Scott Reed, Chris Lawler & La Pequena Luz Vs. Konrad Raab, Waylon Creek & YUSA

[Wisteria Waltz]

OOC: I got the OK to mention Scott Reed and Chris Lawler in the context that I use them for in this piece.
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If you asked La Pequeña Luz if she was one of those girls who thought about their dream wedding growing up, she might've surprised you by saying that she was.

That said, the reason most people would've been surprised was because none of them would've believed someone would ever want to marry her.

Just because she was the daughter of a doctor and a legendary luchador didn't change the fact that Luz was admittedly a romantic at heart. Granted, it was because she was a sucker for cheesy romance tropes in fictional media and may have spent way too many hours writing fanfiction about her favorite pairings, canon or not, but Luz was her own person and her parents were proud of her for that... as long as the topic of following in her father's footsteps and becoming a luchadora wasn't what was being discussed in the immediate aftermath of his passing. Still, Luz may or may not have thrown together a bunch of haphazard plans for if and when she ever got married, not caring that a lot of them may have involved the inclusion of magic and other elements more at home in a fantasy novel and could never be pulled off in real life. She was just a young girl dreaming of the day she and her ideal prince—and later, princess, once she figured out she was interested in both genders—would tie the knot and live happily ever after.

It was honestly absurd thinking back on those days now that she was actually planning out her wedding to a woman she loved with all her heart and soul, and realizing that the reality of said planning wasn't as easy as she'd hoped even with all the impossible fantasy elements stripped away.

For the most part, things had been fairly peaceful since Rise to Greatness, and Luz was grateful for it even if she was wary about completely letting her guard down, just in case. On paper, everything seemed perfect. Caleb White was still rotting away in prison, Aleister and Ophelia Blythe had been sentenced to their own prison terms the day their daughter and Luz had won arguably the biggest match of their SCW careers to date, that annoying vlogger Jacob Harrison had seemingly given up on harassing them after realizing that maybe, just maybe, his mysterious source had been misleading him the whole time, and in general The Empire's remnants that were still at-large had wisely left them alone. Luz honestly couldn't remember the last time she had actually felt at ease, and she genuinely hoped this nightmare was over at long last and she could actually let her guard down and just take it easy with wherever her life took her next.

Then again, the reality was that things weren't as perfect as she would admittedly like. Outside the ring, there was the lingering mystery of who had sent that letter warning her and Amelia that 'they would pay for their sins,' which thus far had been the only ominous threat they'd received regarding their wedding. There were obvious suspects on the table, from Adrian Verner treading a line due to losing his case and Amelia's parents now serving jail time because of it to any number of lingering Empire members who hadn't been caught yet and still held a grudge against the couple for the downfall of their 'savior.'

Inside the ring, things had also been a little iffy as of late. True, Luz and Amelia had the World Tag Team Titles back for a third time, but since SCW had returned to start their new season, each member of the tandem had found themselves in singles action and eaten a loss in the process, with Luz's defeat at the hands of Polly Pingotti last week stinging quite a bit in particular. She knew full well that Polly had changed and evolved quite a lot over the past year and expected her to be hungry and driven to get a big win she sorely needed, but her brain had a hard time conceptualizing that she had been beaten by the same woman who Amelia had wrestled in a ball pit to become Television Champion.

That concept seemed to be at the core of her thoughts lately, constantly comparing herself and Amelia when it came to what they could do on their own as opposed to teaming together. It was a conversation they'd had numerous times over the years and more frequently it felt like over the past few weeks. She knew, deep down, that the whole thing was silly. Before SCW, the two of them had accumulated just as much singles gold as they had tag title reigns, sometimes even taking titles from one another which had proven they could maintain the love and respect they held for one another while still putting on an incredible match. They were on par with each other, and whenever one seemed like they were reaching greater heights, it was viewed as an invitation for the other to push herself to meet her there and go even further, almost like a belay as they ascended the wrestling mountain.

Still, the fear of one far surpassing the other and everything they'd built together falling apart because of it doesn't just go away, and the impending Trios Tournament presented a unique opportunity that could allow her and Amelia the chance to finally put so many doubts and concerns to rest.

“Everything alright, mija?”

Luz, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed in her and Amelia's hotel room in Boise, turned to see her mother walk in, with Marilyn trailing behind her. It had been at least a year now since they'd finally reconciled, but it had still been difficult for Luz to fully wrap her head around having her mom back in her life and helping to shoulder some of the burden of wedding planning from the young couple.

“I'm fine mamá,” Luz responded as her lips curled into her familiar smile, though neither of the older women fully bought it for a second. “Just nervous, I guess.”

“About your wedding?” Marilyn asked as Camila sat down on the bed beside her daughter. “Or wrestling concerns?”

“Both, I guess?” Luz admitted. “I don't know... I've known for years now that I've wanted to marry Amelia because she's everything I could ever want in a partner, especially because she gets me like very few others do.” Luz paused and bit her lips as she noticed the guilty look that crossed her mom's face at her words. “No offense mom, and I'm sorry if I dug up any bad memories...”

“No, mija,” Camila firmly replied as she hugged her daughter close. “I know I made mistakes and lost myself in the grief of your father's passing.”

“I made my mistakes too,” Luz replied, taking a moment to shake her head as though it would clear her thoughts. “Anyways, I know Ames is who I want to spend the rest of eternity with, but I can't help but feel that nagging bit of doubt in the back of my head, both for us getting married and for our wrestling careers. We've talked about this over and over again, but still... look at all the teams who fell apart or turned on each other when singles success got factored in-”

“You're worried about everything changing,” Camila remarked, and Luz shrugged her shoulders for a moment before nodding her head, feeling that was the simplest way of summing it all up probably. “Oh sweetheart, it's natural to get those kinds of worried before your wedding, even if yours are getting mixed up with your wrestling thoughts. I remember how nervous your father and I were about our own wedding.”

“Really!?” Luz exclaimed, raising an eyebrow. Camila couldn't help but laugh at the odd mixture of her daughter's skepticism and her usual fascination with what she preferred to call 'backstory moments.' “But you're a doctor who keeps her cool under pressure even when you're doing all these high-risk surgeries, and dad... I've never seen him sweat anything, not even the biggest, most high-profile matches he ever wrestled.”

“Trust me, mija... we were both absolute wrecks,” Camila grinned. “I was so nervous about marrying your father that I accidentally scheduled a dentist appointment I needed the morning of our wedding day, and your father... ay dios mío, he was sweating more than I think he ever did while wrestling a match, and he actually paused in the middle of his vows to ask both his best man and the officiant to pinch him because he was so sure the whole thing was a dream.”

Luz couldn't help but laugh, picturing her father, the late, great El Espíritu Angélico, actually doing such a thing in the middle of his wedding when not even the biggest, nastiest, toughest opponents he'd ever faced got him to break so much as a single bead of sweat at the prospect of facing them. Even Marilyn, who was standing off to the side, couldn't help but snicker at the thought because of how much it conflicted with the legend she knew.

“Trust me when I say, mi Luz, that it's perfectly natural to be nervous about your big day,” Camila continued. “But considering I helped you get your wedding outfit together, I know Amelia is going to fall for you all over again the moment she sees how handsome you'll look. And once you're both standing together at that altar, all your fears and nerves will melt away, I promise.”

“Thanks mamá,” Luz smiled as she wiped a tear off the edge of one of the eyeholes of her mask before pulling the older woman into a big hug that was immediately returned. She'd be lying if she said the nerves weren't still there, but her brain was slowly embracing the positive feelings she knew would consume her once she and Amelia finally said 'I do' and bound their souls together for the rest of time.

“I've gotta say kiddo,” Marilyn's voice cut into Luz's thoughts as she looked over to where the woman who had become a mentor of sorts to the young couple at this point was standing. “These are some fancy invitations. You cook this design up yourself?”

“Amelia and I did together,” Luz proudly beamed as Marilyn held up the invitation addressed to her. The design was simple but elegant, the text that cordially invited whoever possessed one in gold script against a dark purple background that had been dotted by little faint white stars (which had been Amelia's idea), surrounded by a gold frame with the corners capped by the symbol of The Light In The Darkness: the crescent moon inside of the sun. The actual wording was far from formal, though... no, it was written in fairly flowery language that acted like this wedding was a truly magical spectacle and guests needed to be open to the idea of spirits attending the event, given how sacred the holiday was to Luz's culture. It also encouraged any guests attending to broaden their horizons regarding attire as the ceremony was just as much an authentic Día de los Muertos celebration as it was a wedding.

“You know you didn't have to make an invitation for all of us, right?” Marilyn chuckled. “Pretty sure everyone in this little family you two have gathered around you by this point is a definite 'yes' on attending.”

“We know!” Luz said as she popped up from the bed, her mother looking amused as Luz grabbed the remaining invitations and shuffled through them. “We just want to be formal and do this right, even for those we know will be...”

Luz trailed off as her shuffling paused on one particular invitation. Marilyn raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and Camila did so as well but more out of concern as she stood up, the two women looking down at the invite in question. It looked no different than any other invitation, but the thing that stood out and had caused Luz to pause was who it was addressed to: Selena and Deanna Frost.

“Luz...?” Camila carefully asked. Marilyn may have been more in the loop about what was going on wrestling-wise for her daughter given her own time in the business, but Camila had been filled in enough to know why those two names had caused her daughter to freeze up.

“Penny for your thoughts, kid?” Marilyn offered an invitation of her own as Luz sat down at the table and set the invitations back down on it, the one that had created this situation at the very top of the pile.

“I just... we just...” Luz stumbled over her words for a moment before taking a deep breath, seeing that her mom and Marilyn were giving her all the time in the world to gather her thoughts. “When Ames and I first proposed last year, we were certain that Selena and Deanna would be easy invites to mail out. Despite Selena's frustrations with the direction SCW was heading in, she and Deanna were still everything we aspired to be. Confident, accomplished... proof that love and healthy communication overcame any issue and led to them being just as incredible a tag team as they were wrestling solo, because they knew they always had each other's support no matter what in or out of the ring. Lately though...”

“You're worried Selena's holier-than-thou attitude goes beyond wrestling and whatever's going on between her and her wife might be just as rough at home, aren't you?” Marilyn bluntly asked, drawing an annoyed look from Camila.

“We would love to invite them as a gesture of good faith, even despite whatever may or may not be going on,” Luz started frantically rambling, “We feel we owe them the opportunity, at the very least, but... if things aren't good, I don't want to feel like we're screwing things up for them by reminding them of something we'll have that they may not anymore, or make things awkward, or... or...”

“Breathe, mija,” Camila cut her daughter off as she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“I think I'm starting to see why you're so worried now about you and Amelia,” Marilyn noted, letting out a sigh as she sat down at the table across from Luz. “I won't lie kiddo... this is a tough business, especially if you're in a relationship with someone who could very well have to kick your ass in that ring at some point. There's a lot of couples out there who think they can handle it but ultimately fall apart when that competitive spirit gets the better of them. There's also some who fall apart for other reasons... Avery and I know that pain all too well...”

“You do?” Luz perked up, her eyes almost sparkling as though she's going to get more backstory lore from Marilyn today.

“Sorry kid, but that's not a story I'm comfortable telling yet,” Marilyn replied, which had Luz looking a bit dejected. “I will say, though, that my situation was a combination of mistakes I fully own up to now and a certain Empire-leading holy man crossing a few lines. Anyways, the point I'm trying to make is that unless those two are open to keeping you in the loop, whatever's going on with them isn't your business. Doesn't mean you can't still do the nice thing and invite them anyway. Worst that can happen is they say 'no' and you just cross them off the list, and if they want to let you in on whatever's going on between them, they'll open up to you. If you're really that worried, though, then you can always add a letter or something being upfront about your concerns, just so they know you two had no malicious intent... not that I think anyone could ever accuse you, in particular, of anything like that.”

Luz chuckled for a moment before catching her breath as she stared back down at the invitation. “Thanks Marilyn. I know it's dumb, and Amelia and I frequently talk things out just to make sure we don't become another statistic like that, but... I don't know, I guess it's hard to remember when everyone's trying to prove a point and no one seems to get how we make things work.”

“Well, you two have a damn good and healthy way of communicating with each other,” Marilyn grinned. “Pretty sure most tag teams, let alone couples, don't talk and look out for each other like you two do. It also helps that you seem to be able to get on the same page with people pretty quickly in this business.”

Luz looked a little sheepish as she rubbed the back of her mask. Marilyn wasn't wrong on that one, and the proof wasn't just in her relationship with Amelia or the found family she had around her now. When she'd taken part in the last Trios Tournament, she had been able to get on the same page pretty quickly for the most part with Hairless Penguin and Calvan Greene. This time around, she'd already met up several times with Scott Reed and Chris Lawler on a handful of occasions between last Breakdown and now to work on trying to gel as a team, which had come surprisingly easy as they were all good, understanding people who knew what was at stake. If anything, the only hindrance to their workouts together had been Scott looking pretty beaten up, but that had been expected considering how violent his recent cage match with Kirsten Scott had been.

Still, everyone being on the same page gave Luz high hopes for this Trios run, and if she and Amelia happened to cross paths with each other at some point...

“You're right, both of you,” Luz suddenly said, getting a raised eyebrow from Marilyn and a look of confusion from her mom. “I think I've just been letting the stress of everything get to me, especially since I'm not used to things being this peaceful for so long after the past year of Empire nonsense... well, aside from that weird cryptic letter, anyway...”

“Oh right, that,” Marilyn chimed in as she held out her hand. “Any chance you have that with you? I was going to pass it along to Avery and see if they could find anything on it.”

“If someone thinks that can mess with the big day of mi preciosa bebé...” Camila growled.

Luz stood up from her seat and went to dig through her bag for the letter, although as soon as she found it her attention was sidetracked. Her phone dinged, notifying her of a new text message, and Luz quickly grabbed it. She knew Amelia was training with Xander and Billy today and was curious if anything had happened, or maybe it was Scott or Chris looking to hit her up about training together again.

The text that greeted her eyes had her huffing in a way that immediately had Camila and Marilyn reading over her shoulder in concern.

“'The dead will rise, but it won't be to celebrate. You still have a chance to reconsider'?” Marilyn read out loud. “Who the heck is this from?”

“Not a number I recognize,” Luz admitted, “but it's just as cryptic as this letter, and I'm already tired of whatever game someone thinks they're playing.”

Luz handed the letter to Marilyn before blocking the number that had just texted her. As she grabbed her bag and told the two older women she was going to try and meet up with Scott and Chris to get some more training in together, they watched her leave with concern etched all over their faces.

“I hope she's not looking to bury herself in training with her Trios teammates just to ignore this problem,” Camila finally broke the silence.

“Same,” Marilyn admitted as she looked down at the letter, her eyes narrowing into a glare. “The kid deserves to have a break for once to just live, get married and do what she loves. And whoever thinks they're being clever about trying to imitate something Caleb would pull is going to regret it... even if I have to talk Avery into bringing the FBI to Mexico just to make sure those two can have the happily ever after they've damn well earned.”