Marie Jones vs. Colleen

[The Matt]

2 of 2
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March 31st, 2024
Albany, New York
Off Camera
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It has been a few days since Marie Jones had her picnic with romantic interest and longtime lover Julianne Buchanan. The Phoenix had kept her relationship with Julianne alive and well despite leaving the Inner Peace Enlightenment Retreat. At first she kept it a secret from her family, knowing that they did not trust Buchanan. Why should they? Twice before she lured Marie back into Inner Peace and even though Julianne had supposedly left the group along with Marie, they had no reason to trust her now. But now Marie’s family knows of the continued romance. They know of the continued relationship and despite their misgivings, they have put their trust in Marie and her judgment. Marie doesn’t take any of that lightly. She knows how hard it is to earn the trust of her family back after squandering it away. She knows how easy to lose that trust yet again. Marie knows that one wrong move and she may never win her way back into the heart of her family. Yet at the same time she cares for Julianne. She loves her. She does not want to leave Julianne. To make matters worse, Julianne seems to be just as negative towards Marie’s family as Marie’s family is towards Julianne. Neither side likes the other. For the longest of times The Phoenix has felt herself torn between being with Julianne and being with her blood, her family. Marie desperately wants to have both the love of Julianne and the trust of her family and for the longest of times she has been trying to figure out how to have both. Now she finds herself questioning whether that is even possible. She finds herself questioning her lover’s agenda and motivation. A few days ago, at the picnic, Julianne admitted that Inner Peace never truly ended. Julianne admitted that she plans to restructure Inner Peace herself and that she wants Marie to join her in this new incarnation of the organization. Marie now finds herself at a crossroads where, for once and for all, she will have to choose between Julianne Buchanan and her family. Marie’s sister Kimberly, their mother Angelica, they will not approve of Marie joining Inner Peace for a third time, despite Julianne’s insistence that things are different now. She doesn’t want to have to choose but she fears that it has become inevitable.

For her part, The Phoenix isn’t sure what she should do. On the one hand, Kim and Angelica have a valid point. Marie has been with Inner Peace twice now and neither time did anything change. It was a corrupt organization that sought to take advantage of her. Why should they continue to give Marie a chance if she rejoins? On the other hand, Julianne cares about Marie. Doesn’t she? And is Julianne right when she insists that Kim and Angelica are being unreasonable? Marie doesn’t know what to do or who she should trust. She isn’t sure who she should choose. In the center of this dilemma is her son, Sean Connor Jones. Kimberly and Angelica have taken custody of him for the moment, due to Marie’s recent behavior with Inner Peace. If she chooses Julianne and Inner Peace, will she ever see her son again? She may have to fight a legal battle with her own family to get her son back.

Currently Marie Jones has decided to turn to the one person, outside of her lover Julianne and her family, that she feels she can truly trust wholeheartedly; a third party with whom she has had a long but good history with and whose opinions Marie values and trusts. The individual is none other than Melinda Jade. Marie and Melinda were childhood friends growing up in the Boston, Massachusetts area. Melinda Jade got in trouble with the law and ended up spending time in prison. Marie helped Melinda get acquainted with life outside of prison upon release. Yet after that, the two friends lost touch with one another. Part of that can be blamed on Marie’s involvement with Inner Peace. In fact, it took Marie quite some time to track her friend down. It turns out Melinda Jade had moved out of the Boston, Massachusetts area she grew up and into a small apartment in Albany, New York. Now that she has tracked her down, it is time to catch up and, hopefully, get some advice that will help Marie make a tough decision of her own.

Jones stands at the front door to what she thinks, and hopes, is Melinda’s apartment. She is wearing a knee length black skirt, sheer stockings, black high heeled pumps, a red silk blouse, and a black leather jacket. The Phoenix knocks on the door and waits patiently for an answer. After receiving nothing Marie knocks again. “Yeah, yeah! I’m coming!” Marie hears Melinda from within. The New England accent is unmistakable. Marie grins in anticipation of seeing her friend for the first time in many years. A few moments later she sees the door open and Melinda Jade is standing on the other side. Melinda is wearing loose fitting sweatpants, sneakers, and a blue t-shirt. Her long brown hair is pulled into a ponytail in the back. Jade grins from ear to ear upon seeing her friend.

“Marie!”

“Mels!”

Immediately the two best friends embrace in a tight hug. It is as if they hadn’t seen one another in forever. They break the embrace and Melinda steps aside. “Damn Marie! You haven’t changed one bit!”

“You certainly have.” Marie says. “Weren’t you a blonde the last time I saw you?”

“Figured I’d give it a try. Ya like?”

“You look hot, Mels.”

“Damn right.” Melinda motions for Marie to follow her. Marie nods and follows her best friend into the front door, shutting it behind her. Then she leads Marie into the living room of this small apartment. The living room is cozy yet functional, maximizing the limited space available. The walls are painted a soft, neutral shade of cream colored white to create an illusion of more openness. Against one wall sits a compact, but comfortable, gray sofa and a matching armchair is tucked into the corner, providing additional seating without cluttering the area. A sleek, modern rug with geometric patterns ties the seating area together, adding warmth and texture to the hardwood floor. On the opposite wall, a flat-screen television set is mounted. Large windows flood the space with natural light offering views of the bustling cityscape outside. Sheer curtains allow sunlight to filter through while still providing a sense of privacy.

Jones immediately finds a seat on the sofa. Melinda joins her and chuckles. “Ya gotta forgive me for not having any of that fancy wine I know you like. I know you gave me a heads up that you were coming but I still haven’t had time, or the cash, to go buy any more groceries for myself let alone any of that fancy shit for you.”

“It’s ok.” Marie says, nodding her head. “But, uh, I am surprised to find you here. What brings you out to Albany anyway?”

“You’ll think I’m an awful bitch.” Melinda sighs. “But I just needed to get away from my damn family, especially my parents.”

“Why? What’s wrong?” Marie is genuinely curious, not just because Melinda is her friend but perhaps how Melinda dealt with her family problem could serve as an example of how Marie could handle her problem.

“They weren’t helping.” Melinda shakes her head. “Not one bit. Hell, if anything they were encouraging bad behavior. They insisted that I didn’t have it in me to turn over a new leaf. Remember that guy I killed in the convenience store after getting outta prison?”

“That was self-defense, Mels. The guy was robbing the place, he had HIS gun pointed at you. You had no choice. The judge agreed.”

“Yeah, well tell that to my parents.” Melinda rolls her eyes. “They said I went from burglary to murder in an instant. They didn’t believe I was capable of reform so they didn’t see the point in helping me when I needed it. So instead of hanging around that negative energy, I figured I’d get away from ‘em by moving up here.”

“You know I helped you once before, right?” Marie asks. “I would have helped you again.”

“I know. But my parents being dicks wasn’t the only reason I wanted to move to Albany. I also needed to get way from my past. My parents weren’t the only ones encouraging bad behavior. My old criminal pals were a bad influence. They tried tempting me to help them with their latest schemes. And I gotta admit, some of those schemes were damn tempting. I needed to get away from it, Marie. I needed to get away from all of it if I hoped to stand a chance at starting over with a new life. Y’know?”

“Yeah…” Marie’s voice trails off. She wants to start over. But does she want to start over with her family or with Julianne?

“But enough about me.” Melinda smirks. “Tell me about you, girl. We’ve kinda fallen out of touch, that’s my fault and I’m sorry, but I have been watching you on the tube. Your return to SCW has been fucking awesome. You got a Television Title Match next, right?”

“Yeah…” Marie nods her head “...I’m facing Colleen. It will be a tall order.”

“Pffft,” she scoffs “you already beat her buddy Aisling. Beating Colleen shouldn’t be that much difficult.”

“Says you.” Marie smirks. “I’m not overlooking this one. If I beat Colleen I become a record tying three time Television Champion. It would also mark a big milestone for my SCW return, my first title since returning. I know it wouldn’t completely erase the harm I did from when I walked out on my SCW contract. But I think it certainly would help.”

“Don’t beat yourself up. The fact that you did return to SCW, you took responsibility for what you did wrong, and you are trying to make amends shows a hell of a lot more guts and courage than any of those other clowns who might try and judge you.” Melinda says commandingly. She pats Marie on the back. “You got this, babe.”

“Thanks.” Marie says, smiling. “And if it were just my wrestling career that was bothering my guilty conscience, then I would have no problems right now.”

“Something else bothering you, Marie?” Melinda asks. “Damn. Maybe I shoulda went out and got us some beers.”

“No worries.” Marie chuckles. “I think I’m used to it by now…even though it is still difficult.”

“Just tell me about it.” Melinda smirks. “Trust me, I was in prison, there’s nothing I aint heard that will shock or surprise me.”

“Well…you blame yourself for us losing contact. But honestly, Mels, it is more my fault. Shortly after we lost contact, my fiance at the time, Arthur Pond, committed suicide…”

“Damn.” Melinda says. “Sorry to hear that.”

“It’s ok…but after that, as a way of coping, I joined a group called The Inner Peace Enlightenment Retreat. They claimed they could help me deal with my emotional turmoil and psychological pain. It turned out to be nothing more than a cult whose leader, Raul Alfaro, just wanted to use its members for his own sick pleasures.” Marie sighs. “While I was a member of Inner Peace I met this incredible woman…Julianne. She was the woman who first introduced me to Inner Peace. And once we learned the truth about Inner Peace, we both left and I thought everything was going to be fine.”

“You hitting that?” Melinda asks. Marie blushes and nods her head. “Marie swinging both ways! I love it!”

“Oh stop!” Marie exclaims. “Let me finish!”

“Sorry.” Melinda chuckles.

“Anyway…recently I learned that Julianne has decided to continue running Inner Peace herself. She wants to convert it into a female empowerment organization.”

“I heard that shit before.” Melinda says with a snort.

“Honestly, I have no idea what she really plans to do with Inner Peace, but it DOES bother me that Julianne lied to me this whole time about ending Inner Peace. It also bothers me that my family, my sister and our mother, that they don’t approve of my relationship with Julianne.”

“Why not?” Melinda asks.

“That’s another thing. They say that they just don’t trust her because she was the one who got me wrapped up in the Inner Peace cult in the first place. Julianne insists that they disapprove of our relationship simply because…well…”

“Because ya’ll are lesbian?”

“Yeah.” Marie nods her head. “Now I’m faced with a choice, if I stay with Julianne and help her with Inner Peace, my family will no doubt disown me. But I do want to stay with Julianne. But the more I think about staying with her, the more guilty I feel. I feel awful. I don’t know what to do.”

“Well I see TWO red flags here, babe.” Melinda holds up two fingers. “First, you feel guilty about being with your lover. A truly healthy relationship should have no feelings of guilt associated with it, babe. Love is love, that’s all there is to it. Second red flag is that your girl isn’t even telling you what she plans to do with this crazy group of hers. Female empowerment? What the fuck does she mean by that?”

“Are you suggesting…” Marie sighs “...are you suggesting that I dump Julianne and choose my family over her?”

“Possibly, but not yet.” She shakes her head. “What ya need to do is find out more about Julianne and her plans. Being in love isn’t a crime and loving her isn’t a crime. But it is wrong for her to keep secrets from you if she really and truly cares for you. If she really loves ya, she aint gonna keep that kinda shit from ya. Ya know? But rejecting your entire family…abandoning your family just because someone asks you to, like that Inner Peace cult asked you to, that is damn immoral. And if Julianne ever suggests that you abandon your family…then yeah, tell her to shove it.” Melinda wraps an arm around Marie’s shoulders. “I envy you, Marie, because you got a great family. My family couldn’t care less if I were dead right now. But your family is full of love. Ya don’t want to lose that.”

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April 3rd, 2024
Cleveland, Ohio
On Camera
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Every journey has a beginning and an end. The rise of The Phoenix from the ashes back to the top of Supreme Championship Wrestling has its beginning dating back to Body, Heart, & Soul when I was ringside watching and cheering my sister Kimberly Williams as she fought, sacrificed, and bled for everything she believed in, for everything she held near and dear to her heart. Watching what she was willing to sacrifice for her fans and for her principles, that really and truly opened my eyes to just how selfish I had been. It made me realize just what kinds of changes I needed to make within myself if my own journey would be a successful one. Of course the ironic part of that beginning point is that I got escorted out of the building and fined severely for interfering in a sanctioned SCW match. But was it worth it? You damn right it was worth it. It marked the beginning of my road back.

That was the beginning but where is the ending? Is it the same cookie cutter ending that every single wrestler has for every single journey? Become World Champion? Or is this ending for this special journey different? It’s hard to say. But there have been certain milestones that I know I have had to meet.

The first milestone was when I fought Aisling in my first official match in SCW since signing a new contract. How would the fans react to my return? Would I be accepted with open arms? Would be booed out of the arenas? I marched out to the ring with my head held high and I faced the crowd. Since then I have won the crowd back. Now, just like my sister, I will sacrifice everything I have for these fans who have forgiven me, who have welcomed me back. I will fight for them.

The second big milestone was facing Deanna Frost. Win or lose, I knew that I had to face her because I was scheduled to face her years ago but walked out on the match. I knew that the next big milestone was to give Deanna Frost and the fans the match that I cheated them out of. I didn’t win but damn it, I gave it my all, I pushed her to her limits, and I finally gave SCW and its fans the match I cheated them out of.

This coming Thursday is the next big milestone in my journey back; because after defeating Aisling, Cassie Wolfe, Derek Adonis, and pushing the United States Champion to her limits, I have now apparently been deemed worthy of being the next challenger for the SCW Television Championship. And that’s where you come in, Colleen.

You have certainly come into your own since being Polly’s sidekick. You dethroned the seemingly unstoppable Enigma. Were there shenanigans? Sure. But there was a lot of chaos going on both sides. At the end of the day the fact is you beat him and that is admirable. You have proven that you can get the job done on your own, that you can be your own woman. But I am NOT The Enigma and I am NOT going to come at you with smokes, mirrors, or a fancy light show. I am a completely different animal altogether and you have to ask yourself, are you ready for The Phoenix? Your friend Aisling wasn’t ready. Beating her was my first milestone. Beating you for the Television Title will be my third milestone.

Three…that’s a funny number, now that I think about it…Tommy Valentine and Aaron Blackbourne, those are names well known in SCW lore, and what do they have in common with the number three? They have both held the SCW Television Title three times, the current record for most reigns as TV Champion. That SCW Television Title is special to me because I am one of many who have fought for and defended that title on two occasions. But now with this great milestone, I stand on the precipice of possibly putting myself in that very elite group of three time Television Title holders. And you, Colleen, are the only one standing between me and history.

You are the only one standing between me and my milestone.

Being a champion again here in Supreme Championship Wrestling would mean the world to me, Colleen. It is the ultimate sign that not only am I back but that I am better than I have ever been and that I am ready to take this company by storm. Which is what you were supposed to do, right? That was implied on the last Breakdown, anyway. Sadly I have to stop this storm from coming. Sadly I have to be the one to end your momentum before it even begins. Because I need this win, Colleen. I need this win, this milestone, this history…

…I need the SCW Television Championship. As many have said on many occasions, the Television Title is the workhorse championship, defended every Breakdown. By holding that title I am telling the world that I am ready to be that workhorse, that I am ready to fight for my fans and for this company week in and week out. Holding that championship is my way of saying that I am never again abandoning SCW.

I will defeat you, Colleen. I will defeat you because I cannot accept anything less.