Chris Lawler vs. La Pequena Luz

[Wisteria Waltz]

As much as it was a bitter pill to swallow, losing at Retribution was nothing new to La Pequeña Luz.

She wished she had a clue as to why that particular pay-per-view was such an albatross around her neck, but she was trying not to let it get to her. She had given Meghan everything she had, despite the very environment they were fighting in favoring her opponent. She wanted to hope, if nothing else, that she left Meghan just as banged up as she clearly was... she didn't know for sure, as the last several minutes of that match she'd been running on pure adrenaline and nothing else.

At least Amelia had been able to win her match, and become number one contender to the World Title in the process. While it hurt Luz to think that she was the one falling short this time in trying to bring their dream scenario to life of holding SCW's top two singles titles together simultaneously, she believed she could bounce back from these recent setbacks and either earn her way back to another clash with Meghan where an improved Luz could hopefully reclaim the U.S. Title or fight her way towards another opportunity.

While Retribution continued to be a black mark on her wrestling record for some unknown reason, it usually didn't lead to such a bizarre turn of events that left her feeling more worried than ever before.

Amelia had asked her to stay at the hotel while they were in New York City, and as much as Luz wanted to refuse just for the chance to be in the hallowed halls of Madison Square Garden for a little bit, she had obliged after both Amelia and her own mother had insisted she deserved to rest and recover after the Thunderdome so she could hopefully get back in the ring sooner.

The moment she had seen Breakdown's opening segment, however, that plan had changed entirely, and she grabbed the first cab she could flag down over to the arena without any regard to her lingering injuries.

Truth be told, she had always assumed Amelia was part of that World Title contendership match at Retribution from the beginning. It had been officially announced while she was getting checked on after their loss to A/C Unit, and when she watched that show back, she just assumed it was some sort of weird error the broadcast team had made, thinking nothing of whatever phone call she saw her wife take. Now, though? Seeing that Amelia had walked down to the ring right beside CEO Frank Delatosso and hearing confirmation from Adam Sharper that she actually hadn't been part of that match until that very phone call, which was certainly the CEO on the other end now... it had Luz's brain running repeatedly into a brick wall trying to make sense of it all. She didn't fault Ames for getting him out of there... she probably would have done the same for the safety of an authority figure even if they weren't the most well-liked, but it was everything that Mr. Delatosso seemed to be trying to build that had her fearful that Amelia's frustrations were putting her in a dangerous position to lose sight of who she truly was.

Everything, from Amelia's attitude seemingly growing closer to that of the 'Blythe prodigy' she had been forced to embrace by her parents, to seemingly not caring about the fact that she was going to be teaming with Gavin Taylor next week, and even Mr. Delatosso's insistence that Amelia was one of his handpicked gems for SCW's future... it was rubbing Luz the wrong way. Admittedly, she may have been holding her tongue longer than she probably should have about CHBK not giving Amelia the same opportunities to prove she could step up and be a singles champion on par with Luz's efforts, but something about the way Frank was conducting business had her feeling iffy for entirely different reasons.

This was why she hated the politics of the business and preferred the philosophy of resolving wrestling problems in a wrestling ring, where everyone was equal once the bell rang to kick things off.

She had other concerns about Amelia though, but they also led into the other bizarre occurrences that had cropped up following Retribution... but this had less to do with that show itself and more the nightmare that had occurred just before it had taken place.

Before any of their found family had made their way over to Madison Square Garden for Breakdown tonight, Paul had started acting... she wanted to say unusual, but something about him was always off in a way Luz couldn't quite seem to put her finger on. She didn't want to blame him for feeling skittish after their group had been ambushed by whatever remnants still existed of The Empire's splinter cell... how could she? He had found himself staring down the barrel of a loaded gun before Luz had intervened, and Luz herself owed Amelia her life more than she already did for saving her in turn.

The memory still haunted her... prying the gun out of that man's hand, threatening him with it in hopes he'd back off. He had called her bluff, though... begged her to end his life, just as she had ended that of the splinter cell's leader. She knew, deep down, she hadn't killed Stephen Crane on that day, but the nightmares proclaiming she had persisted, and he had taken full advantage. If Amelia hadn't cut her therapy session short and showed up when she did, Luz wouldn't be standing here today, would have never made it to the Thunderdome to face Meghan Strader. Amelia, however, was now in the same boat... the man, either accidentally or intentionally, had shot himself in the skull when Amelia suplexed him. Like Luz, she hadn't been the one to pull the trigger, but it could be argued she still had blood on her hands.

While she worried about whether or not that was further playing into Amelia's recent decisions about throwing her lot in with the CEO, as much as Luz worried about how far her beloved may be falling if she'd let her frustrations consume her that much, Paul almost seemed more paranoid than ever before. Earlier, he had told the group that he'd been in contact with members of his family and he desperately needed to leave for a bit to check on them. Luz could sympathize, even if she had insisted it was still safer with their found family and he could just get his family to come join theirs, but what felt weird to her was that this was the first time she or anybody else had even heard of Paul having any family. She refused to pry into someone else's life... she'd made that mistake one too many times before and the fact that it had somehow worked out with Amelia on several occasions felt like a miracle in hindsight, but something about it all just felt off.

She tried to chalk it up to Paul needing some time to assess whether or not he was still safe being with them... which, sadly, wasn't an answer Luz could fully promise after the chaos that had gone down in London prior to Retribution.

“I just wish there was some way to fix everything...” she lamented to herself.

Part of it was because she was always such a kind and caring person, even when others were more than happy to take advantage of that kindness and burn her, but Luz especially hated knowing things were not going well with the people she cared about and she seemingly couldn't do anything about it. She wished she knew why her wife had been passed over several times for opportunities and had fallen into a losing streak that had frustrated her so much she truly seemed to be losing herself and walking a very dangerous path. She wished she had a solution that would rid their lives of The Empire once and for all and finally allow them to just live like a normal married couple.

She could wish all she wanted, though... there didn't seem to be any sort of magical solution to fix where things were at, and she was going to have to figure something out the hard way.

To say that Luz was feeling uneasy when she and Amelia finally returned to their hotel after Breakdown were an understatement, and it had nothing to do with any negative effects from her injuries. They had left a bit early, with Amelia surprisingly agreeing because she felt Luz needed to get back to resting. As a result, neither one of them had any involvement with the chaos that had gone down to end the show, the reveal that Gavin's mysterious 'problem solver' seemed to have ties to Dean Black and the road agents all seemed aligned with him and whatever Mr. Delatosso may want... it left Luz questioning if Amelia had left because Frank had suggested it or to preserve a pay-per-view main event that left her more and more worried about her wife being involved.

For the moment, Amelia had wandered off, claiming she needed to make a phone call and refusing to answer when Luz questioned her about whether or not it was to the CEO, which only further worried her even despite her wife's reassurances. Hating the idea of staying still even when she probably should, Luz ignored some of the pain still coursing through her body as she stepped out of their room as well, not having to go very far to reach the room she was looking for. One knock later, and the door was opening and Marilyn was looking down at her in concern.

“You probably shouldn't be up and about so much with those injuries, kid,” she lightly scolded. “Been through more than my fair share of violent matches to know the more rest you get, the faster they heal.”

“I know,” Luz groaned. “I just needed to be up and moving. Laying down with nothing but my thoughts... it's driving me nuts and I need some insight.”

Marilyn raised an eyebrow. “Is Bossy Boots still being moody despite things going her way finally?”

“She stepped out to take a phone call,” Luz replied. She hadn't meant to sound as upset as she did, but she couldn't suppress her own frustration and Marilyn quickly picked up on it. Slowly, she stepped aside and allowed Luz to carefully enter her room. As Marilyn closed the door behind them, Luz realized that Marilyn wasn't alone in here.

“Luz?” Avery said in surprise. “Shouldn't you be resting?”

“Already tried that, Rainestorm,” Marilyn chimed in, chuckling at how red Avery's face got at the old nickname. “Kid's got too much on her mind and her wife's off making questionable business deals.”

Luz winced at that, but it went unnoticed, probably because Avery just assumed Luz was reacting to some pain still shooting through her bones and muscles. Still, Avery did look concerned all the same as Marilyn helped Luz sit down in a comfortable position on the edge of her bed.

“You want to talk about it, Luz?” they offered.

“Not going to lie... I'm a little too tempted to know why you're sharing a room with Marilyn, Avery,” Luz somehow managed a grin, and Marilyn couldn't help but bark out a laugh at the abrupt shift in tone even as Avery sputtered trying to respond.

“Ah kid, you truly are something else,” Marilyn laughed. “I just offered Avery the chance to room with me so they didn't have to figure out sleeping arrangements with Darius and Evie.”

“Yes, that's it!” Avery said maybe a little too quickly before clearing their throat. “And before you ask, no, Evie's size does not make that any easier to figure out.”

If Luz was capable of doing so without her jaw bothering her too much, she would've cracked a shit-eating grin at the two older figures, not fully buying that explanation for a second. Luckily for them, and unluckily for Luz, her brain found itself drifting back towards what was going on with Amelia and what had happened prior to Retribution, and she dropped all prospects of teasing the NCA agent and the woman who had taken on a sort-of mentor role to all the kids as far as wrestling went.

“I'm just really worried about Ames,” Luz finally cracked, and Marilyn didn't even resist the urge to sit down beside her and place a comforting hand on her shoulder. She could tell herself all she wanted that she wasn't cut out for this 'maternal' stuff, but Luz would happily disagree under any other circumstances.

“I don't blame you, kiddo,” Marilyn tried to offer. “That's a dangerous road she's walking down, but it's a hard temptation to pass up. A chance to reverse all your fortunes, especially if you've gotten so tired of being told someone close to you is your superior... it's the same trap Lily fell into that ultimately got her tangled up with The Empire before they went from wrestling stable full of religious-spouting elitist pricks to full-on cult of lunatics. Someone with the power to help offered her the chance to finally prove she was every bit as good as, if not better than, yours truly, and she was so desperate she took it without a second thought.”

“Lily ultimately managed to get out of The Empire, though...” Luz pointed out.

“Exactly, which should help you keep in mind that Amelia isn't lost for good either,” Marilyn pressed. “I made the mistake of not supporting my sister when she needed me most, and instead treated her like she was my enemy until Caleb showed his true colors like the bastard I always knew he was. If you keep being there for your wife and supporting her even despite this turn of events, it'll help keep her from falling too far.”

“I've been trying, though!” Luz snapped, pausing as she rubbed her jaw from already attempting to speak too much. Despite the concern on the faces of Marilyn and Avery, though, she kept going. “I've been as supportive as I can despite everything, I've given her space even when I didn't want to... it just feels like something in her head is just... consuming her, trying to prey on her struggles and convince her that she's inferior to me when she's not! And so many other wrestlers and fans trying to claim the same isn't helping...”

“Eh, they can all be fickle, sadly,” Marilyn sighed. “Most wrestlers aren't like you, kid... they only think of themselves. Too many even convince themselves that the whole business has to revolve around them or else. Pretty sure that's what happened to that one woman who was supposed to be one of your friends.”

Luz frowned at the reminder of how far Selena Frost had fallen, up to and including whatever had happened recently regarding her using the contract Deanna had earned, fair and square, from Shot of Adrenaline to try and insert herself back into the World Title picture. Luz had attempted to open a dialogue with Deanna about it so she had someone to vent to if she needed it, but even Deanna had insisted she just drop the subject and Luz had reluctantly obliged.

“I'm just not a fan of the direction everything seems to be going in...” she lamented. “And then there was what happened in London...”

Marilyn opened her mouth, but closed it immediately after catching a glance out of the corner of Avery's eye. They seemed to pick up on the fact that Luz wasn't referring to her title loss, but rather, the other significant thing that had happened in London.

“Are you worried about Paul abruptly leaving us?” they started to ask.

“A little bit,” Luz admitted. “I can't fault him if he thinks it's not too safe around us anymore after the stunt that splinter cell pulled... I had hoped they were all taken care of after Rise to Greatness last year. I also can't fault him for wanting to make sure his family's safe... but why are we only finding out he's had a family now, just as he disappears on us?”

“It is a little strange...” Avery sighs. “Then again... I'm sorry to be the one to say something Luz, but Darius, Evie and I have all been suspicious of that guy for some time now, and I'm sure some of the others have started getting bad feelings about him to. We've tried to look into him so we could figure out how best to help protect him from The Empire, but just a first name to go off of hasn't narrowed anything down, nor has using his face in any group photos you guys have taken lately to try and actually help with that using facial recognition software. The guy's a complete unknown, and we have no idea if that's a good thing or a bad thing anymore.”

“Well, if The Empire wanted him so damn bad, surely he has to have some value, right?” Marilyn pitched.

“Who knows...” Avery sighed before noticing Luz's frown. “I want to hope we've been helping someone who desperately needed it this whole time, but given some of the things he's been saying and the way he's been acting...”

Luz nodded, hating what Avery might be implying but trying to keep an open mind. The idea of someone taking advantage of her kindness, yet again, just to infiltrate their group had crossed her mind on a handful of occasions, but she always tried to justify to herself that The Empire, in any form, wanting a piece of this guy surely had to mean he was on the up and up, right? But she had needed to talk with him maybe a little too much for her liking about how overzealous he was as a supposed fan of theirs...

“You don't think he contributed to the way Amelia's been struggling mentally lately, do you?” she suddenly asked.

“Hard to say,” Avery unfortunately answered, their lips forming a thin line as they knew that wasn't the best thing to say probably, but they were trying to help Luz figure out answers as best as they could. “For now, we're hoping that The Empire's once again distracted with putting out some internal fires, because I can't see Caleb letting this slide if he still has an active splinter cell within his ranks, not when he's still hellbent on bringing you and Amelia into his flock to 'redeem' himself.”

“He's getting either of them over my dead body,” Marilyn fiercely declared.

“Don't give him any ideas, Marilyn...” Avery warned, using a tone that Luz knew all too well. The fierce concern had her wanting to grin and tease them about perhaps rekindling the spark they once had between each other at long last, but she resisted... not because of her healing jaw, but because she was mulling over everything she'd gotten out of this conversation.

She was trying hard to ignore any implications about Paul, reserving that for if and when she saw him again so she could get those answers directly if she had to. As for Amelia... like it or not, she was going to try her best to support her wife and hope that once she became World Champion, it would put this whole mess to bed once and for all. Amelia would have proven herself by accomplishing something Luz had yet to, she could pull herself away from any of this nonsense Mr. Delatosso was attempting to pull, and everything could go back to the way it was... the way it deserved to be. They could figure out how to proceed with The Empire, take them down once and for all, finally live the lives they deserved together without fear...

“We'll make this work... somehow...” she said out loud, not even realizing it, but she held firm all the same.

Marilyn and Avery exchanged looks, deeply hoping that Luz was right. Having Amelia struggling with where she was at was bad enough, and they doubted being denied the chance to finish her therapy session in London helped matters.

If Luz started spiraling into oblivion as well, things could truly turn catastrophic for their found family.