This is all part of his game, Kelcey. Attacking Mr. D was designed to get under your skin. Going after Owen is a ploy to draw you out.”


“Let him. I am not backing down.” Kelcey says adamantly. 


“Giving a madman what he wants won’t solve anything.” Blake sternly replies. “Can’t let a man like him pull your strings.”


“We can’t allow filth like him to run rampant. I need to be on the frontline. Wrestling deserves better than letting men like Giovani win.”


“Promise you won’t get in the ring tonight.”


“Blake--”


Blake grabs Kelcey’s hand. “Promise me.”


“Alright.” Kelcey says resigning to Blake’s request.   


“Thank you.” Blake kisses Kelcey on the forehead. “One thing at a time. Lets get through tonight first. Whatever the future holds, we’ll tackle then. Deal?”


Kelcey leans her head into Blake’s chest. “Sounds perfect.”


Blake wraps his arm around Kelcey. They sit there in silence for a while... 


~~


Breakdown was a whirlwind. Chris Cannon opted to thwart Blake’s attempt to take a stab at Giovanni. This led to a brawl that didn’t escalate too much. Sienna took advantage of the situation, shoving Jordan Majors off the stage. Blake wound up eventually fighting Gio later in the night. Blake got himself disqualified. He watched on as Gio taunted Kelcey and Owen with an offer, only one of them could face him at Rise to Greatness. Attempting to pit them against each other. Kelcey said Owen would be the one to take on the leader of The Wonderland, she had every intention of being there in his corner. Blake was relieved. Kelcey didn’t have a physical altercation with the man. Crisis averted. For now. He knew the day was imminent. Nothing he can do to stop the inevitable. 


~~






By the afternoon the following day Blake was in Boston. The convenient thing about Breakdown being in Ottawa was the plane ride to Boston would not take long.  


A driver was waiting at the airport the minute Blake and Jaxson touched down. 


Half an hour later, the driver pulled up at the very large mansion Blake grew up in. 


Opening the backdoor on the passenger side, Blake stepped foot on the hallowed grounds. Jaxson exited on the drivers side. The big man walks around the car to join the man he is charged to protect. 


Blake proudly looks up at Jaxson. “What do you think?”


Not looking at Blake, Jaxson keeps his eyes fixated on the mansion. “Looks like if I’m not careful; I might not be able to find my way out.”


Blake smirks. “It’s not that bad.”  


Jaxson turns around. Before he can advance to the trunk of the car Blake grabs his wrist. “Don’t worry about it, someone will get our bags. You're my guest, enjoy the splendor.”


“Fair enough.” Jaxson nonchalantly says. 


Blake walks up to the large double doors. He could easily pull out his keys to let himself in. Since no one knew he was showing up, it felt right in his mind to ring the doorbell.  


A minute passes, no one answers. 


Blake pushes the doorbell again. 


No one answers. 


He reaches for the doorbell one more time. 


He is seconds away from pushing it before the door finally opens. 


Blake is utterly confused looking at the person who opened the door. 


The person isn’t his mother or any of the hired help his mom still has on staff. The white male who is about two inches taller than him, sporting a goatee, is a figure he is all too familiar with. Never imagined this man stepping foot in the home he grew up in. 


Someone had to break the awkward silence. Blake chose to be the one to do it. “Braedon...”



Braedon offers his hand to Blake. “Hey... Elaine didn’t tell me you were stopping by.”



Blake’s left eyebrow perks up. “This is MY home, says so on the deed.  I don’t need to call in advance to stop by. The way I see it Braedon, you are trespassing.”



“Look Blake, I don’t want any trouble.” Braedon says in an attempt to diffuse the situation. 


Blake turns to Jaxson. “Would you mind throwing him out please?”


Jaxson shakes his head. 


Blake sighs. “Why not?”


“Off the clock remember.” Jaxson pats Blake on the shoulder. 


“Fine!” Blake rolls his eyes. He turns his attention back to Braedon. “Where was I? Yes. Get out of my house.”


“You should take that up with, Elaine.” Braedon says standing his ground. “Your mom invited me.”



“Braedon...” Blake grits his teeth.  “I have had a very hard week, I don’t need any further aggravation. This can go one of two ways, I can call the cops. They can escort you off MY property or I can physically remove you myself. This doesn’t need to be difficult. You tried putting my father out of business for years, if you think I am going to overlook that, you are sadly mistaken. You don’t belong here. So what is it going to be?”



Before the situation can escalate further, Blake sees Drake over Braedon’s shoulder. His brother steps between him and the man he deems an intruder. 


Blake narrows his eyes. “Good. Drake. Can you help escort this man off my property?!”


“Brother... What brings you here?” Drake says, shocked to see Blake in town. 



“Do I need an invitation to come home?” Blake shouts back. 



“Perhaps if you called; we could have avoided this awkward situation.” Drake says plainly. 



“There is nothing awkward about this!” Blake nothing bothers to hold back his agitation. He takes a deep breath.  “You don’t know the pain that man--”  Blake points to Braedon “-- has caused to our family.”


“More than you know.” Drake looks off to the side. He turns around. Looking at Braedon, Drake says. “I’ll explain everything.” 


Braedon took the opportunity to eject himself from a chaotic confrontation. 



Drake turns back to face Blake. Blake folds his arms into his chest. 


Drake takes a deep breath. “There is no colorful way to sugar coat this. The man our mother invited in our home is the one she had an affair out of wedlock with. That makes Braedon Manning my father.    


Blake turned his back to Drake. For him time literally stopped. He could not believe what he was hearing. Braedon Manning is the father of Drake? Their mom slept with that guy? Why was he just now learning about this? Why was this secret kept from him? Obviously he knew his mom had an affair that led him to having a half brother. Up until today he didn’t care to know who the actual father was. All he knew was Drake was put up for adoption.



“I don’t need this right now--.” Blake screamed out. He felt Drake put his hand on his shoulder. The former two time tag team champion jerked his shoulder away. “Don’t fucking touch me!” 



“If it makes you feel better, I am as uncomfortable with this as you are.” Drake says in an attempt to gain some ground with his brother. 


Blake turns around. “All the more reason to kick him to the curb!!”


“Our mom is happy, all that matters.”


“I came here to take a break from my chaotic life. Not walk into more chaos. Where is mom?! She needs to see this my way.” Blake demands. 


“In the study.” Drake calmly replied.


Blake  storms inside the house. 


Once inside, he takes a hard left.  


Reaching the study, he doesn’t need to open the door, it happens to be open. He walks in on Elaine and Braedon having a conversation between themselves. 



Elaine turns her attention to her son. With a smile on her face she says. “Hello son.”



Blake places his hands on his hips. “Please tell me this is one big joke!” 



Elaine turns to Braedon. “Can you excuse us?”


Braedon nods. “Sure.”


Braedon walks past Blake. 


To his credit, Blake pays Braedon no mind as he walks by. 


His attention is focused squarely on his mom. Elaine points to the chair. “Have a seat.”



Blake shakes his head. “I prefer to stand.” 



“I know this must come as a shock, but I can explain.” Elaine softly says. 



“No explanation in the world is going to justify you--” Blake takes a deep breath to calm himself down. “He tried to put my father out of business, or have you forgotten!”



Elaine shakes her head. “No. I haven’t. There is a reason for that.” Elaine points to the chair once again. “Please, sit down?”



Blake sighs. He takes a seat. 



Elaine continues. “I appreciate everything your father did for me. He was a strong, passionate, driven man. The fortune he amassed for all of us he believed was how you show true love. I have no doubt he loved me. I needed much more than that. I needed... him. Your father had a hard time opening himself up to all of us--” Elaine trails off. “What your father couldn’t give me in attention and appreciation, Braedon was more than willing. I fell in love with him. Hard. After you were born I knew I had to make a choice. A life with your father or Braedon. We know what choice I made. I hated having to break Braedon’s heart. He was a nice, sweet, gentle man. I--”


Knowing exactly where this was going, Blake finished his mother’s sentence. “Turned him into a monster?”  


“Yes.” Elaine nods. She places her hand on her heart. “I take full responsibility for Braedon lashing out. He knows how wrong he was.  How can I hate him when I am the one who gave him unnecessary pain? I wasn’t expecting to have him in my life again. Drake wanted to know who his father was. It was a tough conversation to have. I finally admitted I robbed him of a chance to be a dad to Drake. Telling him the truth was hard, it managed to bring us closer together. Now we have a second chance.”



Blake took a moment  to process the heavy information his mother dropped on him. 


The affair aside, he saw his mother as a paragon of virtue. He could lean on her to  judge what true morality was like. To find out she carried more secrets than he knew about, was a lot to process. And a reminder no matter where he goes, chaos will follow.  


Collecting his thoughts, Blake finally says. “Good thing Kayla is with her Kate. This would have been a lot to explain. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Blake says.  



Elaine walks over to where Blake is sitting. She places her hand on his shoulder. “Never the right time. You have enough on your plate right now.” 



“More than you know.” Blake rises to his feet. He lowers his head, unable to look at his mom. He manages to say,  “Taylor left me, mom.”



“Oh my god!” Elaine wraps her arms around her son. “I am so sorry.” 


Finally Blake broke down. No more shield. No distractions.  Hugging his mom, he manages to say through the tears... “Me too, mom. Me too.”

Quote:Author's Note: The following scene is a direct continuation from the last one. Happens the same day. Second scene picks up hours later from the ending of the Kelsia rp against Cookie from last Breakdown. Good luck, Job. Always a blast.

Blake caught his mom up to speed on everything that has been going on in his personal life. 


His engagement being broken. 


His declaration of love to Kelcey. 


All the high and low points. 


Despite walking in on his father’s former rival apparently now being in a relationship with his mother, he is glad to be home. 


There is one more thing he needed to do. 


Blake walks into the kitchen to see Braedon sitting at the table. His mom’s new lover is staring at his laptop unaware that Blake has his attention squarely focused on him. He walks over to the head of the table. Pulls out the chair. Takes a seat. He knocks on the table to grab Braedon’s attention. 


Braedon looks up at Blake. He closes the laptop. 


The two strong willed men don’t break eye contact for what feels like an eternity. 


“Just so you know--” Blake says breaking the ice. “-- mom may blame herself for your behavior. I am not going to absolve you for your past deeds.” 


“Fair enough.” Braedon replies. “I take complete ownership of being a jerk. Not Elaine’s fault at all. I handled what happened poorly. I am a different man now, you’ll see.”


Just then both men are interrupted by the sound of hollow footsteps. Blake looks over his shoulder to see Jaxson Sullivan enter the room. 


“You need me, Mr. Mason?” Jaxson asks. 


Blake waves Jaxson off. “You are off the clock, remember.”


“I know.  Asking in a friend capacity.” Jaxson pauses, allowing the statement to linger. “If this man is giving you any trouble--” 



“Go enjoy yourself--” Blake says cutting Jaxson off. “There’s a pool out back. Have fun.”


“Didn’t bring any swim trunks.” Jaxson replies. 


Blake motions Jaxson over. He digs into his back pocket, pulls out his blackcard. He hands it to Jaxson. “Tell the driver to take you to the nearest sporting goods place, buy some. On me.” 


Jaxson takes the black card. Sliding the card into his pocket he nods. “Thank you... Blake.” 


The bodyguard turns around and walks off. 


Blake turns back to Braedon. The man has an impressed look on his face. “Wow. Quite the command you have of things. Chip off the old blo--”


“Rule number one Braedon--” Blake says cutting his dad’s former rival off. “If you want us to get along, don’t mention my father. You don’t own that right. Understood?”


“Fair enough. I can respect that.” Braedon nods.


“Thank you.” Blake says. He cracks his knuckles. “I am not a huge fan of this arrangement. Not fair to expect me to embrace your relationship with my mom with open arms. My father used to tell me all the time about the battles you and him had, all the times you tried to undermine what he was trying to build. Taking food off my plate. Mom may martyr herself for you and my father’s war. There were kids involved, me, Victor and Cassie. We didn’t deserve to have our futures jeopardized because you hate mom choosing our family over you.”


Braedon rose to his feet. He walks all the way where Blake is sitting. He pulls out the chair next to Blake. He takes a seat. 


Blake looks at Braedon like he just lost his mind. 


Braedon takes a deep breath. “You’re right, no excuses. I can’t change the past, Blake. All I ask is for is a chance to make things right.” 




Blake stands up. He turns his back to Braedon. Running his hands through his hair, he turns back around to look down at the man. 


“Make my mom happy,  that’s all I care about. I’m not interested in becoming friends. By some fluke you and mom get married, I won’t acknowledge you as my dad. But we are both adults. For mom,  I am going to keep the civility. I swear to god Braedon... if you so much as hurt her--” Blake glares at Braedon for emphasis. “-- you will answer to me. Understood?”


Braedon stands up. Like last time, he offers his hand to Blake. “Understood.”


Blake looks down. Unlike last time Blake shakes Braedon’s hand. He squeezes his grip for a second longer than he should.


Not to be outdone, Braedon tightens his grip. 


Blake nods, showing Braedon a sign of respect. 


Letting go of Braedon’s hand, Blake turns around to walk away.


Just as he is about to leave the room, Braedon says. “Elaine is a very special woman. I never imagined in a million years that I would be afforded a second chance. I have a lot to make up for. You, Victor, Cassie. I don’t expect us to be the best of friends right away. There will be an adjustment period; I am fully aware and accept that. It is not my goal to replace your dad. No one ever could, I respect him. The one thing me and him share in common is our love for Elaine. I promise to do right by your mother. Promise.”       


Blake turns around. He doesn’t know whether to believe Braedon or not. The last thing he told him for the time before he left the kitchen was, “I’ll hold you to that.”


With the air cleared, Blake exits the kitchen. 


He is too lost in his own train of thought to notice Drake was standing in the way.  


“Jesus!” Blake shouts.


What Blake failed to notice was his brother, Drake Hemmingway, blocking his path. Admittedly, Blake had no idea what part of the mansion he was going to seek solitude in. None of that mattered. Drake’s presence unsettled him. 


“Did you find solace, brother?” Drake asks, curious to know. 



“Eavesdropping on another man’s conversation is not exactly pure, Drake.” Blake says. 



“In fairness brother, the one quirk about this mansion I had to get used to was the  sound traveling if one spoke loud enough. No offense, you are pretty loud.” Drake said matter of factly. 


Blake couldn’t argue that. He wasn’t paying attention to how loud he was talking just a moment ago. To avoid Braedon potentially hearing what him and Drake were talking about, he grabs his half brother’s wrist. He leads him all the way to the front of the house. 


“To answer your question--” Blake began. “--no, I didn’t find solace. How am I supposed to with everything going on? My life is falling apart per usual thanks to my actions. Thank god what I walked into isn’t on me. For Christsakes, how do you do it? How do you manage to remain calm in the middle of a storm?”


“Practice.” Drake says with no hesitation.


Blake rolls his eyes. “An actual step by step plan?” 


Drake chuckles. “What works for me may not necessarily work for you. But I can point you in a direction. Have you ever read Meditations by Marcus Aralius?” 


“Nah, I am more of an Art of War type of guy.” Blake replies. 


“Well. I have a copy. Start there. Perhaps you will find the path to solace.”


“Shame I can’t buy that.” Blake smirks. 


That comment did manage to get a smirk out of Drake. A rare one. Blake will take it. 


Drake walks away to leave Blake to his own devices. Sighing, Blake heads upstairs to his old room. With the chaos behind him for now, his immediate goal? Settle in. This was going to be a long weekend.  



~~


 

The atmosphere in the Mason Estate has been riveting the past twenty four hours. 



Thank goddess the mansion was huge. Gave Blake a chance to settle into isolation without dealing with anyone unless he absolutely had to. The few times he did run into Breadon he was cordial. Not confrontational at all. Whenever his mom tried to broach the subject of Taylor Chase, Blake would try his best to change the subject. Talk about the family business. He didn’t even care about what was coming to a head on Breakdown in the coming days. He had every intention to show up in the event Gio tried something nefarious. Outside of thinking about how to have Kelcey’s back if she needed him, the goings on on Breakdown didn’t spark his interest at all. 


He did speak to Victor three hours ago. Updated him on what is going on with him. Including the development of Braedon becoming a part of their mother’s life.  Blake was happy that Victor wasn’t on board with their mother’s choice of lovers. He wasn’t as visceral as Blake. Victor has always been a man who processes his emotions internally as opposed to Blake who made no secret where he stood on most issues when a spark was lit. Being on the same page with Victor was comforting. 


At the moment, Blake was staying in his room. He appreciated people rarely coming into the room while he was away. Was nice to know he could always come back here when the chaos of life became a little too much. Laying on his King size bed, Blake did decide to take Drake’s advice... he dived into Marcus Aralius, Meditations. A lot of what he came across in the book made sense. A few quotes he remembers posting on his Twitter page cause they sounded cool. Often lost the meaning of the quotes due to him submitting to his personal nature. 


The door to his bedroom opened without warning. 


Bursting into the room is none other than Kelsai. Victor followed slowly behind. Blake’s eyes locked in on his brother. All Vic could offer was a light hearted shrug, conceding that he bent to his wifes desire to come see Blake. 


He then locked eyes on Kelsai. Blake sighs. “I should have known--”


Kelsia offers a warming smile. 


Blake turns his attention to Victor again. “For Chrissakes man, you could have told Kelsia... no.”


Kelsai chimes in. “I am so sorry about what happened between you and Taylor. Get up. I want to give you a huge hug.”


“How about no!” Blake says agitated by all this. “I came home to get away from all this; NOT have you two believe all I need is a huge hug to make me feel better. The only thing that will make me feel better is if something for once goes right in my life. Or I can stop screwing up, whichever one comes first. No hugs. This mansion is big enough, why don’t you two go to Victor’s room and do whatever it is married couples do cause I have no fucking clue!”
 
Victor joins his wife by Blake’s bedside. He turns her around. “See, told you he wasn’t in the best of dispositions.”


“All the more reason for us to be here.” Kelsai cheerfully responds. “Obviously he needs us.”


Victor catches a glimpse of what his brother is reading. “Clearly, he’s reading.”


“What is that supposed to mean?” Blake scoffs.  


“No offense, never know you to read many books on philosophy.” Victor casually replies. 


“Machiavelli’s The Prince is an instant classic.” Blake shot back. 


“I wouldn’t go to Machiavelli for how to solve life’s most intricate, spiritual problems. How to maneuver the political world? No question he knew what he was talking about. Somehow doubt Machiavelli was adept at solving your relationship quandary.” Victor says.  



Blake lays the book down on the mattress. He rolls over to the edge of the bed. Sitting up, he looks at Kelsai. He pats the space beside him. 


Kelsai immediately sits next to Blake. 


“I finally figured it out. I have come to the realization why you can be so grating.” 


“Easy.” Victor chimes in. 


“It’s ok, babe. Our brother is free to speak his mind.” Kelsai says reassuringly. 


Blake says in no uncertain terms. “You remind me of me. You are so goddamn impulsive. The decisions you make, people you decide for some reason you want to become friends with, being out of your mind befriending my ex wife, I don’t understand. Makes me want to shake sense into you.” 


He pauses momentarily to collect his thoughts. With a smirk he continues, “How can I judge? I am the poster child for making rash decisions without giving consideration to whose feelings or life I am setting a blow torch too. Taylor might disagree with what I am about to say but I am not as bad as I used to be. Except with Kelcey. My impulse control is not completely there when it comes to her.” Blake shrugs. 


He shakes his head at Kelsai. “Look at you. A few hours ago I talked to you on zoom; now, here you are, without second thought, you and Vic hop on a plane. You mean well. I get that. Kelsai, the one thing you need to understand, becoming a slave to your impulses will lead you to where I am right now, looking for a means to escape the horrible decision making that led me to seeking shelter in my childhood home.”


Blake wraps his arm around Kelsai. “But I’m glad you’re here anyway.” 


Kelsai takes a moment to process everything Blake laid on her.  “See. Told you.”


Even Victor was taken aback by how forthcoming Blake was about his predicament. 


.

Kelsai turns to Blake. “I don’t believe it is too late. I’ve seen how much you and Taylor love each other. Don’t give up. I can speak on your behalf. If you need me to vouch for you then I’ll be happy to tell Taylor you are willing to work out your problems. She can’t give up on love. Neither can you. There is a way to fix this.”


Blake shakes his head. “Nope. There isn’t. Me and Taylor are done.”


“No. I can’t accept that. Love can conquer all.” Kelsai says admematly 


“Love wasn’t enough to keep me and Bree together. Or Rachel (Tatum Lee). Twice. Love wasn’t enough to stop me and Cameron from getting a divorce. Love wasn’t enough to stop me from hurting Kelcey as many times as I have. My love for Taylor wasn’t enough to stop me from telling Kelcey a few weeks ago she has always been the one..” Blake says. 


Victor is shocked by this revelation. Not the Blake loves Kelcey part. He has always known that. He wasn’t aware he told Kelcey she has been the one recently. 


Kelsai places her hand over her heart. “Awww.”


“When I tweeted a couple weeks ago that love is the greatest force on earth. You inspired me, believe it or not. Don’t let that get to your head.” Blake winks. 


“I would never dream of such a thing.”


“My tweet was about Kelcey, not Taylor. I am not out of the woods yet. Kelcey is still technically with Scott Cannon...” Blake rolls his eyes. “There is something I need to consider, have I done too much damage? Do I believe that Kelcey loves me? I am convinced of it, one hundred percent. There is a lot of negative baggage. I drove her into Chris’ arms. I also humiliated her in Las Vegas that one year. She saw me on tape have sex with Mary Beth Mallory. We have moved past that, I hope, it is one thing to be my friend. It is another for Kelcey to trust me with her heart one more time. I don’t know if Kelcey is ready or prepared to take that risk.”




Blake looks to the floor. It took a lot for him to say that out loud. To accept that this might not work out in his favor has been something he has tried not to think about. There is no way to avoid it. 


Kelsai grabs Blake’s hand. “Go for it! Look at  me and Victor! I knew the moment we met that we were destined to be together. Love doesn’t require us to second guess ourselves. If Kelcey loves you as much as you love her, then you shouldn’t allow any obstacle to stand between you. I see this is complicated. Her being with Scott is not ideal. Love will always find a way. I will stand by that to my dying day. Kelcey has to love you more than she loves Scott, how can she deny herself what she possibly wants?”  


Once again he was reminded that he has never come across like someone like Kelsai before. Still baffles him to this day how a sweet girl like this has not allowed the world to corrupt their very being. His entire life he has watched good men and women allow the world to steal their smile time and time again. There was even a time during the Monarchy period where Kelcey allowed professional wrestling to darken her spirit. Spurned the love of his life to cross lines she would later regret. Kelsai remained the paragon of all things good in a chaotic world. Times like this that brought a smile to his face. Just not enough to push aside the doubt bubbling inside of his head concerning the direction of his love life.  


“I wish I was that certain.” Blake shrugs. 


“I am.” KelsaI smiles. “What are you waiting for? Trust love.”


Blake took a moment to meditate on what Kelsai just asked him. All the obstacles that stand in his path still remain. His complicated past with Kelcey. Scott Cannon being the lone Cannon standing between him and paradise. There is a custody battle that is still ongoing. How would Kelcey leaving Scott affect those proceedings. Nothing about this was going to be simple. Consequences abound were bound to be the order of the day. In the end he knew Kelsai was right. 


What is he waiting for?



With a smile on his face he replies, “What else do I have to lose at this rate? Either Kelcey comes home to me or bust. Either way, I will get finality.” 


Kelsai hugs Blake. “Wish you the best.”


The best? Blake will need more than that. One thing is certain, he knows what he needs to do now.


-- 




The scene opens with Blake Mason and Jaxson Sullivan with their backs turned to the camera, both men appear to be looking up at the world famous Washington Monument. Blake is wearing a salmon colored suit. Jaxson is decked in all black. Blake is the one who turns around first to greet the camera. He waves, indicating he is ready to speak.      



“Lets take a trip back in time shall we?”



Blake pauses momentarily. 


“Retribution 2018. A pay per view event that put everything into perspective, for the time being. I’ve fallen since. Nevertheless, two years ago still stands. On that  night I made comeback number seven hundred by that point, I fought a grueling unsanctioned match with Amy Chastaine, towards the end  I did try to piledrive her. Wyatt intervened. Stopped me from making a huge mistake, one I would have regretted. A short time after that memorable match I had to take a moment to myself. Reflect on the things I had done. Then a thought washed over me, I had become too obsessed with what I felt were slights. Allowed revenge to dominate a good portion of my career. At that moment I knew beyond a shadow of a reasonable doubt I needed to focus on what should have been important to me.”


“My career.”


“I was done with going out of my way to compromise someone elses livelihood. I reminded myself why I became a wrestler in the first place. To wrestle. Not to settle petty grievances. One of the first goals I gave myself was to become the SCW Television Champion. The title itself would become my North Star. My guide post. The only thing I would care about once I stepped foot in the arena. Funny thing happened, Selena Frost had the same goal. I wasn’t amused to be honest. Selena could have chased any other championship, why did she get in my way? Anyone but her. She beat to drive me off the TV Championship path. I asked for a rematch. She beat me again. I was never in consideration again for the Television Championship. It wasn’t all bad. I maintained my focus. Dedicated myself to become the best wrestler I could be. I nudged my way into World Championship contention. The initial goal of becoming Television Champion was lost, I did bounce back in unexpected ways. Just another reminder that fate has plans for us all.”


Blake pauses to take a breath. 


“The reason I tell you this is simple. I am not going to bore you or anyone else about what has gone on in my personal life lately. My name is William Blake Mason, this world is too small for my personal business not to be public knowledge. I assume you already know what is going on with me. I won’t dwell on that too much. I don’t need sympathy. You won’t hear me make myself the victim. It is annoying when other people use their personal strife to ride the road of victimhood, I will spare you of that. Obviously nothing has gone right recently in certain aspects of my life. If we are being honest, my in ring return hasn’t been memorable. Sure, I am a former tag team champion. That reign ended in fourteen days. I let down Kelsai. I let down Owen. Not like I came in like David Helms reminding the world he is still one of the best. Trios win. Taking Hold of the Flame, he won. He likely becomes SCW World Champion. Who am I to bet against Big Match Dave. He has proven he hasn’t  skipped a beat. As for me, heh, still riding the same path of inconsistency. What goes up comes down, epicly.”   



“At a time like this I need a North Star. I need a guide post. More important than anything else, I need focus. From the day I came back I have not openly campaigned once for any of the numerous championships. If I did, the Television Championship would not have been my first choice. BUT I am reminded of my brief flirtation with the Television Championship two years ago. I remember the reason I set out to chase it. When the announcement was made I would challenge you Cookie, that was my eureka moment. The Television Championship can still be my North Star. The belt you wear proudly can lead me out of the darkness. What else is more time consuming than defending a championship every single Breakdown and the occasional pay per view? That’s what I need right now.”


 
“Cookie; in a way I envy you.” 


Blake gives pause to allow that statement to settle in. “You came from humble beginnings. You burst on the scene as the person who helped a mutual friend of both of us [Kennedy Street] expand her branding. Next, you were the brains behind ensuring that Manvel and your husband Derek Adonis became household names. You could have stayed within your niche. You were successful at what you did. But you took the same drive helping everyone else expand their brand to launch your own wrestling career. Last year against my half brother and your now former rival turned friend; didn’t work out as planned. Not allowing that to deter you, you leaped into Fatal Fortunes. Took a go at Taking Hold of the Flame. Impressed the brass. Then you shocked the world  beating Regan, clearly you don’t need me to tell you how rare a feat scoring a victory over Regan is. I have had my fair share of battles with The Hellcat; I couldn’t beat her. But you did. No one will be able to take that accomplishment away no matter how hard they try.” 



The reason I somewhat envy you isn’t because you beat Regan. Looking at the entire scope of your career, on paper no one would have predicted you would have had the level of success already this early. Take a guy like me. I was born into every available resource imaginable. I could afford to train at the best wrestling schools on the planet, before I signed with Supreme Championship Wrestling I had at least a year of experience under my belt, walked into this company a former VWA Bloodsport Champion. Do you know how long it took for me to become a champion in this company? 


Blake holds up four fingers.


“Four years. I became Adrenaline Champion in December 2013. My reign lasted 52 entire days. I haven’t been a singles champion since 2014, that is six years ago. I have had plenty of chances to break that drought. Within the same timeframe I have watched people stroll into SCW, become champion in less time, hell, even became Supreme Champions in less time. I have run out of excuses. For years I had a litany of them. All I really have left is that I am not good enough. I can accept a lot of things. Damn it--”


Blake balls up his fist. To the heavens he shouts. 


“I CAN’T ACCEPT I AM NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!” 


Blake takes a deep breath to calm himself down. “If I accept I am not good enough, I might as well just walk away.” 


“We both know I am not ready to do that!”


“Does part of me  envy your early success? Yes. Who doesn’t dream of being an overnight sensation?” 


“There is the part of me that doesn’t envy your rise to being one of the most loveable wrestlers SCW has going today.”


“May not seem like it now, losing the Television Championship will be a blessing in the long run.”


“How can that be?”


“Past couple of weeks Cookie you have reminded your opponents that deep down you are a fan at heart. You come across that way. Cheerful. Hopeful. Not allowing all the chaos that has brought morale in the locker room down to play a role in stealing your smile like it has for all of us.. You promote an optimism that is pretty infectious. Your state of being is the reason why most people have fallen in love with how you come across every time you tweet. Every time you walk down to the ring. Every time you are on camera the world gets their dose of Cookie. Most people can’t get enough. In your short career you have not suffered a great loss. I am not trying to say losing at Rise to Greatness last year was easy, I have lost my fair share of matches at that event. Always sucks. You have never gone through the soul stealing experience of losing your first championship. Having your shoulders counted down for the one, two, three, watching on as the referee hands everything that you have worked for to another person is one of those first that takes a bit of time to get over. When Derek lost the TV Title you had to look into his eyes, he wasn’t the same man for a couple days. A week? A month? Tough pill the swallow. Helping someone else get through that sense of loss is not the same as going through the pain  yourself. I hate being the man to pry away everything you worked for. Contrary to what most people want to sell you, failure is not the end all be all. Failure can be a good thing. A blessing in disguise. 


“How else are you going to learn Cookie if you don’t fall hard?”


“Right now you are on an incredible high.”


“The momentum is clearly on your side.”


“From Regan. To Valerie. To STD. To Kelsai.”


“How can you not be on cloud nine?”


“With this Breakdown and the next one, going into Rise to Greatness as TV Champion would more than put the cherry on top on your magic carpet start of your young career.”


Blake pauses to flash an ironic smirk. “Competing against men and women who are the future of the sport tends to remind me of my own career mortality.”


“The day I decide to hang up my boots, women like you, Kelsai, Peyton Rice. Men like Owen Cruze, Aaron Blackbourne, Alistaire Allocco, all of you will be the faces who lead SCW into the next phase. Men like me and Josh Hudson will one day concede that our time is up, the future has passed us by, no matter how much experience we have, father time always has the final say. I know, I’m thirty. You try traveling up and down the road for twelve years, engaging in countless wars, putting your body through hell in the most grueling matches some sick human being who was bored out of their mind came up with one day for the lulz. Everyday I wake up with a reminder that someday I won’t be physically able to do this no matter how many years old I actually am. In this sport, there is only so much damage we can withstand before our body tells us it is our time to go. Every match I compete in, no matter who the match is against, adds to that count. I don’t know when the end will be. Could be Rise to Greatness. Could be Apocalypse. Could be Under Attack. Who knows. I need to take advantage of every opportunity placed in front of me. You guys? As long as nothing overtly bad happens, you have time. You have room to improve. To grow. To represent the new wave.”


“I am fighting against time. One of these days time will win. I am going to make the best of the time I have left.”


“Cookie.” Blake places his hand over his heart. “In my heart of hearts I agree with the fans. You are the champion they need. The one they deserve.”


“Right now, at this moment, I am the champion I need.”


“Tomorrow, I prove I deserve the right to be called champion.”


Blake turns around to look at the monument as the scene fades to black.

A poem by KABLAMTRON 4000

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- KABLAMTRON 4000