A/C Unit vs. Light in the Darkness

[Wisteria Waltz]

Spring Break was normally considered a time to relax, especially if you were still in school. A chance to unwind and not have to stress over your studies so you can come back rejuvenated and ready to hit the ground running, as well as a chance to enjoy what was typically the start of spring weather in many places to chase away the frigid chill of winter.

What's become the more well-known way to look at the idea of Spring Break, however, was popularized by college kids over the past few decades, which typically involves traveling to beaches or other warmer locations and spending that break period partying like there's no tomorrow, getting drunk, doing who knows what kinds of substances, 'conveniently' losing one's clothes, and anything else that sounded wild and crazy and embodied the youthful spirit of an entire generation.

Granted, The Light In The Darkness weren't too big on the whole 'party' scene for their own respective reasons, and certainly didn't want to indulge in some of the wilder activities that would have them feeling like they were disrespecting their own bodies and dignity afterwards, but this year in particular, Amelia found herself unable to stand the idea of even relaxing that Spring Break normally dictated as a bare minimum.

Not when there was work to be done, no thanks to Luz... or at least that's what the persistent voice in her head had been trying to convince her of.

The couple and their found family had arrived in Panama City the day before, and neither Luz nor Amelia could say they were surprised to find that SCW had set their talent up in beachfront hotels and resorts to help set the mood for the final Breakdown before Retribution. For the most part, they had stuck together as one big group to help dissuade any potential advances from college kids who were already too into the Spring Break spirit (especially considering the couple were not only married but in their late 20s now, making the whole thing feel even more awkward), but on this morning while the beaches were still relatively quiet for the day, Amelia had headed out to the shoreline in a pink tank top and black shorts, doing some stretches and running along the water's edge to stay loose for what awaited her this week... and to try and clear her head.

The Breakdown in Cleveland two weeks ago had been... an experience, to say the least. Yes, she did technically have an Underground Title reign to her name now, but everything about it left a bad taste in her mouth and only caused her recent frustrations to burn even hotter, especially with how short the reign was. In her mind, it wasn't enough to prove anything to anyone, and not being in action last week in St. Louis hadn't helped too much either. True, she and Luz had gotten involved in that big brawl that closed the show...

'Well, Luz did,' that voice claiming to be her true self mocked her within her thoughts. 'You hesitated... a sign of weakness.'

Amelia growled to herself but didn't bother arguing. That bothersome voice was right about one thing: she HAD hesitated, and by the time she actually rolled into the ring, the crowd had already cleared out and she hadn't done anything, not like Luz who charged in like the reckless fool Amelia had fallen so deeply in love with and began throwing hands to restore order without thinking twice. As far as she knew, Luz didn't seem aware that Amelia hadn't even truly gotten involved, and Amelia cursed herself for wondering if her wife was that unintentionally oblivious or just trying to be nice and not call any attention to it.

If there was any thought she tried to desperately latch onto as motivation, it was the fact that this week would be her final chance to try and make a statement to earn any sort of opportunity for Retribution... though her hopes were tempered when she remembered that, as far as this match was concerned, it wasn't really about her or even Luz. All eyes were on the reunited A/C Unit, all the promotion was about this being their final match as a tag team before Cid would wrestle one final time against his own partner and friend at the next pay-per-view. Even Luz had something to look forward to at Retribution, defending her U.S. Title against Meghan Strader to finally settle things between them in another marquee match to her wife's name.

Amelia, at least for the moment, had nothing... and she didn't think she could possibly feel any more frustrated and choked by hopelessness than she already was.

Retribution this year was going to be in England, her home country. Wembley Stadium was somewhere she knew like the back of her hand, having performed there both for SCW and otherwise more times in her career than most. It was the arena where she crossed paths with Luz for the very first time, the place where the two of them had announced their return to SCW three and a half years ago now. And yet, here she currently stood, without even so much as a hint to what could await her in front of her fellow countrymen, if anything at all. Retribution presented a chance at a homecoming that could maybe turn the tide of her career, not to mention an opportunity to try and reverse the awful luck she and Luz have notoriously had at that specific pay-per-view... but right now? It seemed like the idea of competing in her home country wasn't even on the table, and it only made the negative thoughts consuming her mind even worse.

“I was hoping I'd find you out here.”

Amelia snapped out of the trance she'd seemingly fallen into, only now realizing she had been spiraling judging by the excessive sweat rolling down her skin and the heavy breathing that was absolutely not a result of her morning workout. The voice that greeted her ears, however... right now, it was one that she was torn about hearing as she turned to find Luz jogging up to her, dressed in identical clothing except her tank top was indigo instead of Amelia's pink, as well as her mask, of course.

“What do you want, Lulu?” Amelia asked, a little harsher than usual as had unfortunately become a running trend lately, though the fact that she had still used her nickname for her wife despite that seemed to lessen the hostility as Luz didn't look as bothered by the snapping this time.

“Same thing as you, since great minds think alike,” Luz claimed, clearly trying to keep her tone light and optimistic, but she couldn't avoid layering a bit of caution in as well. “We've got a huge tag match this week, Ames, so it's only right if we put our best foot forward and give it our all.”

“Is it, though?” Amelia found herself asking before her brain even registered the words.

“Of course it is,” Luz replied as she started to stretch out, though her eyes never left her wife. She'd have to be a real idiot to not see how much Amelia still seemed to be struggling to figure out how to push forward to the level Luz knew she absolutely belonged at, and she was trying her best to make it known that she was still right there for her wife, no matter what. “We're the team that gets to be the final match for A/C Unit before Cid has his retirement match. I'd say that's plenty of reason to step up and prove ourselves.”

“Why us, though?” Amelia argued, the frustration starting to bubble to the surface again as she tried to wrap her head around things. “You've got your big Thunderdome Match in my home country to worry about, I...” Amelia found her thought derailing at the reminder that her dance card for Retribution was still blank before scoffing. “You could've said no...”

“I tried!” Luz responded, the anger in her tone catching even Amelia off-guard for a moment. “Sorry, Ames... believe me, as much of an honor as this is, especially with a team from before our time still seeing us as the gold standard of the SCW tag division even now, I tried to turn down Asher's offer. I know you're trying to figure things out and I wanted to respect that. It's why I'm willing to sit on that Tag Title opportunity I won for as long as I'll be allowed to, because if I have a choice for who I want to share those titles with then I'll choose you and you alone every single time. Asher didn't give me a chance to actually respond before just running with what he wanted to happen.”

Amelia sighed, which only deepened Luz's frown. She truly hated seeing her wife in this depressive spiral, but the way things had played out so far, she was truly at a loss for what to do to help anymore. Amelia barely wanted to talk despite the fact that they were married, which was doing things to Luz's own brain that she was trying to ignore because she refused to believe that Amelia was second-guessing the love that had developed between them through everything they endured together on this journey. She had been resistant to all of the usual things that had worked in the past whenever one of them had been feeling this low. Luz didn't want to try and speak on her wife's behalf in an effort to help because she saw the signs that Amelia preferred to make this climb on her own, but she also felt useless doing nothing and watching Amelia destroy herself when Luz knew, better than anybody, that Amelia was absolutely one of the very best to ever lace up a pair of boots and had earned the right to the same solo recognition that Luz had.

“Look,” Luz tried, moving to stand beside Amelia as they stared out at the morning sun climbing higher over the horizon as they felt the surf washing over their bare feet, “I know it's probably hard to see much to this match right now, especially when we're not even the major draw for it, just as I know things have been... less than ideal for you lately. Heck, I hate the way Asher went about getting this match to happen, just as I hated hearing some of the things he had to say about you for that Underground Title thing two weeks ago. Buuuuut... this is the match we have, so maybe we try to look at this from a different angle.”

'Listen to her, trying to act like she knows you any better than Asher does,' Amelia heard that familiar voice grating on her thoughts again. She shook her head to try and fend off the intrusive thoughts before nodding to Luz to continue.

“Think about it: yeah, this will be my first and only time meeting Cid in that ring, but you've got a chance to get that win back from Apocalypse. Show Cid what you learned from that encounter, prove just how much hungrier you are now and how much more you want to earn that torch he may want to pass on. As for Asher...” Luz couldn't keep herself from sighing and shaking her head to try and keep her own thoughts straight about a man who she both respected and absolutely felt annoyed by his antics. “You're technically a former Underground Champion now... when Asher held that title the first time two weeks ago, he had to lock himself in the restroom to try and run out the clock. Maybe pinning Kim's stuffed penguin wasn't the ideal moment you were looking for, but you didn't run or hide. You stood your ground and fought like heck to make it clear you are worthy of being a champion. It won't happen at Retribution, but maybe a win over Asher will open the door for you to properly challenge him for that title... a chance to win it back and show everyone the kind of champion Amelia Nevado absolutely is.”

Amelia opened her mouth to respond... then closed it almost immediately. She could hear that voice in her head trying to form an argument, but it was struggling. Luz had a very good point, even if she had initially tried to turn this match down for her beloved's sake and Asher just wasn't going to have any of it. Some things about it didn't feel ideal, but this match absolutely offered a lot of ways for her to gain that momentum she needed so badly right now to open things up for her, maybe prove she was ready to stand tall as a singles champion and prove Luz wasn't the only Nevado who could stand at the top of the mountain in SCW.

“What about you, though?” she found herself asking after a moment. “I won't lie, Luz... everything you just said sounds like music to my ears right now, but to me, it all feels like it hinges on me getting the pin, not just The Light In The Darkess winning this match.”

Luz's hopeful smile faded briefly as she tapped her chin in thought, mentally scolding herself for not thinking of that obvious wrinkle. “How about this? No matter what happens, I'll do my best to make sure you're the one scoring the pin, and I'll only break that vow if left with no other choice. You take the lead in this dance, mi amor... I'll follow your every move.”

As Luz gave her best cheesy grin to her wife, she saw a flicker of hope in the form of that familiar lovestruck expression appearing in Amelia's eyes. She was still absolutely worried about whatever was going on in her wife's head and hoping, beyond anything else, that things start turning around for Amelia really soon, but at least in this brief moment, it felt like things were slowly going back to normal, to the way they should be in Luz's eyes.

She wasn't just saying it, either... in the earliest days, when they were still trying to fully figure out the unreal chemistry between them in the ring and apply it to their tag team efforts, she let Amelia lead because she was the technician, the strategist, and Luz would happily follow her every word and only deviate from the plan when necessary. It was how their synergy in the ring had evolved into what SCW fans knew it as today, and in her mind, offering that felt like going back to the basics and rebuilding themselves from the very beginning, sparking the hope of this Breakdown being the moment where Amelia would finally find the missing pieces to this puzzle and begin her long overdue ascension.

“I'd like that very much,” Amelia finally breathed out, meaning every word even if she still sounded a little uncertain. Said uncertainty had nothing to do with Luz, though... at least, not this time. She could tell Luz was really trying, even if Amelia hadn't been giving her much room to help because this was more of a her problem she needed to figure out. But the way Luz spoke with such hope in this plan that it made it sound easy... it reminded her of the encounter with Polly from last week, how easy she made it sound to just take things into her own hands and claim what she felt she deserved. That business card that Polly dropped still felt like it was burning a hole in her bag back in their room, a temptation that she was finding harder and harder to ignore the more frequently she spiraled.

“Hey,” Luz called to snap Amelia out of her thoughts once again before the shadows of her brain started to consume her once again. “I know you've been out here for a while now and I just got here, but maybe we can just... walk along the beach for a moment? Maybe enjoy the peace and quiet and just... make sure we've back on the same wavelength before we bust our butts and earn this win?”

“As long as we're wrapping up before people really start to hit the beaches,” Amelia responded, a ghost of a grin playing on her lips. It was a bit shaky, but Luz would take it for right now. “I'd hate for Asher or anybody like him to come by whistling and hitting on us like they've never seen a woman in shorts and a tank top working out on a beach before.”

“Oh lord, please don't remind me of that awkward moment from dealing with Asher!” Luz cried, unable to keep herself from giggling as Amelia joined her, a bit quieter than usual but the gears were definitely turning in her head. There was definitely a lot to think about still and a lot of questions she needed to answer, ideally without 'the real Amelia' accosting her from deep in her own brain, but more than anything, she really just wanted to prove whatever she needed to so this stupid idea that she was the weak link of The Light In The Darkness would finally die and she could show everyone who Amelia Nevado truly was: a woman who would gladly live, breathe, bleed and die for this sport, not because it was expected of her, but because it's who she wanted to be.

Unfortunately, there were still those out there who believed both her and Luz needed to be someone else entirely, and as Amelia knelt down to check her phone before she had the kind of relaxing mini-date with Luz that she knew her mind desperately needed to relieve the stress she was putting on herself, she felt anger and fear spike through her veins as she saw enough text messages from unknown numbers that it filled at least three whole pages. Showing this to Luz had her checking her own phone, and sure enough, she was greeted with the same sight. The numbers were all different, but the message was variations of the same thing:

WE ARE NOT DEAD YET.
WE ARE GOD'S TRUE CHOSEN.
THE FALSE PROPHET DECEIVES YOU.
WE WILL END ALL YOU SINNERS IN THE NAME OF TRUE SALVATION.

“False prophet...” Amelia mumbled as she turned to face Luz. “These don't sound like they're from anybody in The Empire.”

“They almost sound like...” Luz started to say before she trailed off, a distant look in her eyes.

Despite the recent strain on things her own frustrations had been causing, Amelia knew exactly what had risen to the forefront of Luz's thoughts. She remembered a conversation they'd had back before all her recent setbacks really started getting to her, how Luz's last session with Dr. Bolton hadn't been able to address the guilt and nightmares she was still trying to bury over the death of Stephen Crane, the fallen leader of The Empire's splinter cell.

All of a sudden, Amelia found the hope she'd just started clinging to again slipping through her fingers, remembering exactly why Luz hadn't been able to address it after finally healing old wounds with her mother, and why she had a better idea than Luz did of what exactly these messages might be hinting towards if their fears were founded and remnants of that splinter cell were still soldiering on and determined to enact their version of Caleb White's twisted vision.

If they weren't at risk before all because these extremists disagreed with Caleb's obsessive desire to 'save' Amelia and Luz from being who they were, then having an Empire spy among their ranks certainly put them right into the heart of the fire.

Poor Luz still had no idea.

And Amelia was tearing herself apart over her fears of tearing Luz apart if she couldn't figure out a solution to that problem before her wife realized her kindness was secretly becoming their undoing.