Glory Braddock vs. Amelia Blythe

[Wisteria Waltz]

What a difference a month can make.

Roughly one month ago, The Light In The Darkness had been concerned about being lost in the shuffle as chaos erupted all around them, all because they didn't see a reason to put themselves in the middle of it all just to earn the opportunities they sought.

SCW's first pay-per-view of 2023 was now in the books, and it was hard to argue that Amelia Blythe and La Pequeña Luz now had all eyes on them.

Amelia had been given the chance to quell that unrest on behalf of their team when she'd found herself challenging Polly Playtime for the Television Championship, a match that ultimately ended up being wrestled inside of a ball pit because Polly couldn't bring herself to give Amelia the straightforward wrestling match she thought would allow her to prove her critics wrong, instead preferring to focus on using the wheel she had introduced the prior week to try and add some extra entertainment value to her title defenses. As a result, Amelia was pretty sure she could now say she'd competed in an SCW first and walked away victorious, giving the couple their very first taste of SCW gold.

That had been followed up with another chance to make history as they competed in the first ever twelve-person tag match at Body, Heart & Soul, and while they had been nervous because it felt like they were on the wrong team going into that fight, they had put on the kind of performance that made it clear they refused to be overlooked without a fight. In the end, they could proudly claim they were on the winning side of another SCW first, and Luz would even go down in history as the one who scored the pinfall. Being the only two left standing to celebrate victory for their team in the wake of it all, knowing that Mr. D had personally booked that match and clearly stated that it would have implications of some sort, had given them every reason to be buzzing about what the future had in store for them now.

That said, Amelia knew full well that whatever possibly awaited them going into Retribution because of that win, it wasn't going to change the fact that she was the reigning TV Champion, which already came with a challenge all its own. She knew she'd be in action once the post-pay-per-view break was over, making her first defense of the title against a game opponent looking to make her run as short as possible and derail all the momentum she and Luz were trying to build for themselves.

This streak of historic wins and what it meant for their SCW careers wasn't the only positive thing that 2023 had brought the couple thus far.

During the break, Amelia couldn't help but reflect on the past several weeks and how a chance encounter with an old friend she thought she'd lost forever had been the catalyst to fixing what she considered to be her greatest mistake in life, allowing her to rebuild the bridge that she had burned with said friend for nearly two decades. She'd been haunted for years by the memory of how she lost control of her emotions and let her parents get exactly what they wanted at the expense of the one person in her life who truly cared for her before Luz, she'd justified to herself that she never deserved a second chance because nobody in their right mind would put themselves in the shoes of Ivy Plume and forgive her for the things she'd said, regardless of the reasoning behind why she'd said them.

Ivy had clearly proven how much she'd changed since those days... gone was the girl who struggled to prove she belonged and had to push herself extra hard just to keep up with her best friend. She had grown up into a much stronger woman, both physically and mentally, and while she hadn't truly forgiven Amelia for what happened on that day, she understood the situation well enough and appreciated that Amelia had found the strength to come clean about it and properly apologize at long last that she was willing to give her old friend a chance to work their way back up to being friends again. Amelia had been over the moon about being given this opportunity, especially considering it not only gave her the chance to introduce Ivy to the real her, but also allowed for Ivy to do the same in return.

It was a relationship being rebuilt on reflection and respect for who they were and where they are now, allowing time to heal their wounds and lead them down a path that would only continue to make them into who they wanted to be in this world.

Another benefit to Amelia and Ivy deciding to start their friendship anew that almost slipped through the cracks was the fact that Luz now had two new friends in both Ivy and Gage, and she had been bursting with excitement once that revelation fully sank in. Amelia knew that hidden beneath the surface was some uncertainty given Luz's track record with 'friends' growing up, but Ivy and Gage had wasted no time in proving that they were just as enamored with Luz's frenetic energy and some of the weirdness that often entailed as she was. The fact that Luz now had two more people in her life who loved her for her and not just what she represented in the ring had been an almost overwhelming thought to the poor girl, but they all made sure she knew that this was real and not some crazy dream she would eventually wake up from.

The one downside this newly formed friend group had to deal with was the inconvenience of living in different locations on top of touring schedules. The break following Body, Heart & Soul had been a welcome one for Amelia and Luz to figure out how to approach this problem on their end, which had led to the promotion they had watched Ivy wrestle for that fateful night was one that held shows every two weeks or so, allowing her the freedom to compete for other smaller promotions to build her wrestling portfolio in-between if she so chose. While working everything out, they had also learned that Ivy and Gage were currently sharing an apartment in Portland, where Gage had been born and raised and where Ivy and her dads had moved to not long after her and Amelia's falling out. While a challenge to sort out from a travel perspective from where they now resided in Anaheim, the fact that they were all along the West Coast at least had felt like a stroke of fate all its own.

That had led to the couple visiting Portland for a few days to spend time with their new friends, an endeavor that had not only shown both girls just how much they'd missed out on growing up when it came to stuff like this but also helped them all get to truly know each other much better, especially for Amelia and Ivy. The fact that they had all spent an evening having dinner with Ivy's parents had almost overwhelmed her on its own, but Mr. and Mr. Plume had been just as open as Ivy was about giving Amelia another chance and just as horrified at the self-centered cruelty her parents were capable of.

Amelia reflected fondly on that night as she finished changing for the workout she planned to put in at one of the local gyms. Given that she'd been starved of positive parental interaction her entire life and Luz hadn't had such a thing since her father's passing and her mother's shift in attitude because of it, Ivy's parents had been more than helpful when they needed a few moments to actually wrap their heads around all the friendliness and affection they'd missed out on for so long. She couldn't help but smile at all of it and especially the knowledge that Luz no longer had any excuses to beat herself up over not having anyone besides each other to stand together against the world.

Her mother would call the way they were acting childish, but Amelia proudly didn't care what she thought. Anyone who was deprived of a normal life growing up and was only just now getting to experience things that were considered normal to most people would respond the same way, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with that.

“Room for one more in your workout?”

Amelia had been so lost in her thoughts while doing a warm-up routine that was second nature to her at this point that she never noticed that she wasn't alone. Sure, there were a few people here and there working out, but Amelia admittedly wasn't expecting to actually see Ivy here.

“Ivy?” she replied in surprise. “I thought you were hanging out with Luz and Gage?”

“It was tempting, especially since Luz definitely needs more friend experiences to drown out all that bullying bullshit she endured growing up,” Ivy told her, a bit of a growl slipping in when she spoke of the bullying Luz had filled her new friends in on that left Amelia nervously gulping in understanding. “But we've still got a few days before you two need to get going for your next show, and I thought you could use some company. It's been a while since we've gotten to spend time together, just the two of us.”

“Yeah...” Amelia admitted, knowing exactly why that was the case. She took in the sight of her old friend, the tanktop and shorts that made up her workout attire putting her powerful physique on full display and reminding her loud and clear that this was not the same Ivy she'd known growing up. It made her nervous about how to proceed now that it was just the two of them spending time together, given how long it had been and how much had changed.

“Hey,” Ivy called over to her as she effortlessly stacked weight plate after weight plate on the leg press machine she planned on starting with. “I know this is just as awkward for you as it is for me, given how many years we've spent with this rift between us. But if anyone can figure it out, it's us.”

A small smile graced Amelia's lips at that. “I guess you're right... I almost forgot about how good of a team we made back then. You remember that little fort we built together to try and hide from our swimming lessons at the beach?”

“I still can't believe it took that instructor months to figure it out,” Ivy couldn't resist laughing. “It wasn't even that well hidden... we had a little flag with our initials on it flying outside for God's sake!”

The tension began to lighten up between them as they dove into their respective workouts, filling the silence by reminiscing on all the good things they'd done together when they were kids, long before everything fell apart. They both agreed that they needed this, rediscovering all the positive moments they'd shared long ago to try and form a foundation they could build upon. The conversations eventually turned to how impressed they were watching one another, with Amelia's jaw dropping at how much Ivy was capable of lifting and Ivy being mesmerized by the fluid motions Amelia possessed at being able to transition between holds no matter how simple or complex they may be. Their respect for what the other was capable of only grew because of it, and while there was still a long way to go, they were making progress and that was all they could ask for.

As they continued their respective workouts, Amelia thought back to what she'd seen from Ivy on the ring on the night they agreed to start anew. There was no denying that Ivy's strength worked perfectly for her, especially compared to all the wrestling schools throughout England that focused only on the technical style above all else. Still, her experience in the business was telling her that while it suited Ivy perfectly, something felt like it was missing to make her an even greater force to be reckoned with in the business. She knew what it was, but the moment she opened her mouth she closed it immediately. With how fragile this new friendship between them felt, she didn't want to risk overstepping any boundaries by seeming like she was telling Ivy how to do this.

Thankfully, Ivy seemed to be pondering a similar conundrum and was the first to realize that if both of them kept being overly cautious then no progress would ever be made.

“Hey Amelia?” she asked, getting her friend's attention. “I was wondering if I could ask you about something... I only intend to maybe be teasing at best pending how you respond, but I don't want to feel like I'm making you uncomfortable or anything.”

“Really?” Amelia replied. “It's funny... I kind of wanted to do the same thing.”

Ivy hummed for a moment as she thought the situation over. “OK, how about you ask your thing first and then I'll ask mine. And if it's something the other isn't comfortable with answering yet, then it immediately gets dropped. Sound good?”

Amelia nodded in agreement with this as she pulled her training dummy up into a position where she had the arms trapped in a crucifix position. “I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed by what you've shown you can do in the ring, and the power approach definitely fits you much better than all that traditional grappling ever did. But... I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but do you think that something's... I don't know, missing in your arsenal?”

Ivy grabbed a huge dumbbell and began to do some curls with it as she thought over Amelia's words, finding it easier to sort out her thoughts while her body went on autopilot with what she considered lighter lifting. “I can see why you were nervous about asking... no, I don't feel insulted if that's what you think. I'll admit that for as easy as it feels for me, trying to simply overpower opponents does have its limitations. I've had a few matches where I've tried going for something more submission-oriented, but I always remember why I struggled so much with it when we were kids. Was this about offering to help me with that?”

“Only if you really want me to!” Amelia quickly clarified, using the position she had the dummy in to quickly apply a neck crank submission just so she could vent some potential stress energy that was building. “Luz wasn't too keen on that kind of stuff either when we first became friends, and we kind of taught each other how to better embrace both of our styles. Being able to break out something we're not normally known for has really helped us out a lot over the years-”

“Then sign me up!” Ivy cut Amelia off with a grin. “I can agree that it might help a lot to have something else in my bag of tricks to bust out when needed, and you'd probably agree that sharing your family's techniques with more people outside of it will help you see that it can be put to good use without all the pain they seem to like causing everyone.”

“The horror stories I could share about them beyond what they did to our friendship are not pretty, I can tell you that...” Amelia admitted, letting go of the dummy and letting it fall to the floor as she seemed to slip deeper into her thoughts. Ivy set her dumbbell down and moved to kneel beside her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“I know I'm not Luz, but I want you to know that your parents can kindly go fuck themselves for everything they've done to you, me, your siblings, Luz, and whoever else they've hurt. They will not tear us apart again, and if they even try then I'll show them that Ivy Plume isn't the 'weakling' they thought I was firsthand.”

Amelia's eyes widened at how sure Ivy sounded at that statement, and after a moment her mouth slowly curled into a smile as she nodded. She had promised Ivy that she wouldn't make the same mistakes she'd made last time, and if her parents ever tried to intervene in her life again... well, Ivy made it clear she could defend herself, but Amelia refused to even let it get to that point because she would prove to her old friend that she was capable of standing up to them and wouldn't stop doing so.

“Well, now that we've agreed on that...” Ivy continued, her current grin making Amelia start to sweat a little. “When are you and Luz getting married?”

“Ivy!” Amelia laughed as she lightly smacked her on the shoulder.

“What? It's a legit question!” Ivy chuckled. “You and her have been in a relationship for several years at this point and you both are clearly not only deeply in love but also very good for each other.”

“You're not wrong...” Amelia replied but trailed off, and Ivy's face fell at the realization that she might have accidentally gone too far. She opened her mouth to apologize, but Amelia held up a hand to stop her. “Believe me, I would give anything to be able to marry that woman, and I know she'd be over the moon at the idea of marrying me. It's just... we kind of want to be able to have a proper wedding, and there are so few people who'd be attending at the moment. There's my siblings... you and Gage would definitely be on the list... that's kind of it. We've got no one else. I know I want my parents as far away from it as possible because they'd object without a second thought, and Luz... she's kind of holding out hope that somehow, some way, she and her mom can work things out and repair their relationship, but that doesn't seem too likely at the moment.”

Ivy exhaled, draping an arm over Amelia's shoulder and holding her close. “I'm sorry I brought it up... I should've guessed you two had a reason for not being married already with how perfect you seem for one another.”

“Don't worry Ivy,” Amelia reassured her. “We'll figure something out and make it happen. After all, you and Gage are in our lives now, and we'll gladly take all the help we can get. Speaking of help...”

Ivy saw where she was going with that and agreed that she was good for a few lessons now in regards to learning the art of grappling from Amelia. There was still some work to do between them, but the more they spent time together like this, the more comfortable they would become being friends again. And maybe, in time, things would feel like they were at a point where she and Luz could pop the question and begin working towards being legally bound together for the rest of their lives.

Amelia was so caught up in these thoughts and teaching Ivy that she never noticed a man who had come into the gym but clearly wasn't doing any working out. He just parked himself somewhere to give the illusion that he was mid-workout from a distance, using a bluetooth earpiece to stealthily relay what he saw as he carefully documented Amelia Blythe for purposes still unknown.