La Pequena Luz vs. James Evans

[Wisteria Waltz]

In the humble opinion of La Pequeña Luz, each year seemed to bring more challenges than the last.

For the most part, she and Amelia didn't mind this. They were always ready and willing to be challenged and pushed to their limits so they could keep growing both as wrestlers and as people, and it could probably be argued that they wouldn't be who they were today had it not been for some of the most difficult challenges they've endured over the years.

That said, 2025 already seemed to be shaping up as potentially the most challenging year of their lives and careers... and they honestly weren't too sure how to feel about that, for once.

Things looked promising enough, at the very least. After all, the couple were finally married and ready to explore where their lives would go now that the knot was tied. Not to mention the fact that they'd entered this year as champions, with Luz in particular having the double champion mantle once more. Being voted by the fans as SCW's Tag Team of the Year for a second year in a row also firmly cemented just how appreciated their efforts were to continue elevating the tag team division and make those titles as highly sought after as even the proper World Championship.

That, however, seemed to be where the bright spots ended.

Luz and Amelia were growing frustrated to no end that the Fall of Man continued to believe they could run roughshod over everybody and just take what they thought they deserved instead of actually earning it, which Luz couldn't help but laugh about given how much James Evans in particular had tried to claim The Light In The Darkness hadn't truly earned anything. The fact that as of last Breakdown they now had Giovanni Aries among their ranks had also set off some alarm bells as the group continued to grow in both number and how brazen they were being about simply wanting to destroy SCW and reshape it into something that only benefited them, despite the claims to the contrary from the likes of William Heaven. While they remember the headache that Aries had been when they were dealing with the Holly Adams Brand, they knew full well this wasn't the same man who had claimed himself to be Holly's spiritual advisor.

They vaguely remembered this version of Aries from their first stint with SCW, but were thankful to have avoided him in the few matches they had before being sidelined with injuries. That, unfortunately, no longer seemed like an option this time.

If the Fall of Man wasn't haunting their thoughts with every attack they launched week after week to try and get their way, then it was The Empire who continued to loom over their heads like specters decked out in white and gold. Despite the warranted concern over the fact that Caleb White had been broken out of prison on their wedding day, he and his newly revealed 'true elites' had been completely silent ever since. No attacks, no messages, nothing. Given Caleb had never been shy about using anything he did as an excuse to try and guilt trip Luz and Amelia into believing they were responsible for every heinous stunt he pulled in the name of God and by submitting to his plans it could all end, not to mention the collective egos surrounding him now, the fact that they hadn't made a move since Día de Muertos unnerved the couple.

The easy assumption to make was that they were rebuilding their cult, making sure they had the numbers to back up the holy war they sought to start, and they had every reason to be laying low with the authorities hellbent on ending this once and for all, but the more time passed where nothing happened, the easier it became to feel paranoid about how big that first strike from them was going to be.

At least Luz, Amelia, and their found family all had a clue as to possible avenues Caleb may have been scheming while he was still incarcerated, all thanks to an unlikely source.

The meeting with Jacob Harrison before the final Breakdown of last year, in addition to confirming what they already suspected about his 'insider source,' also revealed the likely possibility that the happenings within SCW may be playing a bigger role in Caleb's schemes than they thought. With the power of hindsight, Jacob's antics courtesy of Theresa Saintsbury, along with the old woman's own efforts after Jacob had been shut down, seemed designed to push them to a point where they would believe everything they fought so hard for was ultimately meaningless, which was intended to lead them into Caleb's clutches like lost sheep being herded by a shepherd. Luz recalled clearly how frustrated Selena had felt when everything she'd given to SCW seemed like it had been betrayed upon Mr. D selling the company and stepping back from being the man directly in charge, leading to the birth of the 'Blue-Eyed Devil' she portrayed herself as now both inside and, to some degree as far as she could tell, outside the ring.

Knowing Caleb seemed to have a more vested interest in their SCW careers than they may have first thought terrified them about what he could be planning for when The Empire finally stopped hiding, especially given the frightening similarities between them and what the Fall of Man was starting to turn into.

While it had been hard to relax knowing Caleb and his followers were still lurking in the shadows, the holiday break that SCW had put into place this year had been very much needed in Luz's opinion. Not only did it allow for her and Amelia to enjoy both their first Christmas and New Year's as a married couple at home with all their loved ones, but they were desperately in need of some time to heal up after everything they'd endured over the course of that past month. From the Chamber to their brutal Fatal Fortunes draws and every attack launched by James and Waylon along the way, it almost felt like both women were being barely held together by duct tape after the December 12th Breakdown. It had been a relief walking into the previous show feeling so much better to both accept their award and deal with the Fall of Man, despite how the latter had turned out.

With the next Breakdown set to take place in Philadelphia, Luz knew exactly what she needed to do to make sure she was ready for the war ahead of her. That was why she found herself before the 72 stone steps that led up to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, running up them in a hoodie and sweatpants just like Sylvester Stallone did for the old Rocky movies. True, it felt good to pay tribute to arguably one of the most famous underdog stories in all of cinema, but it was also great for her cardio coming off of the holiday break. The words of James Evans burned in the back of her head, fueling her climb as she pushed herself to prepare for the fight she knew he would give her. It was the kind of statement win the Fall of Man really needed to validate all of their claims and attacks, and Luz couldn't let him have it at her expense.

Especially remembering how rattled Amelia had been after the accident in her match with James way back that had injured him, and how determined he was to use that against her to justify his twisted agenda.

Thinking about Amelia seemed to make her falter for a moment in her climb, but that specific memory helped her recover quickly enough to increase her speed, finishing the climb against the cold wind biting at her face. Once she reached the top, she couldn't resist raising her arms in the air and hopping up and down like Rocky, giggling to herself at how silly it probably seemed, but that was who she was and she'd be damned if anyone put her down anymore for being her authentic self.

“Someone certainly enjoyed their climb.”

Luz turned at the unexpected comment, eyes and smile growing wider as she saw Marilyn sitting on the top step off to the side, as if she'd been waiting for her.

“Marilyn!” Luz exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

“Eh, Lily dragged me here,” Marilyn laughed with a nonchalant shrug. “She's got a big thing for museums and has even considered wanting to work at one whenever she completely hangs up her wrestling boots. Your wife told me you were out here training so I figured I'd wait for you to reach the top. Gotta say, though... I figured she'd be doing this run right alongside you.”

“So that's who she said she was meeting up with,” Luz chuckled, recalling how intentionally mysterious Amelia was being this morning about her own reasons for visiting the museum if it wasn't to join Luz in her run. “Nah, she said she might run with me later since this is definitely not the only time I plan to tackle these steps, but I'm guessing she really wants to catch up with Lily first.”

“Can't say I blame her,” Marilyn nodded. “I knew about Lily helping to mentor her a bit back when she was about to make her debut at the 'request' of her parents, but I think Lily's been more of a mother figure to her than Ophelia ever was. Personally, I think your mom has them both beat in that department, but don't tell my sister I said that.”

Luz just giggled as she took the chance to catch her breath and let her legs rest, taking the opportunity to appreciate the incredible view that being up here offered her. As she took it all in, however, her couldn't resist thinking about her wife, and the thoughts of Amelia caused her smile to falter a bit.

“There it is again,” Marilyn noted as she slowly pulled herself to her feet.

“Huh? There's what again?” Luz asked, snapping out of her thoughts to glance towards the older woman.

“Something's going on in that noodle of yours,” Marilyn clarified, approaching Luz and putting a finger on her forehead, right where the symbol on the top of her mask proudly sat. “I noticed you stutter a bit in your run up here, too. Spill it.”

“I, uh... it's... it's nothing, really,” Luz finally spat out. “Just kind of distracting myself maybe a little too much thinking of places to go with Amelia for our honeymoon.”

“You two didn't take it during the little holiday break SCW gave everyone?” Marilyn questioned, eyebrow raised.

“We considered it,” Luz explained, “but we decided spending the holidays with everyone felt like the better choice. Besides, we've got plenty of time to plan one out and make the trip truly memorable.”

“Uh huh...” Marilyn replied, stroking her chin in thought before she looked out at the impressive view for herself. After a moment, she gave Luz a side-eye and smirked. “Not one of your better lies, kiddo, and I thought we were making progress on getting you to knock this off.”

“Huh!?” Luz looked stunned. “But... what if I was telling the truth?”

“Don't get me wrong,” Marilyn explained. “You and Amelia deserve a hell of a honeymoon, and I'm not saying that planning that trip isn't on your mind. But I doubt that would be enough to throw you off as much as what I'm seeing.”

Luz just looked at Marilyn, trying to be annoyed at her smug grin, but she eventually sighed. “You're right... I'd love to have mental trip planning distracting me from how badly I want to kick James's butt on Breakdown this week or whatever Caleb and his goons have been plotting after all this time, but it's not doing it for me.”

“You're not afraid of whatever James might try to pull in this match, are you?” Marilyn asked, the concern clear in her voice.

“Absolutely not,” Luz firmly responded almost immediately. “I don't care what he claims he's going to do to me, I'm not backing down and I'm not letting him have this win. Besides, unless he doesn't care for the win and just wants to maim me, he doesn't have the freedom to get what he wants like he did during Fatal Fortunes, and Amelia will be right there to make sure he and the Fall of Man don't succeed anyway.”

“So what's the problem, then?” Marilyn pressed again.

“It's...” Luz took a deep breath that ended with another sigh. “It's Amelia...”

Marilyn frowned in response to this revelation. “There isn't trouble in paradise already that you're both trying to hide, is there?”

“No! Ay dios mío, no!” Luz frantically clarified before trying to calm down again. “It's just... I haven't talked with her about this because I wasn't sure if or how to bring it up, but... I'm worried about Ames and I don't want her to feel bad.”

“Worried about what?” Marilyn kept pressing, looking legitimately lost.

“How SCW may be perceiving the both of us,” Luz admitted, pausing to run a hand along her mask as though it would help her worries settle. “Yeah, we won Tag Team of the Year again and we're still Tag Champs, but... despite that, despite everything we've said and how much we've clarified it to each other and everyone else, I'm worried SCW might be seeing an opportunity to try and really have me take off if and when we finally lose those titles again. I know part of it was because of being a double champion and everything, but I've had more singles matches than Amelia at this point, and arguably more singles success than her too. The U.S. Title... interim or not, I succeeded where she failed, I had the longer TV Title reign of the two of us, and part of me feels like someone higher up is using all of that as an excuse to not give her opportunities she absolutely deserves without me. Heck, I saw I was on the ballot for Female of the Year and her name was nowhere to be found! I just... I'm probably worrying over nothing, but knowing the mindset she can't fully shake because of how she was raised, I'm worried she might pick up on this and take it to heart.”

Luz found herself fighting back tears, not realizing just how heavily the thought was weighing on her mind after all. Maybe it did all sound silly in the grand scheme of things, but she knew where Amelia's head could go after everything she endured with her parents growing up, and the last thing she wanted was for her wife to start resenting her with how things had panned out thus far.

“Don't take this the wrong way, kid...” Marilyn carefully said. “But that's stupid.”

Luz shot Marilyn an offended look, but she ignored it and kept going.

“Yeah, maybe you're a double champion again and she isn't. Maybe you wouldn't have ended up that way if Deanna was healthy enough to defend her title against you. Who knows? But you wouldn't even be in that position if that title shot hadn't been the consolation prize you were offered because Amelia made those Trios finals and you didn't. That said, she's got that contract for any match she could ever want. Yeah, maybe she'd prefer to properly earn her opportunities because I know how much the two of you value honest effort and hard work, unlike that hypocrite James, but what's stopping her from using that to, I don't know, be the first to become World Champion between you two? Plus, it's like you said... you two are always pushing one another so you both can get better, and for all you know she might see any of this as a reason to step it up and make 2025 her year, like you kind of made 2024 yours. Would that really be a bad thing?”

“Not at all,” Luz admitted. “But... I mean... even this match with James should really be hers more than it is mine.”

“Hey, that psycho has hurt the both of you, and you've got just as much reason to kick his ass as she does,” Marilyn stated as she put a comforting hand on Luz's shoulder. “She'll get her chance to prove his nonsense wrong, I know it. Trust me when I say this: the two of you have something really special together, something that very few couples actually have and especially in this business. I thought I had that once with Avery back in the day, and I blew it. Take it from me... if you're so worried about this, talk with Amelia about it. You know as well as I do that either one of you bottling things up only leads to problems, and I'd hate to see you follow in my footsteps and risk losing someone who clearly means the world to you over something so dumb.”

“I guess you're right...” Luz admits, taking a moment to wipe her eyes before flashing Marilyn that familiar smile. “Thanks, Marilyn. And... sorry that I can't seem to keep from getting worried like this and trying to hide things.”

“Don't worry about it, kid,” Marilyn nodded. “You're human, and one who has her traumas and unfortunate instincts because of them. Been there, done that, and we both know your wife has too. It's not something that just disappears overnight. Tell you what: why don't we go see how the nerds are doing and you and Amelia can talk through this before you go throwing yourself at these steps again?”

“You say that like I'm not a proud nerd myself,” Luz laughed as she and Marilyn began heading towards the museum proper. “By the way, any chance you're ever going to tell me the full story of what exactly happened between you and Avery?”

“Maybe someday, kid,” Marilyn sighed. “Might have to actually take a page out of your book and sort some things out first, though.”

Luz knew better than to pry any further as it was none of her business unless Marilyn was willing to share. Still, she was feeling a bit better as she prepared to reunite with her wife and see what she and Lily had been up to inside for the past little bit. She still had plenty of time to run those steps again and so much more to make sure she was ready to go to war, not just to make James Evans eat every single word he's ever said against both her and Amelia not just lately, but for quite some time now all because something the couple did clashed with whatever viewpoint he was parading around at the time.

If James wanted to make his statement, he was going to have to do so over her dead body.

And unfortunately for him, her light wasn't going out anytime soon.

“Luz!”

Luz was snapped out of her thoughts by Amelia's voice, refocusing to find her wife rushing to meet her before she got to the front doors. Lily wasn't too far behind, and judging by the looks on both of their faces, something had happened and her guard went up almost immediately.

“Whoa, what's up with you two?” Marilyn asked.

“Theresa, that's what's 'up' with us,” Lily admitted, and Marilyn's demeanor shifted almost immediately.

“Where is she?” she growled.

“Not here,” Amelia shook her head, though her tone did nothing to ease Luz's worries. “But I just got a text from one of those burner numbers again, Avery confirmed it when I passed it along, but... look...”

Amelia held out her phone for Luz and Marilyn to see, and Luz's breath hitched in her throat immediately. The video Amelia had been texted wasn't even playing, but the very first frame of it showed what looked like Jacob Harrison bound to a chair and gagged in some dimly lit room.

Standing behind him, hands on his shoulders like she was trying to comfort the clearly scared man while making sure the malicious glee on her face could be seen clear as day, was none other than the former Lady Snapdragon.