Syren vs. Amelia Blythe

[Wisteria Waltz]

If there was one thing The Light In The Darkness were good at doing, perhaps to their own detriment at times, it was keeping straight faces and trying to keep themselves busy to just ignore some of their issues as opposed to actually addressing them.

It was a problem they both acknowledged themselves having, and they could tell when the other was doing it, but old habits were always difficult to break and no matter how often they talked about working on this together, it always seemed to easy to fall back into old habits when the stress became too much and they needed a way to regain their focus on the task at hand. It was the problem that often came with childhoods of growing up keeping your problems to yourself out of fear of what would happen if you dared to put a voice to the issues. They could tell each other over and over again that there was no need to do so, that nothing bad would happen and no one, lest of all one another, would ever think less of them, but the concept had brought them some semblance of comfort for so long.

Because of how well they'd mastered this messed-up art form, it was obvious that no one could tell that there was more beneath the surface when they'd gone out on Breakdown last night to speak their piece about their recent shortcomings and how they were hoping to resolve it. Everything had remained professional in front of the cameras, which felt like a given, but once their moment in the ring was done and they were backstage... maybe Amelia had been a little too hopeful that at least somebody would have seen through the act and questioned them once no cameras were watching them and there was no need to keep up any sort of act, but the couple had been left to their own devices which had simply reminded them of the struggle they'd been going through for the past several weeks.

While they had confided in each other and helped to prop one another back up after losing the World Tag Titles to Twisted & Sadistic, Luz's loss of the TV Title had been eating away at her more than Amelia knew she wanted to admit. Luz had everything to be proud of about what she'd achieved over these past few months, and Amelia had told her as such, and while she knew Luz had heard her and agreed with every word she said, it was obvious that she was beating herself up over letting everything that had spawned from the recent Tag Title chaos distract her from the other title she'd been proudly defending week after week. While Amelia felt she had done the right thing by giving her fiancée space but leaving the door open for her to talk whenever she was ready, she was concerned that Luz had been keeping to herself for longer than she normally would have in the wake of this loss.

Granted, Luz had done the same for Amelia and she was in the exact same boat, but she tried (and failed, she knew internally) to justify it by not even knowing where to begin.

To her own surprise, one thing she'd been struggling to admit to is how angry she was over Luz being mentally tripped up because of how they were caught in the middle of the issues between Dark Fantasy and Twisted & Sadistic. Sure, she was irritated at how this whole issue had started with them being at the center of this because of their place as World Tag Team Champions with both teams wanting a crack at them, but the fact that they were now being brushed off because their opinions on everything that had gone down at their expense suddenly didn't matter... Luz's focus slipping in the immediate aftermath of something that neither one of them thought warranted the butting of heads that they got had Amelia seeing red because it reminded her of all that her novia had shared with her about her childhood. The TV Title loss on top of that clearly affecting Luz had Amelia trying to restrain herself the entire time they were face-to-face with Glory and Brittany from throwing away the years' worth of progress she had made as a person and as the kind of competitor she truly wished to be seen as.

Amelia couldn't help but wonder if she and Luz were being left alone because everyone around them could tell something was going on and just wanted to give them the space to deal with it until they were ready to say something about it... she didn't know if anyone else in SCW was that perceptive or cared enough, but that explanation at least made sense regarding the found family they had amassed over the past year or so. Between their recent title losses and the whole mess with Caleb White and his Empire, she couldn't blame them. Most of them hadn't been directly involved in the games that lunatic was playing, and Amelia was sure she and Luz had worried them enough by trying to keep them all safely out of it while they walked unflinchingly into the line of fire despite knowing that's exactly where Caleb wanted them. It did have the downside of making it hard for any of them to know how to even help when something did happen, though...

She was starting to remember why suffering in silence and just trying to ignore the problem until a way to deal with it magically appeared continued to be the comfort option she and Luz always fell back on.

Those were the thoughts that ran through her head as she was outside doing some stretching to keep herself in shape. She had gotten word that morning that she'd be having her first singles match in quite some time on the upcoming Breakdown against Syren. It was hard to argue with the implications such a win would mean for her, even if Syren's track record against the couple thus far was, surprisingly to most people, not too great. She just hoped that there would be an openness to the idea of their clash being the first of Syren's two matches on the night, preferring to truly face Syren at her best if there could be a say in it because it'd be the most fair way to approach things and give her the test she was looking for.

“Assuming we're even allowed to have a proper one-on-one match...” she quietly growled to herself.

Knowing that her frustrations were starting to slip through again, she took to using the old breathing technique she and Luz had relied on for many years to ground themselves. As she did, she couldn't help but take in her surroundings, letting the sight help her get control of her emotions once more. Portland was where Ivy and her dads had moved to after Amelia had severed their friendship all those years ago, and the Plume family had been more than happy to open their home to Ivy's friends while they were still in town. Obviously, after not really having the chance to do so until now, Amelia had apologized to Ivy's dads and opened up to them about the truth behind what had happened between her and Ivy back then. She picked up on them already knowing, no doubt because Ivy filled them in, but she went through with it anyway knowing she owed them a proper apology for what she'd done. The fact that they had been so willing to forgive her, fully understanding what had happened and just being glad that she and their daughter had ultimately worked things out... she had to remind herself for a moment that she did deserve nice little instances like that as proof of how far she truly has come from what she was originally molded into being.

Amelia ultimately forgot what she'd come out here to do as she embraced the sight of all the different flowers and plants surrounding her, the vibrant colors and breathtaking variety reminding her of what Ivy's original passion had been. She'd gotten confirmation from one of her dads that this backyard garden was, in fact, a passion project Ivy had been working on for years, and seeing how far the whole thing had come filled Amelia with a sense of pride for her old friend... awkward as it felt considering what she'd done to her that could've very easily prevented any of this garden from coming to fruition in the first place.

“I can't believe I hurt her so badly...” Amelia lamented. “All because I couldn't stand up to my stupid parents...”

“Your parents are stupid and suck pretty hard, we can definitely agree on that.”

Amelia whipped around in surprise, blushing in embarrassment as Ivy was stepping out onto the back porch of her house, sliding the glass door shut behind her before she started walking over to where Amelia was still sitting, letting her fingers delicately trail over the petals of some of her flowers as she smiled.

“Ivy! Wh-what are you doing here?” Amelia stammered, but before Ivy could respond she bopped herself on the head. “I mean, I know this is your house so of course you'd be here, but-”

“Alright girl, take a breath,” Ivy cut Amelia off, holding up a hand so she could stop talking. She waited until Amelia did, in fact, take a deep breath to recompose herself before she continued. “I just wanted to come out and check on you, see how you were holding up.”

“I...” Amelia started, only to trail off. In her head, she knew she had just been pondering how she and Luz had been suppressing their issues lately, and she cringed at how easily the 'I'm fine' or some variation of it was about to roll off her tongue. Ivy raised an eyebrow but but stayed quiet, giving her the chance to open up if she really felt comfortable doing so. Finally, she let out a sigh. “I could be doing better Ivy... I know that's probably pretty obvious, but it's true.”

“I figured you were doing that whole 'out of sight, out of mind' thing again,” Ivy admitted as she closed the distance and carefully sat down beside Amelia. “I can tell Luz is doing it too... I have no room to judge considering I'm probably the queen of that unhealthy habit, and I can't blame you guys after everything that's happened lately.”

“I hate it all so much Ivy,” Amelia admitted. “I just... I don't know what to do. I hate the fact that Luz and I are caught in the middle of two different wars we don't really want to be a part of, I hate that this all can't just be as simple as us being allowed to wrestle to our hearts' contents or to just have things go fairly without some sort of desperate attempt at chaos unfolding... worst of all, I hate how much it's affected Luz. I know she's been really down lately, I've given her space while letting her know I'm here if and when she wants to open up, but I'm just so angry at the fact that someone as pure as her who wears her heart on her sleeve is being thrown off so much because of everything going on around us and I don't know what, if anything, I can do to fix it.”

Ivy reached over and gently patted Amelia's back as she vented, surprising the woman but but enough to interrupt her as she got everything off her chest. Once she finished, she turned to look at Ivy, who was giving her a sympathetic smile.

“I know this whole thing has been hard Amelia,” she carefully said. “I can't even begin to imagine what you both have been going through... well, maybe the wrestling portion a little bit, but all this bullcrap with The Empire... I know you and Luz are trying to keep everyone else out as best as you can, thinking it'll keep us safe, but I think Caleb's shown at this point that he knows who your friends are and he won't hesitate to come after us if it means getting to you guys. We can keep staying out if it if you guys really want us to, but know that we're always here for you and you both don't have to feel like you're in this fight alone. After all, what kind of friend would I be if I wasn't strong enough to protect the people I care about when I need to?”

Amelia huffed in amusement, mentally kicking herself for realizing that she had started falling into another old habit of feeling like she needed to protect those close to her. When she and Ivy had agreed to start anew around this time last year, Ivy had wanted to show Amelia that she was more than capable of fending for herself now, and she knew her old friend didn't need protecting when she was probably strong enough to throw anybody who threatened her around like a sack of fertilizer.

“You're right Ivy,” she admitted. “It's just way too easy to fall into old mindsets because of how simple and safe it feels. But playing it safe doesn't always work and sometimes you need to be willing to step out of your comfort zone... I just wish I knew what was going on in Luz's head so I could try to help her like you're helping me now.”

“Well... if it helps, she was kind of looking like she was in better spirits before she went out for a little jog around the neighborhood a little bit ago,” Ivy informed her. “I know it's hard, and again, I have no right to disagree when I'm in that same boat and have those moments too still. You two will bounce back in SCW, if not winning back those Tag Titles then starting back at the bottom and working your way right back up. Maybe you'll both even get a chance to have a few other singles title reigns along the way to further silence your doubters. There's always options... that goes for The Empire stuff too.”

“I'm just glad it seems like they've left us alone after we made that ill-fated exchange,” Amelia sighed. “It's concerning that Caleb seems content to just leave us with the emotional scar of what he did to Ryan, but I can't say I'm not grateful that we're being left alone for the moment.”

“Take advantage of it while you can,” Ivy advised. “You and Luz just want to focus on wrestling, so do just that. Bounce back, embrace what you girls love doing, show the world that you two are still very much an integral part of SCW in one form or another. If Caleb gets upset once he realizes he can't break you, we'll find a way to turn the tables on him. Just don't forget that we're all here for you and you deserve to have us in your life... just like you and Luz deserve to be together forever because of how good you are for one another.”

Amelia opened her mouth to respond, but before she could get a word out her and Ivy's attention shifted over to the fence along the side of the house when the sound of something thumping onto the ground hit their ears. They started getting up, ready to defend themselves if need be, but they paused in surprise to find that Luz had been the reason for the noise, apparently having vaulted over the fence. She took a few deep breaths and shook off some of the sweat she'd produced before giving the other two women a sheepish grin.

“Sorry!” she said while rubbing the back of her mask. “Didn't mean to interrupt... or eavesdrop... might've also been hoping I could be a little stealthier...”

Amelia couldn't help but grin, the mannerisms being that of the Luz she knew and loved which was a hopeful sign she really was back to her old self.

“Get over here, dummy,” she laughed, opening her arms for a hug. Luz wasted no time in sprinting over and practically tackling her fiancée to the ground, unleashing a barrage of kisses all over Amelia's face as they both laughed like they hadn't in a long time. Ivy just grinned and shook her head in amusement.

“I'm sorry Ames,” Luz finally said after the two of them had gotten all the 'lovey-dovey' out of their system and finally just cuddled up in the grass together.

“Hey, you have nothing to apologize for, Lulu,” Amelia told her. “And I have every right to apologize as well. We can talk about it when we hit the road for the next Breakdown in Vancouver... just remember that I could never think any differently of you and I am so proud of what you managed to achieve these past few months.”

“Seriously Luz, you were awesome,” Ivy backed up Amelia's statement.

“I know,” Luz admitted, “and I also know that neither title reign was meant to last forever, as much as it stings because of everything that happened around those losses. But, I know for sure that no matter what happens this next Breakdown or even at Retribution, we'll come out of this stronger than ever before. And sooner or later, maybe we'll be strong enough to remember that we don't have to keep trying to ignore our problems to keep pushing forward.”

“Every problem has a solution, and we aren't alone in trying to figure that out on both fronts,” Amelia admitted. “Guess it took a trip to Ivy's magical Garden of Realization to snap out of it this time... thank you Ivy.”

“Oh, so that's what we're calling it now?” Ivy laughed, and soon all three women were laughing and simply enjoying the peace and tranquility of this backyard garden setting.

There was still plenty to talk about and plans that needed to be made for the future, but Amelia couldn't help but take a moment to admire just how much her life had truly changed and how much she had now. Eventually, she and Luz would find themselves carrying the banner in some fashion within SCW once more, continuing to carve out their own legacies and defining their own careers. And if The Empire finally thought they had an opening to strike, then they'd find a way to weather that storm as well.

Being The Light In The Darkness was never easy, but Amelia wouldn't have it any other way.