01-06-2026, 09:42 PM
OOC: Chronologically, read this piece for Luz before you read Amelia's, as Luz's takes place after her match on night one of Shattered Reality and Amelia's will take place after her own match on night two.
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Even as she held the title in her hands, Luz still couldn't believe it.
Right here in Boston, she had regained the United States Championship for the third time.
She knew this was only the beginning, though. Meghan may have applauded her win after the fact, but the gaze they exchanged after the three was counted told Luz all she needed to know. Things between them were far from settled... it was a feeling Luz knew all too well, especially when it came to these multi-person matches. Pinning Gavin and finally shutting him up had been very much worth it, but Meghan had been the champion going in, and it was only a matter of time before the two of them would cross paths again, one-on-one, with that title on the line.
That would be Luz's true test when that day came.
As Luz finally stepped through the curtain and navigated through the gorilla position, grinning at the applause she got from members of production for her victory, she looked down at the title that was once again resting over her shoulder. While it felt good to be holding it again, Luz's brain wasn't content. She'd held the World Tag Titles with Amelia three times as well, and each subsequent reign had been quite a bit longer than the first, a clear sign of the progress they'd made together and proof of why they had established themselves, even now when they had become more focused on singles endeavors, as one of the best tag teams in SCW today. Becoming the team that was the measuring stick for all others to compare themselves to? It was a right they had earned.
And now, here Luz was on reign number three with the U.S. Title... and deep in her mind, the seed of doubt began to blossom on whether or not this would be the kind of reign she was looking for that would prove she's reached that same point as a singles star.
Both of her previous runs with this title had been just shy of 100 days, and while her previous reign had been longer, it hadn't been by much. Almost an entire month longer between Tag Title reigns one and two versus just four days with the U.S. Title didn't inspire the same level of confidence, and while she was determined to make up for all of it with this run and prove she was worthy of being a U.S. Champion to remember, Luz wasn't so prideful as to believe it was going to be that easy. With Meghan back on the hunt and certainly having a proper one-on-one rematch coming at some point, a hungry Damon Cage still waiting in the wings for the title shot he'd earned in KABLAMia, and Fatal Fortunes just on the horizon to once again test her fortitude through being booked twice, once with her title up for grabs, the road ahead was one that threatened to make her third run with this title a much shorter affair than the last two.
“Batata!” Luz was suddenly saved from her potential spiral as Amelia crashed into her with a big hug once Luz had made it far enough backstage. “¡Felicidades por la victoria! ¡Sabía que podías lograrlo!”
For right now, though, Luz felt she could afford to worry about those impending challenges later. After all, she'd earned the right to celebrate her big win tonight.
“Gracias, Amelia,” Luz chuckled as she leaned forward and gave her wife a big kiss before they joined hands, fingers threading together, and began heading back to Luz's locker room for the night. “Also... did you just call me a sweet potato?”
“Sorry,” Amelia chuckled sheepishly, a blush beginning to consume her cheeks. “I wanted to try and be cute with some sort of pet name beyond just calling you Lulu, and for some reason 'sweet potato' was the first thing that came to mind.”
“Aw, Ames...” Luz cooed as she leaned her head on Amelia's shoulder. “If you ask me, though... you're the sweet potato.”
Amelia nearly choked on her own breath as the tables being turned on her as both women giggled. Truth be told, Luz missed moments like this, where the two of them could just be cute and lovey-dovey without the stress of everything else hanging over their heads. Granted, Amelia still had to get through her own match in Montreal tomorrow night, but Luz had high hopes that her wife could finally get the win over Glory Braddock that she deserved to have.
Moments like this... moments like their long overdue honeymoon about a month prior... they were growing fewer and farther between as time went on, and Luz hated it.
It was hard to blame the wrestling business for any of it, considering both she and Amelia knew exactly what they were signing up for when they became two wrestlers in a romantic relationship. The rigors of SCW's travel schedule specifically had come with its fair share of stress and challenges, and match results could easily sway whether or not they felt like having these little moments was even worth it when there was work to be done... a mindset they were both trying to be better about breaking when faced with setbacks.
If it wasn't the wrestling business, though, it was usually The Empire demanding their attention and stealing their free time to even consider these moments. 'Usually' being the key word right now, because Luz wasn't blind to the oddity that the religious cult had gone eerily silent once again ever since Paul had started traveling with them. It was a puzzle that no one in their group had still been able to figure out: Caleb had seemingly ordered that Luz, Amelia and their found family be left alone in the wake of the cult's splinter cell falling months ago, an act of forgiveness that surely had some strings attached to it because despite his claims to the contrary, they knew Caleb White was not the caring and generous soul he tried to paint himself as. Henry and Valentina both had the physical and mental scars to prove it.
That still led to the mystery of Paul himself. The Empire seemed to have some great interest in him, almost to the obsessive degree they did with Luz and Amelia. Unlike the couple, however, there didn't seem to be any signs that Caleb wanted to 'save' Paul like he did with them, just that Paul apparently had or knew something and they wanted it by any means necessary. What it was that Paul supposedly possessed was the missing piece to the puzzle, as Paul himself didn't even seem to know why he was a target and no Empire cultist that had been pursuing him seemed too keen on answering that question.
Even more bizarre was the fact that once Paul was protected within their group, it almost felt like Caleb's orders to leave them alone suddenly extended to him as well. Not a lick of it was making any sense and that's what frustrated Luz the most. Before, she and Amelia had been able to try their best to stay one step ahead of Caleb's schemes because despite being a brilliant manipulator, the religious zealot was egotistical enough that they could figure out the patterns to his movements and find the opening to shut them down. Now, though? The Empire was defying all logic, and while that bothered Amelia far more, Luz would be lying if she said she wasn't a little disturbed by how little sense it made herself.
“Earth to Luz,” Amelia called out, snapping the luchadora from her thoughts once more. “You alright, querida?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah...” Luz tried to play it off, but Amelia could see straight through it and Luz knew it. “Did you need something?”
“I was asking if you wanted to shower here or back at the hotel before we check out and start heading to Montreal,” Amelia repeated what Luz clearly had missed. “But clearly something's on your mind. You want to talk?”
“I...” Luz began before cutting herself off with a sigh, trying to figure out how to approach this. “It's just... I can't help but think about The Empire again and how nothing they're doing makes any sense anymore.”
“I should be reminding you of what Celine told us about letting them feel like they have that kind of power over us,” Amelia pointed out, “but I get what you mean. It was one thing when we knew they'd gone quiet after Caleb got broken out of prison because they were rebuilding their ranks, but this?”
“He's definitely trying to be 'nice' hoping that leaving us alone after what Crane and your parents pulled will somehow change our tunes about joining him,” Luz mused. “Surely by now he's realized that's not working. I mean, look at the Empire butt we kicked saving Paul from some of those white-cloaked goons! If that doesn't scream 'we're not taking your bait, you big idiot' then I don't know what does.”
Amelia couldn't help but chuckle at Luz's declaration. “You're not wrong, which does make it strange... almost as strange as Paul himself.”
Luz raised an eyebrow at this. “I thought you didn't have a problem with someone being strange?”
“Your brand of strangeness is endearing and I love you for it amor, you know this,” Amelia replied, punctuated with a kiss on Luz's masked cheek as the two had stopped close to the TD Garden exit. “Paul, however... something's definitely off about him. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I know it's not the good kind of 'strange' or 'weird' that you proudly wear as a badge of honor and have every right to.”
Luz frowned, not at Amelia's description of her because her wife wasn't wrong about Luz finally being proud of who she was and not hiding any of it anymore, but because she was confirming everything that Henry had explained to her about what happened while Amelia had been training with him and Darius as Paul spectated. Her mind was once again brought back to the question she'd asked herself after she had wrapped up her therapy session with her mom by her side, wondering if wanting Paul to be safe from The Empire by traveling with them had been a mistake after all.
“I know every fan is entitled to their opinion,” Luz murmured, and Amelia couldn't help but frown at the doubt creeping into her beloved's voice, “but still... even if he had a point about Glory's respect for you being hard to pin down whether or not it's truly genuine, something I know I've publicly called her out on before, he didn't have to phrase it the way I heard he did. I mean, he pushed you into a brief panic attack and that's not OK!”
“No, it's not,” Amelia did agree with that, taking a deep breath as she cupped Luz's cheek in her palm, fingers tracing along the details of her wife's mask. “Still, your tone is making me think there's something else going on in your head right now.”
Luz took a deep, shuddering breath, making it clear to Amelia she was trying—and struggling—to compose herself for whatever was about to leave her mouth next.
“Ames?” she finally started to ask. “Be honest with me... do you think I screwed up asking him to join us for his own safety?”
Amelia bit her bottom lip, and Luz knew that wasn't an easy question to answer. She knew her wife wouldn't want to hurt her feelings, and it was hard to argue against Luz's nature to help others in need because that was just the kind-hearted soul she was. Screw everyone who constantly claimed the two of them were too nice for this business, because sometimes a little kindness went a long way... right?
“I honestly don't know, Luz,” Amelia finally admitted after a moment. “I can't just say no without hard proof that something's truly up here, because it's hard to argue that Paul has been safe from The Empire ever since he started traveling with us. Yeah, his fan opinions feel like they've... cut a little too deep at times, but we've heard how passionate fans have gotten over us before, whether to claim we're the greatest wrestlers alive today or to hate us just because we're not the edgy, line-walking badasses they think every wrestler should be.”
It wasn't quite the answer that Luz was looking for, but Amelia's logical analysis did help put into perspective just how flawed her question truly was. In the short term, yeah, giving Paul sanctuary among their found family had done its job, even if The Empire once again backing off completely still baffled them. Long term, though? Not enough had really happened to confirm whether or not it truly was a mistake.
“I guess you're right,” Luz finally admitted after a moment. “It's like... yeah, some of Paul's opinions as a passionate fan have been a little uncomfortable, but you remember how long it took Henry to fully feel comfortable around us after we saved him from Caleb?”
“Yeah, the poor guy was such a nervous wreck because his uncle never allowed him the chance to properly interact with anybody before,” Amelia nodded. “He's come a long way... maybe Paul's the same way? I'm not exactly saying he's some former Empire member who's ashamed to tell us that, even though we've got two who were personally handpicked by Caleb among us now, but maybe he's not too used to being part of a dynamic like we all have and doesn't know how to properly express himself?”
“Hopefully,” Luz nodded. “I really don't want to feel like I tried to help someone and they just took advantage of my kindness again. It got old when I was a kid and it just plain sucks in general.”
“If Paul does turn out like that, I'll personally turn him into a human pretzel,” Amelia vowed. “I don't care if he is a fan, it's not right for someone to think kindness is a weakness that must be exploited. It's why I've gotten so sick of people trying to use that against us around here.”
“I love how quickly you jump to my defense Ames, but hopefully we're overthinking this and it won't ever come to anything like that,” Luz said before she kissed the corner of Amelia's lips. “Now, to answer your earlier question I apparently didn't hear, I think showering back at the hotel makes the most sense. Probably better to not linger around in case Gavin or Kemal blow a gasket over my win tonight and want to 'make it right' with some sort of gang attack.”
“I wouldn't think the European Fiery Nation would risk that with Dakon and Ludvig having such a big match tomorrow night,” Amelia noted. “And Gavin's probably still trying to have his lights turned back on after you dropped him for the win. Still, I'll run back to your locker room to grab your stuff quick since I'm not exhausted from a grueling match, and we can all get going.”
“God, I love you, babe,” Luz giggled, eliciting a giggle from Amelia as the two exchanged a sappy, loving kiss before letting go of each other so Amelia could jog off and retrieve Luz's things. Despite knowing she probably should wait since mid-December Boston was quite chilly, Luz had too much adrenaline rushing through her veins from surviving that fiveway to really give the cold much thought as she stepped outside, steam quickly radiating off her body as she scanned the parking lot. She figured everyone else was still enjoying the show and that was perfectly fine, considering it would give her time to shower back at the hotel and get everything packed to head out to Montreal for night two of Shattered Reality.
To her surprise, she did see a familiar face standing out on the parking lot, hands in his coat pockets as though he were waiting for someone... and she had a feeling she knew who that someone was.
“Paul?” she asked, approaching the bearded figure as Paul's gaze turned to lock onto her with surprise. “What are you doing out here?”
“Oh, Luz!” he exclaimed. “I was just getting some fresh air. Watching you steal that victory and the title was truly a work of art, and... to be honest, I don't know how I feel about watching someone like Shaun Cruze return and try to just encroach on the efforts you and Amelia have been trying to build yourselves up to. Where is she, anyway?”
Luz visibly cringed at Paul's words, reminding her of exactly what she and Amelia had just discussed about how innocently insensitive he seemed to come off at times, and this had definitely been one of them. Seeing her reaction caused visible confusion on his face, and Luz quickly moved to answer him.
“Ames is running back to the locker room to grab my stuff before we head back,” she answered. “You guys can still stick around and enjoy the rest of the show, I'd just like to grab a shower and relax for a moment before we hit the road to Montreal for Amelia to compete tomorrow night.”
“Shouldn't you stick around, though?” Paul asked. “I mean... that main event between Syren and Kim Williams feels like something Amelia should be paying attention to-”
“Her focus right now is on Glory tomorrow night,” Luz clarified. “Anything else, and we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. That does, however... um... bring up something I wanted to talk with you about...”
“Is it about what I said during Amelia's one training session?” Paul asked, suddenly sounding worried. “I apologized to her for getting a little too pushy with what I said...”
“It's... partly that, but also partly about what you just said, too,” Luz sighed. “Look, we get it. You're a fan and you clearly have a very high opinion of Amelia and I. I wouldn't be surprised if getting to hang out with us was like the ultimate fan dream come true for you if it wasn't for the messy circumstances. But some of the things you've been saying just... they're rubbing a lot of us the wrong way, to put it mildly. Like claiming I stole my win tonight, or criticizing Shaun even if it's trying to defend us. I don't want to feel like I'm telling you to just stop being a passionate fan because fans are the true backbone of the entire wrestling industry, but... maybe you could... I don't know... try to be a little more conscious of some of the things you say? Pretty please?”
Paul just stared at Luz for a moment like she'd grown an extra head, and it quickly made Luz's adrenaline start to fade and her anxiety spike, worrying that she might have offended him. After a moment, though, Paul chuckled and shrugged.
“I'm truly sorry if I've been making everyone feel uncomfortable,” he admitted. “You're right, I've been such a devoted fan for so long and getting the chance to be around my favorite wrestlers, even despite the circumstances with all this Empire nonsense, has made me forget that I have a filter and I should remember to use it sometimes, because not everyone thinks the same way I do. I'm sorry again for stepping out of line, and I promise I'll try to be more aware of the things I say in the future.”
“That's all I ask,” Luz nodded, lips slowly curving back into her usual smile. “I know it's tough... I was a fan too when I watched my father growing up, and everyone in our little found family has their own baggage and quirks we're all still dealing with, but understanding is always the first step to helping each other address it.”
“Wise advice, indeed,” Paul nodded sagely.
As Luz watched him head back inside, passing by Amelia and nodding to her along the way, Luz wanted to feel relieved that Paul had been so understanding of her point. And yet... she couldn't help but feel like this was too easy, like he was just letting her feel like she was dictating the conversation and only agreed to make her feel like she'd gotten through to him. It was something about his tone that felt... painfully familiar.
She shrugged it off for now, focus shifting to a nice hot shower back at the hotel and cuddle time with her wife before Amelia kicked butt tomorrow night, just as she did tonight, but there was that lingering doubt in the back of her mind that was slowly growing stronger, more determined to accost her for making some sort of mistake over something she still didn't quite fully understand just yet.
For everyone's sake, she hoped she was just imagining it.
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Even as she held the title in her hands, Luz still couldn't believe it.
Right here in Boston, she had regained the United States Championship for the third time.
She knew this was only the beginning, though. Meghan may have applauded her win after the fact, but the gaze they exchanged after the three was counted told Luz all she needed to know. Things between them were far from settled... it was a feeling Luz knew all too well, especially when it came to these multi-person matches. Pinning Gavin and finally shutting him up had been very much worth it, but Meghan had been the champion going in, and it was only a matter of time before the two of them would cross paths again, one-on-one, with that title on the line.
That would be Luz's true test when that day came.
As Luz finally stepped through the curtain and navigated through the gorilla position, grinning at the applause she got from members of production for her victory, she looked down at the title that was once again resting over her shoulder. While it felt good to be holding it again, Luz's brain wasn't content. She'd held the World Tag Titles with Amelia three times as well, and each subsequent reign had been quite a bit longer than the first, a clear sign of the progress they'd made together and proof of why they had established themselves, even now when they had become more focused on singles endeavors, as one of the best tag teams in SCW today. Becoming the team that was the measuring stick for all others to compare themselves to? It was a right they had earned.
And now, here Luz was on reign number three with the U.S. Title... and deep in her mind, the seed of doubt began to blossom on whether or not this would be the kind of reign she was looking for that would prove she's reached that same point as a singles star.
Both of her previous runs with this title had been just shy of 100 days, and while her previous reign had been longer, it hadn't been by much. Almost an entire month longer between Tag Title reigns one and two versus just four days with the U.S. Title didn't inspire the same level of confidence, and while she was determined to make up for all of it with this run and prove she was worthy of being a U.S. Champion to remember, Luz wasn't so prideful as to believe it was going to be that easy. With Meghan back on the hunt and certainly having a proper one-on-one rematch coming at some point, a hungry Damon Cage still waiting in the wings for the title shot he'd earned in KABLAMia, and Fatal Fortunes just on the horizon to once again test her fortitude through being booked twice, once with her title up for grabs, the road ahead was one that threatened to make her third run with this title a much shorter affair than the last two.
“Batata!” Luz was suddenly saved from her potential spiral as Amelia crashed into her with a big hug once Luz had made it far enough backstage. “¡Felicidades por la victoria! ¡Sabía que podías lograrlo!”
For right now, though, Luz felt she could afford to worry about those impending challenges later. After all, she'd earned the right to celebrate her big win tonight.
“Gracias, Amelia,” Luz chuckled as she leaned forward and gave her wife a big kiss before they joined hands, fingers threading together, and began heading back to Luz's locker room for the night. “Also... did you just call me a sweet potato?”
“Sorry,” Amelia chuckled sheepishly, a blush beginning to consume her cheeks. “I wanted to try and be cute with some sort of pet name beyond just calling you Lulu, and for some reason 'sweet potato' was the first thing that came to mind.”
“Aw, Ames...” Luz cooed as she leaned her head on Amelia's shoulder. “If you ask me, though... you're the sweet potato.”
Amelia nearly choked on her own breath as the tables being turned on her as both women giggled. Truth be told, Luz missed moments like this, where the two of them could just be cute and lovey-dovey without the stress of everything else hanging over their heads. Granted, Amelia still had to get through her own match in Montreal tomorrow night, but Luz had high hopes that her wife could finally get the win over Glory Braddock that she deserved to have.
Moments like this... moments like their long overdue honeymoon about a month prior... they were growing fewer and farther between as time went on, and Luz hated it.
It was hard to blame the wrestling business for any of it, considering both she and Amelia knew exactly what they were signing up for when they became two wrestlers in a romantic relationship. The rigors of SCW's travel schedule specifically had come with its fair share of stress and challenges, and match results could easily sway whether or not they felt like having these little moments was even worth it when there was work to be done... a mindset they were both trying to be better about breaking when faced with setbacks.
If it wasn't the wrestling business, though, it was usually The Empire demanding their attention and stealing their free time to even consider these moments. 'Usually' being the key word right now, because Luz wasn't blind to the oddity that the religious cult had gone eerily silent once again ever since Paul had started traveling with them. It was a puzzle that no one in their group had still been able to figure out: Caleb had seemingly ordered that Luz, Amelia and their found family be left alone in the wake of the cult's splinter cell falling months ago, an act of forgiveness that surely had some strings attached to it because despite his claims to the contrary, they knew Caleb White was not the caring and generous soul he tried to paint himself as. Henry and Valentina both had the physical and mental scars to prove it.
That still led to the mystery of Paul himself. The Empire seemed to have some great interest in him, almost to the obsessive degree they did with Luz and Amelia. Unlike the couple, however, there didn't seem to be any signs that Caleb wanted to 'save' Paul like he did with them, just that Paul apparently had or knew something and they wanted it by any means necessary. What it was that Paul supposedly possessed was the missing piece to the puzzle, as Paul himself didn't even seem to know why he was a target and no Empire cultist that had been pursuing him seemed too keen on answering that question.
Even more bizarre was the fact that once Paul was protected within their group, it almost felt like Caleb's orders to leave them alone suddenly extended to him as well. Not a lick of it was making any sense and that's what frustrated Luz the most. Before, she and Amelia had been able to try their best to stay one step ahead of Caleb's schemes because despite being a brilliant manipulator, the religious zealot was egotistical enough that they could figure out the patterns to his movements and find the opening to shut them down. Now, though? The Empire was defying all logic, and while that bothered Amelia far more, Luz would be lying if she said she wasn't a little disturbed by how little sense it made herself.
“Earth to Luz,” Amelia called out, snapping the luchadora from her thoughts once more. “You alright, querida?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah...” Luz tried to play it off, but Amelia could see straight through it and Luz knew it. “Did you need something?”
“I was asking if you wanted to shower here or back at the hotel before we check out and start heading to Montreal,” Amelia repeated what Luz clearly had missed. “But clearly something's on your mind. You want to talk?”
“I...” Luz began before cutting herself off with a sigh, trying to figure out how to approach this. “It's just... I can't help but think about The Empire again and how nothing they're doing makes any sense anymore.”
“I should be reminding you of what Celine told us about letting them feel like they have that kind of power over us,” Amelia pointed out, “but I get what you mean. It was one thing when we knew they'd gone quiet after Caleb got broken out of prison because they were rebuilding their ranks, but this?”
“He's definitely trying to be 'nice' hoping that leaving us alone after what Crane and your parents pulled will somehow change our tunes about joining him,” Luz mused. “Surely by now he's realized that's not working. I mean, look at the Empire butt we kicked saving Paul from some of those white-cloaked goons! If that doesn't scream 'we're not taking your bait, you big idiot' then I don't know what does.”
Amelia couldn't help but chuckle at Luz's declaration. “You're not wrong, which does make it strange... almost as strange as Paul himself.”
Luz raised an eyebrow at this. “I thought you didn't have a problem with someone being strange?”
“Your brand of strangeness is endearing and I love you for it amor, you know this,” Amelia replied, punctuated with a kiss on Luz's masked cheek as the two had stopped close to the TD Garden exit. “Paul, however... something's definitely off about him. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I know it's not the good kind of 'strange' or 'weird' that you proudly wear as a badge of honor and have every right to.”
Luz frowned, not at Amelia's description of her because her wife wasn't wrong about Luz finally being proud of who she was and not hiding any of it anymore, but because she was confirming everything that Henry had explained to her about what happened while Amelia had been training with him and Darius as Paul spectated. Her mind was once again brought back to the question she'd asked herself after she had wrapped up her therapy session with her mom by her side, wondering if wanting Paul to be safe from The Empire by traveling with them had been a mistake after all.
“I know every fan is entitled to their opinion,” Luz murmured, and Amelia couldn't help but frown at the doubt creeping into her beloved's voice, “but still... even if he had a point about Glory's respect for you being hard to pin down whether or not it's truly genuine, something I know I've publicly called her out on before, he didn't have to phrase it the way I heard he did. I mean, he pushed you into a brief panic attack and that's not OK!”
“No, it's not,” Amelia did agree with that, taking a deep breath as she cupped Luz's cheek in her palm, fingers tracing along the details of her wife's mask. “Still, your tone is making me think there's something else going on in your head right now.”
Luz took a deep, shuddering breath, making it clear to Amelia she was trying—and struggling—to compose herself for whatever was about to leave her mouth next.
“Ames?” she finally started to ask. “Be honest with me... do you think I screwed up asking him to join us for his own safety?”
Amelia bit her bottom lip, and Luz knew that wasn't an easy question to answer. She knew her wife wouldn't want to hurt her feelings, and it was hard to argue against Luz's nature to help others in need because that was just the kind-hearted soul she was. Screw everyone who constantly claimed the two of them were too nice for this business, because sometimes a little kindness went a long way... right?
“I honestly don't know, Luz,” Amelia finally admitted after a moment. “I can't just say no without hard proof that something's truly up here, because it's hard to argue that Paul has been safe from The Empire ever since he started traveling with us. Yeah, his fan opinions feel like they've... cut a little too deep at times, but we've heard how passionate fans have gotten over us before, whether to claim we're the greatest wrestlers alive today or to hate us just because we're not the edgy, line-walking badasses they think every wrestler should be.”
It wasn't quite the answer that Luz was looking for, but Amelia's logical analysis did help put into perspective just how flawed her question truly was. In the short term, yeah, giving Paul sanctuary among their found family had done its job, even if The Empire once again backing off completely still baffled them. Long term, though? Not enough had really happened to confirm whether or not it truly was a mistake.
“I guess you're right,” Luz finally admitted after a moment. “It's like... yeah, some of Paul's opinions as a passionate fan have been a little uncomfortable, but you remember how long it took Henry to fully feel comfortable around us after we saved him from Caleb?”
“Yeah, the poor guy was such a nervous wreck because his uncle never allowed him the chance to properly interact with anybody before,” Amelia nodded. “He's come a long way... maybe Paul's the same way? I'm not exactly saying he's some former Empire member who's ashamed to tell us that, even though we've got two who were personally handpicked by Caleb among us now, but maybe he's not too used to being part of a dynamic like we all have and doesn't know how to properly express himself?”
“Hopefully,” Luz nodded. “I really don't want to feel like I tried to help someone and they just took advantage of my kindness again. It got old when I was a kid and it just plain sucks in general.”
“If Paul does turn out like that, I'll personally turn him into a human pretzel,” Amelia vowed. “I don't care if he is a fan, it's not right for someone to think kindness is a weakness that must be exploited. It's why I've gotten so sick of people trying to use that against us around here.”
“I love how quickly you jump to my defense Ames, but hopefully we're overthinking this and it won't ever come to anything like that,” Luz said before she kissed the corner of Amelia's lips. “Now, to answer your earlier question I apparently didn't hear, I think showering back at the hotel makes the most sense. Probably better to not linger around in case Gavin or Kemal blow a gasket over my win tonight and want to 'make it right' with some sort of gang attack.”
“I wouldn't think the European Fiery Nation would risk that with Dakon and Ludvig having such a big match tomorrow night,” Amelia noted. “And Gavin's probably still trying to have his lights turned back on after you dropped him for the win. Still, I'll run back to your locker room to grab your stuff quick since I'm not exhausted from a grueling match, and we can all get going.”
“God, I love you, babe,” Luz giggled, eliciting a giggle from Amelia as the two exchanged a sappy, loving kiss before letting go of each other so Amelia could jog off and retrieve Luz's things. Despite knowing she probably should wait since mid-December Boston was quite chilly, Luz had too much adrenaline rushing through her veins from surviving that fiveway to really give the cold much thought as she stepped outside, steam quickly radiating off her body as she scanned the parking lot. She figured everyone else was still enjoying the show and that was perfectly fine, considering it would give her time to shower back at the hotel and get everything packed to head out to Montreal for night two of Shattered Reality.
To her surprise, she did see a familiar face standing out on the parking lot, hands in his coat pockets as though he were waiting for someone... and she had a feeling she knew who that someone was.
“Paul?” she asked, approaching the bearded figure as Paul's gaze turned to lock onto her with surprise. “What are you doing out here?”
“Oh, Luz!” he exclaimed. “I was just getting some fresh air. Watching you steal that victory and the title was truly a work of art, and... to be honest, I don't know how I feel about watching someone like Shaun Cruze return and try to just encroach on the efforts you and Amelia have been trying to build yourselves up to. Where is she, anyway?”
Luz visibly cringed at Paul's words, reminding her of exactly what she and Amelia had just discussed about how innocently insensitive he seemed to come off at times, and this had definitely been one of them. Seeing her reaction caused visible confusion on his face, and Luz quickly moved to answer him.
“Ames is running back to the locker room to grab my stuff before we head back,” she answered. “You guys can still stick around and enjoy the rest of the show, I'd just like to grab a shower and relax for a moment before we hit the road to Montreal for Amelia to compete tomorrow night.”
“Shouldn't you stick around, though?” Paul asked. “I mean... that main event between Syren and Kim Williams feels like something Amelia should be paying attention to-”
“Her focus right now is on Glory tomorrow night,” Luz clarified. “Anything else, and we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. That does, however... um... bring up something I wanted to talk with you about...”
“Is it about what I said during Amelia's one training session?” Paul asked, suddenly sounding worried. “I apologized to her for getting a little too pushy with what I said...”
“It's... partly that, but also partly about what you just said, too,” Luz sighed. “Look, we get it. You're a fan and you clearly have a very high opinion of Amelia and I. I wouldn't be surprised if getting to hang out with us was like the ultimate fan dream come true for you if it wasn't for the messy circumstances. But some of the things you've been saying just... they're rubbing a lot of us the wrong way, to put it mildly. Like claiming I stole my win tonight, or criticizing Shaun even if it's trying to defend us. I don't want to feel like I'm telling you to just stop being a passionate fan because fans are the true backbone of the entire wrestling industry, but... maybe you could... I don't know... try to be a little more conscious of some of the things you say? Pretty please?”
Paul just stared at Luz for a moment like she'd grown an extra head, and it quickly made Luz's adrenaline start to fade and her anxiety spike, worrying that she might have offended him. After a moment, though, Paul chuckled and shrugged.
“I'm truly sorry if I've been making everyone feel uncomfortable,” he admitted. “You're right, I've been such a devoted fan for so long and getting the chance to be around my favorite wrestlers, even despite the circumstances with all this Empire nonsense, has made me forget that I have a filter and I should remember to use it sometimes, because not everyone thinks the same way I do. I'm sorry again for stepping out of line, and I promise I'll try to be more aware of the things I say in the future.”
“That's all I ask,” Luz nodded, lips slowly curving back into her usual smile. “I know it's tough... I was a fan too when I watched my father growing up, and everyone in our little found family has their own baggage and quirks we're all still dealing with, but understanding is always the first step to helping each other address it.”
“Wise advice, indeed,” Paul nodded sagely.
As Luz watched him head back inside, passing by Amelia and nodding to her along the way, Luz wanted to feel relieved that Paul had been so understanding of her point. And yet... she couldn't help but feel like this was too easy, like he was just letting her feel like she was dictating the conversation and only agreed to make her feel like she'd gotten through to him. It was something about his tone that felt... painfully familiar.
She shrugged it off for now, focus shifting to a nice hot shower back at the hotel and cuddle time with her wife before Amelia kicked butt tomorrow night, just as she did tonight, but there was that lingering doubt in the back of her mind that was slowly growing stronger, more determined to accost her for making some sort of mistake over something she still didn't quite fully understand just yet.
For everyone's sake, she hoped she was just imagining it.
![[Image: uKMzpho.png]](https://i.imgur.com/uKMzpho.png)
Tag Team Record: 29-11-1*
La Pequeña Luz Solo Record: 23-12
Amelia Blythe Nevado Solo Record: 15-14-1
*The tag team turmoil on the 9/14/2023 Breakdown is counted in this record as the three separate matches LITD had in the gauntlet up until their elimination.
Breakdown 3/30/2023 - Kim Williams' Trios Cash-In
La Pequeña Luz: 3 Falls
Amelia Blythe Nevado: 2 Falls
*Neither one finished high enough to win any championships in this match
*Result listed separately and not counted in records due to lack of clarity on how to count falls
SCW Accomplishments
SCW Television Championship (Amelia Blythe Nevado - 29 Days)
SCW Television Championship (La Pequeña Luz - 98 Days)
SCW World Tag Team Championship [3] (1 - 81 Days) (2 - 109 Days) (3 - 231 Days)
SCW United States Championship (La Pequeña Luz) [3] (1/Interim Reign - 94 Days) (2 - 98 Days) (3 - Current)
2024 Trios Tournament Winner (Amelia Blythe Nevado, w/ Xander Valentine and Billy Heaven Jr.)
2023 Tag Team of the Year
2023 Match of the Year (Kim Williams' Trios Cash-In)
2024 Tag Team of the Year