Deanna Frost vs. Amelia Blythe

[Wisteria Waltz]

Blythes do not get rattled or lose their composure.

It was one of the many lessons drilled into Amelia's head by her parents growing up and she had no doubt that if they saw Breakdown tonight, they'd be ready to scold her for “showing such weakness” in the face of what happened... assuming she'd ever answer a call from them, of course.

In her defense, how was she supposed to react to seeing what had happened to James Evans during their match?

Amelia went into that match focused and determined to fight her way into the semi-finals of the U.S. Title tournament, and she'd also admit that maybe the thought of teaching James a lesson and having him be the one choked out for a change was an enticing one given how he'd approached her and Luz last week after her girlfriend's match. Actually injuring James was never in her plans... you'd had to have gone well out of your way to give her any reason to want to go beyond simply outwrestling you in the ring and not even James had reached that point. Even still, the whole thing had been an accident, much like the way she landed years ago after Bison Jones had powerbombed her out of the ring that put her out of commission for a good while.

The whole experience still shook her to her core, though. Even if it was an accident, someone had still gotten hurt in a match against her. It wasn't how she wanted to win that match or advance in the tournament and it certainly wasn't something she wanted associated with her name. She was here to compete, put her best foot forward and prove herself worthy of being part of one of the most talented rosters in the entire world. But even with Luz trying to reassure her after the incident, deep down she knew that whenever James returned he was personally going to hold this against her, as if he didn't already convince himself that the couple were a problem purely because Amelia supported her girlfriend as opposed to turning her back on her all over the concept of wrestling philosophies.

The religious nutjob yelling at her over it backstage didn't help her mindset any, but he was hardly the first one they've ever come across considering they never hid what they identified as. Luz had already vowed to shut him up the first chance she could get him in the ring, which could potentially be Taking Hold of the Flame at this point.

Trying to think about anything else other than the sight of James's arm bending at an unnatural angle on the replay and him needing to be escorted to the back by trainers only shifted her thoughts toward the reminder that her father had been present in Salt Lake City and had no doubt seen this all in person. That was a fact Amelia hadn't shared with Luz mostly because she wanted to keep her focus on the match at hand and not let her father's presence affect her. She wanted to hope that, at the very least, the man had failed in trying to get any sort of meeting with Mr. D considering how busy he had been throughout the night. Still, the concern of crossing paths with him and dealing with his reaction to this only had her spiraling even further.

“Todo estará bien, mi amor. Just take deep breaths for me, alright?”

Amelia subconsciously latched onto the voice of her girlfriend and followed her instructions, taking deep the way they usually did whenever one of them was slipping. Slowly but surely, she managed fight her way free of the haze clouding her mind and ground herself in reality once more, the realization of feeling Luz's hand tightly gripping her own serving as the anchor she managed to tie her focus to. It took a few moments, with Luz quietly comforting her in Spanish the whole way, but she finally felt emotionally coherent enough to try and continue on with her night. Taking in her surroundings, Amelia came to a realization.

“This isn't the locker room...” she said once it became clear that she and Luz were back in their hotel room and she'd been sat down on the edge of their bed.

“OK, so maybe you were in your own head again for longer than I thought...” Luz stated with clear concern, drawing Amelia's full focus back onto her. “What's the last thing you remember doing? After what happened in the ring.”

Amelia took a moment to try and gather her thoughts. “I... I remember bumping into that preacher weirdo backstage after it all happened.”

“He'll get his own lesson in the ring soon enough...” she heard Luz mumble under her breath.

“After that,” Amelia continued, “I know we went back to our locker room and tried to tune it out by watching more of the show. I think the last thing I remember from there was seeing Deanna Frost win her match and realizing she's my next opponent. After that, it gets kind of blurry.”

“OK, yeah, you were definitely starting to spiral a lot sooner than I thought,” Luz nervous told her. “So, I know I saw you looking like something was off and figured we'd be good to just come back here since we learned who you'd be facing next round and I thought you'd appreciate just getting away from the arena after what happened. You at least got changed and I got our car loaded up and I thought you were alright and just being a bit quiet... then after we pulled out of the parking lot you started having a full blown meltdown in the passenger seat and I got scared and tried to get us back here as fast as I could without violating every traffic law in the book. I'm starting to think I should've started trying to ground you once I got the car parked but I thought you'd prefer if I got you back in here first and I think I messed up for not noticing sooner and-”

Luz found her panicked rambling cut off as Amelia reached up to grab her shirt before yanking her into a desperate kiss, not caring that the luchadora had landed right on top of her and was now being held there. It took a moment before her brain managed to catch up but as soon as it did she was returning the kiss, the couple just losing themselves in the feeling of their little makeout session as all their worries melted away in those few minutes. It didn't go any farther than that, but it was clear to the both of them that it had been a good while since they'd lost themselves in the intense positive feelings of even that level of love and intimacy considering how often they found themselves consumed by the negative fog that had constantly hung over their heads for months now since a lot of the mess with The Empire had really gotten out of hand. After a good few minutes, they finally detached their lips from one another but kept their tight embrace on one another.

“I... damn, I can't tell you how much I needed that...” Amelia admitted through deep breaths.

“Agreed,” Luz replied with her trademark grin. “Also, now that I think we're in a better place to... well, you know, talk...” She stopped for a moment to clear her throat, her face turning red with embarrassment beneath her mask. “I'm sorry I've been a bit distant over the past week... I know it was wrong and we agreed that communication was the key to solving all our problems, but... I just didn't want you to worry about me so you could focus on the tournament. And yet, you still went out of your way to stand in front of a camera and promise James and the whole world that I'd make a worthy champion someday.”

“I meant every word of that,” Amelia firmly told her as one of her hands moved to cup Luz's cheek, ensuring their eyes would remain locked with each other. “I could tell you were taking that Underground Title loss hard Luz, and I don't blame you... I know you well enough to see the signs that if I do somehow pull this off and become U.S. Champion that'll be two singles titles to my name while you feel like you've barely proven anything, even though I think you've proven plenty with what you've pulled off that you're trying to discredit because they were tag matches. And before you start saying anything to that, let me preemptively respond with this: you are not a burden, you are not holding me back, and anyone who thinks they can throw that at you clearly doesn't know you as well as I do and are just grasping at straws hoping it'll break us apart.”

Luz just looked at Amelia in awe as she let that sink in. It was as Amelia had told Ivy days ago: getting Luz to remember what she'd just told her and still believe it was easier said than done, given the immense self-confidence issues the other woman still carried to this day. It truly made Amelia wish she knew where to find all the people who had bullied this amazing woman and pushed her into this constant struggle so she could strangle every last one of them for creating all these issues that plagued her light for so long.

“OK, um... wow... I don't deserve you, hermosa,” Luz managed to say in response before she seemed to find her composure again. “But we can talk more about my problems later, and I'm going to preemptively respond this time with a promise that yes, I mean actually talking about my problems and not just using this as an excuse to duck that much-needed conversation. Right now I think we need to focus on you because tonight's clearly still affecting you.”

“I mean... how can it not?” Amelia huffed, trying to sound more amused than she actually was. “It was a freak accident, you and I both have our own experiences with that in this business. But it doesn't change the fact that James still got seriously hurt while wrestling me. I hate that this is how I advance in this tournament, and I hate that this is something that's going to be a topic of conversation about me for who knows how long to come. Adam and Bison got away with that two years ago because that's just how the former clearly still conducts his business, but because we're trying to stand for a brighter future you know people are going to be chomping at the bit to shove this back in my face.”

“If this is about-” Luz tried to respond, but Amelia quickly cut her off.

“Forget that Wright guy!” Amelia shouted, causing Luz to flinch back a bit before she quickly regained her composure before she scared her ray of sunshine any further. “I just... I'm trying to convince myself that it was all an accident and that as much as it sucks I shouldn't keep trying to hold it against myself, but I don't know how. I honestly don't know where you're getting the strength to try and be my rock right now Luz!”

Luz gently shushed Amelia as she held her tighter, letting the woman bury her head into her shoulder as tears threatened to spill once more. She knew exactly what Amelia was talking about, and truth be told, she was struggling to form a response because she truly didn't know where she was finding this strength either. While what happened to James earlier tonight hadn't been anywhere near as severe thankfully, watching it happen still caused her mind to flash back to the night where she'd watched the awkward landing her father had taken from a botched move and how all the breath had been sucked out of her lungs as her entire world felt like it was falling apart before her very eyes. Seeing any sort of serious in-ring accident after that night... she could understand how Amelia was struggling to comprehend their positions right now considering she was the one with the trauma related to such an incident and yet she was somehow the more composed and understanding of the two.

“...I wish I had an answer for you, Ames,” she finally said. “But the truth is... I don't know how I'm holding it together right now. Yeah, I felt like my soul left my body when I saw all the officials and trainers start checking on James, but... I don't know... somehow my first thought once I got my thoughts back on track was worrying about how you were taking it.”

“Please Luz...” Amelia pleaded. “Please don't feel like you have to suppress your issues to focus on me. We've talked about this so many times... your feelings are just as valid as mine.”

“I know... as much as I need to be reminded of that every now and then, I do know...” Luz confirmed. “It's just... after I watched my dad die in the ring because of an accident, as painful as it was... after I mourned his loss I became determined to follow in his footsteps and honor his memory. When I threw myself back into training to become a wrestler, it was almost like I became... I don't know... numb, maybe, to what had happened to him? It still hurt to think about, and it definitely led to a lot of second guessing on some of my riskier moves when I was starting out, but I felt like I had a handle on things because my determination to honor my father's memory in the ring overtook all else. That feeling is what was driving me after James was helped to the back... it hurt like hell to see, but I'd endured bearing witness to it before. I don't think you have, and given how you were raised and trained I think I just had a feeling that you'd take this as hard as you are. I know how hard you've been working over the years to prove to yourself as much as everyone else that you're not the kind of person you used to be, that this is the real you and you finally have the freedom to show that off. An incident like this... it feels like a setback, doesn't it?”

Amelia quietly nodded, stunned at what her girlfriend had revealed to her. It was amazing insight on her part that showed just how well she'd come to know the former heartless wrestling machine, but the revelation of exactly how she'd dealt with her father's death had the gears turning in her brain as she thought more and more about the issues Luz had with her mother in the wake of that accident that took her father and Camila's husband from this world.

“Luz...” she jumped in before her girlfriend could keep going. “Thank you... I know my struggles over the years haven't been easy, but you've never given up on me no matter what sort of crisis of faith I have. But I have to be honest, and I apologize if I sound like I'm speaking out of turn here... as much as I understand, the way you handled your father's death doesn't sound like the healthiest decision. Everyone grieves differently so far be it for me to tell you how you should've handled it, but... while it's nice that you're trying to honor his memory, it also kind of sounds like you threw yourself back into wrestling as an escape from losing him. Kind of like how I'll admit to devoting a lot of my focus to trying to send some sort of message to my parents through what I can accomplish in the ring without them looming over me... it's not a healthy mindset, yet it exists every time I step into that ring and leads to me pushing myself too hard to succeed while sticking to our morals.”

Luz was quiet for a moment, and Amelia glanced up to see the gears turning in her own head. After a few moments, Luz pulled away from the hug and stood up from the bed, moving to make sure the curtains in their hotel room were closed  and the door locked. Amelia sat up, concern coating every inch of her face, but before she could call Luz's name she paused as she watched her beloved slowly reach up and gently pull her mask off, revealing the beautiful face that Amelia was one of a very select few to ever get to see and know.

“It sounds to me like we both still have a lot to think about and a lot of work to do,” she told Amelia as she moved to lay back down on the bed, pulling her girlfriend close and allowing her bare cheek to make proper contact with Amelia's for a change. “You might be right on some of the unhealthy aspects of how I've handled my father's death, and I'm sure he's looking down on me right now ready to tell me that I should listen to you more often. Thankfully, we can make that part of our future we can work towards together.”

Amelia suddenly pulled away and looked at Luz in shock, which had the latter concerned for a brief moment.

“Sorry, sorry,” Amelia quickly apologized. “It's just... you're thinking of a future with me Luna?”

Luz started to reply about how obvious it was, but she cut herself off as her exposed face went red once she realized that the two of them hadn't really discussed this in-depth before. It almost existed as an unspoken assumption that unless something catastrophic happened that tore them apart, it had become natural to assume they would have a life together, though exactly what form that would take had never been addressed before. Luna sputtered for a moment as she quickly tried to slam her train of thought back on track.

“I, um... I mean... is that alright?” she carefully asked. “I know we never really talked about it and just kind of assumed this was meant to be, but... I'd be an idiot to ignore just how much we've helped each other grow and tackle our problems together, and I just know that I want you by my side going forward and-”

Luz, for the second time tonight, found herself being cut off by a passionate kiss from Amelia as the two of them cuddled closer on the bed.

“You know...” Amelia whispered once she and Luz had pulled apart for air after a few minutes. “I think Amelia Nevado kind of has a nice ring to it... just saying...”

Amelia watched as her beloved Luna had a mental blue screen moment at that, giggling over how flustered those few words had made the woman she absolutely wanted to spend the rest of her life with, especially if she got to punctuate it by permanently shedding the Blythe name that has served as the last link tying her to her parents and their long-desired family legacy. More importantly, it was the hope she needed to squash her fears about not having a future where La Pequeña Luz was her wife, giving her hope that a proposal on the horizon wouldn't just be seen as an act of defiance against a group that was attempting to arrange a marriage for her without her consent or involvement.

While there was still a lot that needed to be addressed, for now Amelia could rest somewhat peacefully in the knowledge that she had her light by her side and always would. They knew how much communication was needed to navigate the storms on the horizon, and they could overcome it all and be exactly who they wanted to be... together.