Aisling & Alex Belmont(?) vs. Light in the Darkness

[Konrad Raab]

SCW World Tag Team Championship

4 RP Limit for Tag

No Word Limit

Deadline: 11:59:59 pm ET Wednesday, December 11, 2024

[Thunderhorse]

(Alex Belmont w/The Foundation) "Unionizing with the Devil"

OOC: For best effect ambiance wise, listen to the meeting parts with the following song playing in the background.

[Wisteria Waltz]

They were beaten, battered, bloodied and broken...

And yet, they continued to stand tall in defiance of everything and everyone who sought their absolute destruction.

This year's Fatal Fortunes was in the books, and there was no surprise that all of their loved ones were horrified by the state Luz and Amelia were in once tonight's Breakdown had wrapped up. The state they'd been left in after the Fall of Man's attack on them two weeks ago had been hard enough to watch, but the grizzly sight of blood pouring down their faces as cuts, bruises and welts lined their bodies and only added to the pain they were still enduring from those prior injuries... it had been a hard pill to swallow for many of them.

Perhaps none more than Camila, who had all but used her position as a doctor to force her way into the trainer's room and demanded that Dr. Okafor let her help in tending to their wounds. Surprisingly, the head trainer had relented, likely due to the fact that SCW was well aware of Camila's years of experience in the field of medicine and she knew better than anyone how to patch up her own daughter. There was also the fact that James and Waylon probably needed to be looked at too, as well as Derek Adonis who had also been busted open, and having all of those combustible elements in the same space was just begging for a violent disaster to happen.

The whole time the couple had been herded from the trainer's room back to their own locker room by Camila, Marilyn, Henry and Emily, Luz found herself unconsciously biting her bottom lip so hard she questioned if she'd drawn blood or if the metallic taste was from the blood that had already been running beneath her shredded mask. It brought her mind back to the days when she was a little girl and had watched the frustrated conversations between her parents over how hard El Espíritu Angélico kept pushing himself in the ring, even when it was clear he might've been hurt... back to the days when she and her mom had butted heads themselves when Luz went against her wishes and joined the business anyway, with any moments like this becoming ammunition Camila would use to justify why she wanted her daughter to reconsider the decision.

At some point during the walk, Amelia had reached over and taken Luz's hand, perhaps sensing her wife's concerns and trying her best to comfort her. It was easier said than done considering that for as much pain as they were both in right now, it hurt even more in their hearts to see each other's pretty faces covered in blood, but Luz smiled in response to the gesture all the same. Deep down, she knew her relationship with her mother had come a long way in terms of healing over the past year and a half, and the older woman was very much entitled to her concerns over her daughter's well-being, but there was still those hints of fear buried deep down about all of that coming undone if Camila was so justifiably afraid of Luz getting seriously hurt that things relapsed into where they used to be.

Eventually, the group had finally made it to the locker room designated for The Light In The Darkness, and Luz and Amelia were seated on one of the benches. Camila asked them to try to relax before she dictated orders to the others to help out while she ran back to her car to retrieve her medical bag, and the frantic activity was a surprising reminder of just what the couple had around them now. Granted, it had been quite some time since either one of them had been in a state like this, but they had seen their found family rally together around them when James and Waylon had tried to break them in half two weeks ago and they were just as stunned now at how ready and willing everyone was to patch them up good as new. Some might believe it was stupid to keep being stunned by how much they were loved and care for beyond each other, but given that one another was all they'd really had in that department for what felt like forever, they were still working to shed the trauma and concerns over how much that bubble of care had truly grown over the past few years now.

It also made it even sadder to them how much certain people out there wanted to destroy that for their own selfish reasons.

Despite the state they were coming out of it in, this year's Fatal Fortunes had proven to be a step in the right direction for The Light In The Darkness. Once again, they had found themselves staring down a rather hefty challenge not just through the sheer number of bookings but also in the form of what actually got drawn for them this year, but this time they had come through it all with an incredible clean sweep. Luz had successfully gotten through the first defense of her interim U.S. Title as well as finally showing off her submission skills from having Amelia in her life for so long, and Amelia herself had gotten to team with Xander one more time to endure a First Blood Match.

And yet, all of that paled in comparison to the fact that their World Tag Title reign was still alive after enduring that Clockwork Orange House of Fun Match and proving that, when push came to shove, they would not back down and could not only survive everything that the Fall of Man had to throw at them, but they could return the favor if those two men wanted such a fight that badly. For all the pain they were in, for all the efforts of James, Waylon, and even Billy earlier in the night with his steel chair shot, Amelia Nevado and La Pequeña Luz had endured and stood tall at the end of the night.

In the back of Amelia's mind, she hoped that Caleb and his cronies were watching, because she knew this was only a preview of just how hard it was to put her and her beloved out of commission, and she wanted that sight of them standing tall despite being beaten and bloodied to forever burn itself into that madman's brain as a warning of his inevitable failure if he really wanted to keep trying to destroy their lives.

“OK, you two,” Camila said as Amelia and Luz snapped out of their thoughts and realized she had returned. “I'm going to need you both to stay sitting upright for me while we get you cleaned up. This is going to sting and I apologize for that, but I want to make sure these cuts won't get infected before we get you all stitched up. If you need me to stop for a moment then please, please let me know, but the sooner we get you patched up the better. ¿Está bien?”

“Sí, mamá,” Luz replied while Amelia slowly nodded.

Camila got right to work, directing Henry—who admitted he knew a thing or two about patching up wounds because of the “tough love” his uncle had shown him, giving everyone yet another reason to hate Caleb White's existence with a furious passion—and Emily—who had been showing more of an interest in the medical field lately the more she'd spent time around Camila—with anything she needed help with while Marilyn made sure the couple stayed upright and conscious while they were taken care of. While it did sting as the bleeding wounds courtesy of James Evans were dealt with, both women were in agreement that it was nothing compared to all the other pain they had felt at the hands of both him and Waylon Creek over the past several weeks.

It was weird to look back on their time in SCW, including the few months they had been here back in late 2020 to early 2021, and it had taken this long to find themselves dealing with anyone who felt it necessary to target them, not in the sense of wanting to face them or pursuing whatever championship gold they held, but simply because they believed The Light In The Darkness had to be destroyed and that's all there was to it. Heck, even throughout their entire careers this felt like the first time they'd found themselves in this kind of situation. The closest comparison they could draw, at least in terms of wrestling, still led them back to either Amelia's parents or The Empire at large, and even then, the only destruction that had been sought was the desire to erase the couple's reputations and replace it with anything of their own design.

Outside the ring was a much different story, but that was just how Caleb operated. Misdirect, gaslight, and get away from any wrongdoing looking like the ultimate saint while someone else took the fall, then clean up the remaining mess and move on. It was a truly disgusting pattern that left them wondering how the man could even live with himself for every drop of blood he's ever spilled in the name of his “righteous mission,” but that was just it... thinking all the way back to the day when they had taken Caleb down earlier this year, he had claimed that he couldn't live with himself but was just doing what he claimed God had instructed him to do, truly believing that if he could 'save' Luz and Amelia from their 'sins' then that alone would be enough to 'redeem' him and earn his place in Heaven once his time finally came.

“It's disgusting to think that James is so much like that God-touting monster, it's not even funny...” Luz mumbled as her hands ran along the jagged edges of what remained of her mask.

“You know I've been in this business for a very long time,” Marilyn replied as she offered another hand for Luz to squeeze as Camila worked on stitching her up, “and despite some of my own violent and gory feuds over the years, I don't think I've ever seen anyone quite like that James Evans guy... and I'd tell him to his face that's not a compliment.”

“The saddest part is that he blames me for the way he is now,” Amelia sighs before hissing a bit from Emily's efforts to clean her other wounds. “All because of that accident that saw him get badly injured that I've already beaten myself up for ever since...”

“Which you know he doesn't care about because it doesn't fit the narrative he wants to spin,” Henry stated as he handed Emily a roll of medical tape. “Sadly, all he needs to do is start acting like he and Waylon are doing any of this in the name of God and he might as well be no different than my uncle.”

“But you are not responsible for what that man has become,” Camila firmly added. “James willingly chose to be a monster in response to it, just as Caleb willingly chose to believe he was some sort of sociopathic 'cleanser' of the human race. They only blame others because they refuse to take responsibility for things they know are wrong in some desperate bid to justify any heinous acts as necessary and right.”

Amelia let out a shaky breath in response, and Luz squeezed her hand tighter. It was a concept they had both struggled with and others had knowingly preyed upon in the past, namely Amelia's parents in any attempts to justify why they treated her and her siblings the way they did, but Luz was no stranger to it herself. From others using her quirky nature as an excuse to bully her all the way up to trying to claim that Luz herself was somehow responsible for her father's death despite being no more than a spectator on that fateful night, she knew the burden of thinking that she had a hand in creating the monsters that surrounded her growing up and constant reminders like the one her mother had just given were the only thing keeping both her and Amelia together in the face of it.

Luz briefly pondered if some therapy might help with this, but she quickly shelved the thought because what therapist would even deal in matters that had their roots in a religious cult that, unfortunately, was active once again?

“Cariño, do you have a spare mask?” Camila asked, dragging Luz back out of her thoughts. “You're going to have to take that one off to finish cleaning your face.”

“I always have a few spares, just in case,” Luz replied. “I liked this one, though... curse James and Waylon...”

“You love all your masks, Lulu,” Amelia painfully chuckled.

“What can I say? They're a part of me,” Luz grinned despite the blood she knew she still needed to clean up. Amelia couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief at seeing her wife's more joyous demeanor back once again despite everything.

“Good to see you both in good spirits, all things considered,” Henry noted.

“Yeah, what the heck was that out there?” Emily couldn't resist asking. “We know you two can get angry, and Ed and I know firsthand how scary that can be when we're on the wrong side of it, but what you guys did out there, it... it was so unlike you...”

“It's not something we plan on making a habit of,” Amelia replied. “It's just... we had the environment, we knew Waylon wasn't going to hesitate given what they did two weeks ago with just their bare hands, and we knew James wouldn't resist getting involved to help because he could. We had every reason to make them understand that they weren't going to end us no matter how hard they tried, so we just...” Amelia couldn't keep herself from sighing again. “I hated having to do that, but truth be told, we probably wouldn't have survived otherwise.”

“It almost hurt as much to be that angry as it did when they did what they did to us,” Luz lamented. “I don't like hating people and letting that get the better of me... but... those two and William Heaven just make it so hard not to...”

“Unfortunately, there's just people like that out in the world, as you both know,” Marilyn grimly stated, and everyone knew who she was referring to. “I know it's hard, but you both did what you had to in order to pull through.”

“You know James is going to use this against us, though,” Amelia huffed as Camila began working on stitching her up. “The fact that we got violent, ignoring the fact that he's the reason we were both busted open in the first place among what else he and Waylon tried to do to intentionally injure us or end our careers tonight... the fact that the only reason we even won that match is because of Derek...”

“Then let him spew his nonsense,” Henry told her and Luz. “It's like you said: he's no different than Caleb is. What you both did out there was justified purely to survive what you knew they were going to do, and you're allowed to be angry and take it out on the people who pushed you too far when SCW gives you the platform to resolve it. It's no different than anytime Caleb wants to use you two to justify the pain and suffering he inflicts: he was a monster who deserved to be locked away, and that's exactly what we did to him. We were justified in stopping his so-called mission, just as the two of you are justified to live your lives how you want to, including being in love with each other. Let them spout their delusional beliefs... those who truly know who Amelia Nevado and La Pequeña Luz are won't pay it any mind because they're too smart to fall for it, and eventually, those who do will realize how wrong they were...”

Everyone in the room picks up on the way Henry trails off near the end, and it's not hard to tell he's still harboring some resentment towards himself for how easily he bought into everything his uncle fed to him growing up. Luz is the first to move, slowly standing up and catching herself as she stumbles for a moment from all the blood she's lost tonight before she carefully makes her way over to Henry. He looks at her in confusion for a moment before she throws herself at him in a hug, further surprising him. No words need to be said, however, and he understands what she's trying to do before he carefully returns the hug. Once Camila's finished stitching up Amelia, she helps the younger woman to her feet before they both go to hug Luz and Henry as well.

“You guys didn't have to-” Henry started before Amelia cut him off.

“We may not even be here if it wasn't for you, Henry.”

“You're just as much a victim as everyone else,” Luz added.

“Ay, we really need to figure something out for you kids...” Camila sighed. “This isn't healthy...”

“Nor is what The Empire's doing, but unfortunately, that's the hand we've been dealt and we're just going to have to play until we can finally put an end to this nightmare,” Marilyn admitted.

Camila could only nod, sadly admitting to herself what Luz had already realized earlier about the possibility of therapy for what they were involved in, whether they liked it or not.

“Well, at least you two are all patched up now,” Emily pointed out, “and I'd say you both have earned a good night's rest after... all of that. Plus, I think Gage and Ed need the reassurance that you're alright.”

“I do need to get out of what's left of this mask, anyway,” Luz sheepishly admitted. “Give us a moment to gather up our stuff and we can head back to the hotel.”

“Actually...” Camila cut in before Luz could move away once they'd all separated from the group cooldown hug for Henry. “Could I have some privacy to speak with you and Amelia for a moment, mija?”

Luz audibly gulped at this and turned to look at the others for help, but Marilyn was already heading for the door, knowing it wasn't her place. She motioned for Emily and Henry to join her, the former nodding in understanding while the latter looked confused even when Marilyn could be heard saying she'd explain it to him later as they closed the door behind them. Amelia, for her part, stood strong and kept a tight hold on Luz's hand, even gently rubbing her thumb along the knuckles like they always did to help comfort one another.

“Please, mija... you can change your mask now,” Camila spoke gently. “I know what the face of mi preciosa bebe looks like... and you know I won't tell a soul.”

Luz nodded as Amelia respectfully closed her eyes and turned away from her wife. She didn't have to, given that she had seen Luz without her mask as well, but Luz wasn't sure if Camila was aware of that fact or not and Amelia seemed willing to at least honor tradition to maintain the illusion just in case. It seemed clear that it wasn't going to leave this room regardless, so Luz started to slowly undo the strings on the back of her mask before carefully pulling it off, looking down at the tattered remains in mourning. She moved to grab one of the towels still lying around to gently wipe off any remaining blood on her face before digging around in her bag. A few moments later, and her face was once again covered, the fact that the colors of this mask clashed horribly with her ring attire for tonight irrelevant as she started moving to change into her street clothes, with Amelia following suit once she got confirmation that Luz's face had a mask on once more. There was still a palpable tension in the room, and it led to Camila finally breaking the silence with a sad sigh.

“Lo siento, mija,” she finally said. “I know what's probably going through your head, and I didn't mean to unnecessarily add any more stress tonight.”

Luz and Amelia exchanged glances for a moment.

“What do you mean, mom?” Luz asked, confused.

“I remember how this has all played out in the past,” Camila replied. “The few times you've ever gone through a match that's left you bleeding or badly hurt... I would immediately jump all over you for it, trying to convince you that it's be safer for you to hang up the mask and boots and just forget about wrestling. You probably thought I would do the same thing now... didn't you?”

“I...” Luz began before trailing off, her worries showing through loud and clear as she took a deep breath to try and recompose herself. “I hate to say it, but... the thought might have crossed my mind when you demanded to take over in stitching us up. Lo siento...”

“No, no bebe, I'm the one who should be apologizing,” Camila insisted. “Even if I was justified in being afraid after what happened to your father, I was wrong to take that out on you and keep trying to force you to follow a different path. I see the effect it's had on you and... dios mío, it hurts my heart to see you be afraid of me because of it.”

“You had good intentions,” Amelia noted.

“Yeah,” Luz nodded in agreement. “I know you're worried about me mom... yeah, maybe it wasn't the best approach because of the rift it drove between us for so long, but I think it's painfully clear none of us are perfect and we're all prone to making mistakes.”

“And we're all capable of learning from them,” Camila noted as she planted a gentle kiss on Luz's forehead, where her stitches were beneath her mask, before repeating this with Amelia. “I just wanted a moment to reassure you both that while I am worried, especially if things keep escalating with those bastards or The Empire or... or... anyone else, really... it doesn't change the fact that I am very proud of the incredible young women you've both become in spite of everything over the years. The fight you both keep showing each and every day... it truly is inspiring, and as much as I needed to tell you this, mija, I wanted to make sure Amelia heard it as well. Lord knows I need to be a better mother than Ophelia Blythe could ever be.”

“You already are,” Amelia grinned as she moved to hug Camila again.

“Still... thank you, Mamá,” Luz added as she joined the hug. “I wish I could promise we won't make a habit of this, but...”

“Eh, I know nights like tonight aren't common in this sport,” Camila admitted. “And even if they were... you've long since proven how strong and resilient you are, Mi Pequeña Luz. You and Amelia both. It's just hard as your mother not to worry so much... you'll both understand when you make me an abeula someday.”

Luz and Amelia both turned crimson at that, and Camila couldn't help but laugh at the reaction. They couldn't hold it against her, though... she had parental rights to playful teasing about her daughter's relationship, and it was hard to argue about how effective it was at cutting away any tension that may have been lingering in the air.

As they all finished gathering their things and began to leave the Rogers Place behind, Luz and Amelia mentally started turning their attention to what lie in front of them. Wrestling-wise, there was no shortage of challenges with Fatal Fortunes now in the books. They weren't too sure what the status was regarding Aisling Reed and Alex Belmont after the latter was inexplicably attacked earlier tonight, but hopefully they would have some answers there sooner rather than later. Beyond that random pairing that had earned a shot at their Tag Titles, there was also the matter of Luz having Asher Hayes at some point as the next threat for her interim U.S. Title reign, and a very credible threat at that to her goal of getting that unification match with Deanna. It was also hard to believe that tonight resolved anything regarding the Fall of Man given that they had only won because Derek Adonis, understandably, did not want to share that gold with the same man who nearly broke his neck some time back.

Add in the matters outside the ring with The Empire still lurking in the shadows now that Caleb was free, no doubt plotting their next move, and there was plenty of reason for the couple to be worried about the future.

“Luz? Amelia?”

The couple were pulled from their thoughts once again as they found themselves out in the parking lot, seeing their found family waiting for them. Gage and Edward looked incredibly relieved to see them patched up while Ivy just looked amused by their reactions, and Emily and Henry were talking with Valentina while Marilyn had been discussing something with Avery, who had their phone out, but the emergence of the Nevados had drawn their attention enough for them to speak and approach them.

“Is everything alright, Avery?” Amelia asked.

“We're not sure, to be honest...” the FBI agent admitted.

“Did something happen?” Luz questioned.

“More like someone happened,” Marilyn tossed out as the rest of the group began to converge around them now in curiosity. “A certain wannabe wrestling journalist, to be exact.”

Luz couldn't help but groan as Amelia and Camila patted her back. “What the heck did he do this time?”

“Nothing yet... well, not exactly...” Avery sighed. “When he was interrogated some time back, we gave him a number to call if he ever changed his mind about actually playing along and not hiding behind some NDA that holds no weight given why we had him in custody. He actually called it after Breakdown ended tonight.”

“And...?” Amelia raised an eyebrow, her confusion evident in her voice. “Is that a good thing, or...?”

“Avery's not sure,” Marilyn threw out. “And Avery not being sure isn't usually a good sign, in my own personal experience.”

“OK, we might need to talk and unpack some things sooner rather than later, Marilyn... if you're willing, that is...” Avery replied, stunning Marilyn completely as they turned their focus back to Luz and Amelia. “He said he's finally willing to talk, but his terms were that we meet him in Baltimore to do so...”

“Wait... that's where next week's Breakdown is...” Amelia realized.

“Yup,” Avery confirmed. “And he also wants the two of you present... he made a bunch of claims to the contrary when I reminded him that he's still under a restraining order regarding the two of you, but his biggest reasoning was that he claims he wants to properly apologize to you both face-to-face, and with at least me present then he couldn't try anything even if he wanted to. He's hoping that apologizing and finally sharing whatever he's been hiding from us this whole time, especially now that we're pretty certain about who his 'insider source' was all along, will allow him to negotiate to get the restraining order dropped entirely.”

“You're not going to consider that, are you?” Camila bluntly asked.

“Seriously,” Luz added. “Even if Jacob was just another tool being used to get to us, he still proved he's a major creep regardless.”

“I never confirmed that dropping the restraining order was even on the table at all,” Avery clarified. “He's just assuming he can bargain for it, and I'm willing to just let him keep believing it if it means we can finally get him to talk after all this time. I hate to involve either of you at all, though, especially since your focus should be on whatever's next for the both of you, but... if he's got anything at all that could help us get the jump on The Empire before they finally strike anew...”

“As long as he can't try anything, we're willing to help,” Amelia confirmed.

“Yeah,” Luz agreed. “And hopefully he's smart enough not to try anything.”

“You both do have my permission to kick his ass yourselves if necessary,” Avery grinned. “Maybe a bit unprofessional on my part, but... I'd be willing to look the other way if it gets the point across.”

Luz and Amelia both nodded, personally not wanting to have to deal with Jacob Harrison anymore, but knowing that even something small could give them a huge advantage in trying to put an end to The Empire's deranged plans, whatever they may be, once and for all. And if he was willing to apologize for invading their privacy and slandering their names on his crazed witch hunt, then they would at least be willing to give him one chance.

Everybody deserved at least one chance to make amends and turn over a new leaf, after all...

And if they refused to take it?

Then Luz and Amelia had no problem fighting even harder to prove that the kind of future they desired was worth every last drop of blood, sweat and tears they were willing to shed to earn it, no matter how many people like James Evans, Waylon Creek, or even Caleb White they would have to fight through in order to make it a reality.

[Jay Gold]

NOTE:  Episodes 10 and 11 are for Aisling.  There will be no crossover between her or Polly.  This one for Aisling is mostly promo.  Story to come in Episode 11...



Season 6 / Episode 10 / Wondering (Part 1 - Her Thoughts)

[Thunderhorse]

A joint Alex Belmont & Chris Dumont episode.

(Alex Belmont & Chris Dumont) "Last Resort-Reimagined?"

[Wisteria Waltz]

It had been about a week since Fatal Fortunes had wrapped up... plenty of time for everything that had happened on the shows to fully process in the minds of The Light In The Darkness.

The Fall of Man were still at the forefront of their thoughts, and it was hard to forget about them even temporarily considering how much Luz and Amelia both knew this situation was far from over. Given that Waylon had also been stripped of his Television Title as well—a consequence of the Fall of Man's destructive actions as of late—it wasn't hard to guess he and James would be even more furious and desperate to try and end the couple just to validate their own egos and desires.

It truly was frightening the more they thought about how much the group was starting to mirror The Empire. If it wasn't for the smaller numbers, the lack of religious justification and the desire to skip straight to destruction as opposed to trying to force the two of them to join first, it wouldn't sound so far-fetched to believe the faction was associated with or splintered off from the religious cult. Hell, they were even named after the religious doctrine associated with the story of Adam and Eve's exile from the Garden of Eden.

As much as they knew the Fall of Man would likely be waiting to strike, however, Luz and Amelia were in agreement that they had to try their best to ignore their presence for the next Breakdown. They were well aware of how much the distractions of what both lie ahead of them and were going on around them had infamously cost them in the past. The constant back-and-forth between Dark Fantasy and Twisted & Sadistic with them caught in the middle had ultimately distracted Luz enough that The Enigma capitalized to end her Television Title reign near the start of the year, much as the distraction of helping to clean up Glory and Brittany's mess to try and give them no excuses this time had taken its toll and seen Team Desire upset them to end their second run as World Tag Team Champions. Now, another defense of their current Tag Title reign was before them, and they were left with the challenge of proving they had finally learned from those mistakes and could compartmentalize to keep their longest reign yet alive for another week.

One thing that had seemingly become a theme during this year's Fatal Fortunes was matches where the winner earned a title shot somewhere down the line. They had seen it once last year with Kirsten Scott earning a World Title opportunity, but this year it seemed like almost every title except for that one got this treatment. The return of Asher Hayes and him immediately earning a shot at Luz's interim U.S. Title had her on edge as she knew Asher would be a major obstacle in her goal of getting to that unification match with Deanna, but it was the Tag Title contenders coming out of these shows that took precedent in their eyes... and carried with it their own questions.

They had gotten settled in at their hotel in Baltimore, knowing that the upcoming Breakdown in this city would see them in action defending their Tag Titles even after going through that brutal Clockwork Orange House of Fun Match just last week. One of the matches drawn for Fatal Fortunes had been a tornado tag match pitting two completely randomly drawn teams together, and by virtue of their win in that match, Aisling Reed and Alex Belmont would have to team together one more time come Thursday night to try and dethrone them. Luz and Amelia were familiar with both of them to some degree... they hadn't really crossed paths with Aisling since having to work with her and the rest of what was now known as Body, Heart & Soul at the pay-per-view that once bore that very name early last year in that infamous twelve-person tag match, and Alex was more recent considering the Shinigami Foundation had called out their intentions to take their titles and use it to effectively gatekeep the entire division, sparking the chaos that led to the Tag Title Chamber Match at Under Attack.

It was an odd pairing, for sure, and they could sit around in their hotel room all day questioning if they could even work together one more time, but Luz and Amelia were never ones to underestimate anybody. Considering they'd been stunned before, not to mention the fact that they were always upfront about wanting their opponents to give them nothing less than their very best, they knew better than to let their guards down.

The real question, however, was whether or not Alex would even be competing in the match. While watching the show backstage as they awaited their remaining draws, they had seen Alex be attacked after his partner Wil's Fourway Table Match, and Wil had all but abandoned him to be taken out by some newcomers who apparently knew him and believed they had the right to terminate his SCW contract. It had been a bizarre scene, for sure, but Alex had the title shot along with Aisling and the match was being advertised with him in it, so they would just have to act as though that was the challenge in front of them and do their best to be ready for anything in case the old “card subject to change” warning came into play. Hopefully, whatever ended up happening, it wouldn't leave Aisling to face them in a handicap match, because they were not comfortable defending those titles with an unfair advantage if they had a say in the matter.

Being ready for anything, however, didn't just apply to SCW, and there was a feeling of uneasiness shared between the couple as they knew what else awaited them in Charm City.

Truth be told, Luz and Amelia would gladly give anything to never have to deal with Jacob Harrison ever again. For a good amount of time this year in the wake of Caleb's arrest, the conspiracy theorist who ran the “True Hero Wrestling Reporter” YouTube channel had harassed them, all because of a supposed tip from a 'trusted insider source' he refused to divulge that claimed the Luz and Amelia everyone knew had been replaced by imposters serving The Empire and working towards breaking Caleb out of prison. This had led to him being arrested twice, placed under house arrest, slapped with a restraining order meant to keep him several hundred feel away from Luz and Amelia at all times, and also interrogated about who his so-called source truly was... a task that was further complicated by said source anonymously contacting Avery's director in the FBI and throwing several more prominent members of The Empire that had been in hiding under the bus in exchange for Jacob's release.

The matter had seemingly died after the Stewards had upset The Light In The Darkness for the World Tag Titles, namely because even Jacob realized he'd been lied to by his supposed source in the face of an act that only the real Luz and Amelia would ever attempt to pull, that being their attempt to talk CHBK into imposing sanctions on them to prevent any title opportunities until they could defeat everyone on the roster at least once as a means of proving themselves in the wake of that fateful defeat. Ever since then, according to Gage occasionally skimming through the guy's content just to make sure he wasn't going to become a problem again, aside from mentioning them whenever he went over SCW results, he seemed adamant on not talking about them whatsoever, and that was perfectly fine as far as they were concerned.

The only real unanswered questions that lingered after the whole ordeal were the identity of his mysterious 'insider source' and why they coerced Jacob into doing their dirty work. The Blythes, namely Ophelia, had been the obvious first suspect as it was the kind of manipulation stained with pettiness towards her 'wayward' daughter that the Blythe matriarch would pull without a second thought, but Amelia had struggled to fully buy into that theory because it felt a little too obvious... not to mention that was when her parents were still tied up in court regarding their own involvement in The Empire.

The last time Jacob had even been on their radar was back after Apocalypse had ended, when he appeared out of nowhere in the parking lot—in clear violation of his restraining order—to interrupt the couple's tense exchange with Theresa Saintsbury. In retrospect, it almost felt painfully obvious who Jacob's source had been after that whole incident, but Luz and Amelia had let it go partly because they had already proven themselves to be stronger than the machinations of the woman formerly known in the wrestling world as Lady Snapdragon and partly because finalizing their wedding plans was a far more important use of their time at that point.

Given that they now knew Theresa had been a part of Caleb's “true elite” all along, it felt like a perfect coincidence that Jacob only now decided he wanted to apologize and come clean... assuming Theresa being his supposed source wasn't bait for a trap or clever misdirection.

“You think he's actually going to apologize?” Luz couldn't help but ask her wife as the two of them got changed for the day ahead, making sure they were ready to get a good workout in once this was off their plates.

“It's hard to say...” Amelia admitted as she made sure she was presentable in the mirror, pausing only to run a finger gently along her stitches. “I want to hope he makes this as simple as actually apologizing, telling Avery whatever he's been sitting on and then staying out of our lives for good, but I have a bad feeling he won't.”

“$20 says he'll try to livestream this whole meeting because he's that desperate for more views for his channel,” Luz grinned.

“I'm not taking that bet because you'll probably win,” Amelia laughed.

“Aw, come on Ames,” Luz playfully pouted.

Before Amelia could respond, there was a knock at the door to their room. They exchanged glances before Amelia walked over to open it, unsurprisingly finding Avery standing on the other side. Camila was also with them, understandably looking worried.

“You two ready to get this over with?” Avery asked, sounding exactly as Luz and Amelia felt about this.

“As ready as we'll ever be,” Amelia sighed.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Camila asked. “This man's already crossed so many boundaries with these young ladies, and-”

“Believe me, mom, we'd rather not have to do this either,” Luz admitted as she and Amelia stepped out of their room and closed the door behind them. “But since he's insistent on apologizing to us for what he's done, what are the odds he won't actually talk unless he gets to do that?”

“I want to hope he wouldn't be that petty, but I'd rather not take my chances and lose anything he could actually have to offer,” Avery lamented. “That said Ms. Nevado, I have some of my fellow agents waiting downstairs who will also be present, both as a warning to him if he does think he can try anything and to keep an eye out in case this does happen to be some sort of Empire trap.”

“Lo siento, I just...” Camila sighed. “I just don't feel comfortable about any of this...”

“Believe me, mom, we agree with you,” Luz told her. “But like it or not, we could use anything we're able to get if it stops Caleb and his followers once and for all so we can just focus on our lives and our careers without fear.”

“Oh cariño...” Camila gently grabbed Luz's face before kissing the forehead of her mask. “Que el espíritu de tu padre te cuide.”

“I'm sure he's watching over us all the time, Camila,” Amelia softly smiled.

“I hate to interrupt,” Avery suddenly stated as they checked the time, “but we should probably get going. I want to get there early enough so we can establish a perimeter, and I'm sure we can all agree the sooner we get this over with, the better.”

Nods were exchanged as Camila took only a few moments after this to check both Luz and Amelia's stitches, making sure their wounds from the main event of last week's Breakdown were healing properly. Hearing that her daughter and daughter-in-law weer only getting a week to recover before going right into another title defense had the doctor wanting to cuss out CHBK personally, but she relented in the face of the couple's determination to fight through all the damage they'd sustained over the course of the past month to definitely prove to the entire SCW locker room that they weren't going to be so easy to destroy.

In a way, that declaration alone was proof enough to her that El Espíritu Angélico was watching out for the girls from up above, giving them extra strength to rise above everything that stood before them.

It wasn't long before Luz and Amelia were riding with Avery as part of a small FBI convoy heading towards the CFG Bank Arena. Concerns were discussed about Jacob wanting to meet them in front of the same arena where Breakdown would be taking place come Thursday night, but Amelia seemed to pitch the prevailing belief that if Jacob was hoping to try and mix in anything that could give him views and attention online, then having the two of them involved at the arena where they'd soon be defending their titles yet again made sense. The fact that the arena was surrounded by busy intersections also made the odds of this being a trap feel less likely, especially in broad daylight, but understandably, no one was going to take any chances.

Once they got close to the arena, the other vehicles split off as Avery found a parking spot a good length away from the arena. They all waited until Avery got confirmation that a perimeter had been secured and everyone was where they needed to be before the trio, along with two other agents, finally stepped out and headed around to the back area where SCW production trucks could already be seen, moving equipment into the arena to get set up for Breakdown. The man they were looking for was far enough away that he couldn't be called out for trespassing, positioned near the entrance doors as he looked to be fiddling with a tripod setup for his phone.

“Come on! Stupid piece of junk...” Jacob could be heard growling. “If my views hadn't taken such a hit because of this whole fiasco, I'd probably be able to afford a better tripod...”

“Sounds like the consequences of your own actions to me,” Luz suddenly called out.

Jacob audibly yelped and nearly jumped several feet into the air before he turned around, surprised to see Avery and The Light In the Darkness walking towards him. He also noticed the two other FBI agents with them, who had stopped to give them space but were still present, just in case.

“H-Hey! You guys are early!” Jacob nervously called. “And you've... brought some friends...”

“Before you take any issue with it, they're here purely as a precautionary measure,” Avery informed him. “We accepted this meeting on your terms despite having no reason to do so, especially since this area isn't a private and secure location, and we'd kindly like to hear what you have to say so we can all move on.”

“Right! Right, of course!” Jacob laughed, putting Luz and Amelia on guard with how unhinged he sounded as he moved to fiddle with his phone some more on the tripod. “Let me just get one last thing set up here... just a moment... why the hell am I not getting any signal all of a sudden!?”

“Because this is not something you're going to be livestreaming,” Avery firmly stated, removing their hand from their coat pocket and revealing a handheld signal jammer. “Despite the presence of Luz and Amelia, this is still FBI business, and we're not going to risk security leaks all because you're desperate for a little online validation.”

“No! No, you... you don't understand...” Jacob, to the surprise of everyone, practically threw himself onto his knees before them. “Please... I need this! I need to livestream my apology to these two and interview them like a true, honest professional so I can regain my credibility in the internet wrestling community!”

“So that's all we are to you?” Amelia spat, not bothering to hold back her disgust even despite Luz putting a comforting hand on her shoulder to try and keep her calm. “This is all just one big publicity stunt so you can be hailed as a 'hero' again online?”

“Wha-? No, no, no!” Jacob pleaded. “I'm being honest when I said I wanted to apologize to you two! I just... I'm just desperate to regain my clout online. This whole mess has ruined me, and not being able to even be present at most SCW shows to do live coverage because of the restraining order has me falling behind-”

“We don't care about your online reputation, you creep!” Amelia snapped.

“Amelia's right,” Luz said, her tone a little kinder but still showing the cracks of her own patience. “It's not our fault you threw away whatever you did have to violate our privacy on multiple occasions following some bogus lead. Even if we believe you about The Empire using you like some sort of tool for this, you still crossed several lines of your own volition and you're only sorry because you learned that your actions actually had consequences.”

“On that note,” Avery sternly added, “I suggest you start talking. You promised an apology to them and information to me... I'm willingly ignoring the restraining order for now, but I can easily stop doing that if you're not going to cooperate.”

Jacob frantically looked between all three of them, almost as if he was trying to find some magical solution to his problems that wasn't coming. After a moment, he let out a broken sigh and leaned back on his knees, holding back tears.

“I'm sorry...” he finally managed to get out. “It's just... my channel, my viewers, my online reputation... it's practically all I have. I quit my job as working at a museum just to make this a full-time gig, and I'm on the verge of losing everything... you're right, though... it's no excuse for the lines I crossed, even if I thought I had a good reason for doing so.”

Luz just glared at him. “You forced your way into a private onsen in Japan where we happened to be bathing, not to mention broke into our home in Anaheim. There is no good reason that could possibly justify either of those acts.”

“I'm sorry for doing that,” Jacob immediately said, and while the tone in his voice was sincere, his antics beforehand made it hard for any of them to fully buy in. “I... you don't have to accept my apology. You don't owe me that, or anything, really... I know now how much I fucked up here... I don't know if my online presence can be salvaged, as much as I'd love to be able to repair it after everything I've sunk into this, but... at the very least, I owe it to you two ladies to make this right however I can.”

“Then you can start by answering this for me,” Avery interjected. “Theresa Saintsbury was your 'insider source' that started this whole mess, wasn't she?”

Jacob just looked a little confused at this.

“Lady Snapdragon,” Amelia clarified.

“Oh! Sorry... I've only ever really known her by her wrestling identity,” Jacob admitted as he slowly pulled himself back to his feet. “Yeah, she's the one who reached out to me with the 'dirt' on you two. E-mailed me an NDA to sign so I wouldn't disclose her identity in any of my videos and claimed she was trying to uproot any remaining Empire influences in the wrestling business because she'd supposedly lost friends to Caleb White's influence. Hearing the news making the rounds that she's actually been in cahoots with him this whole time... what a crock of shit I fell for hook, line and sinker.”

“Did you ever think to try and research her claims yourself before you started trying to stick your nose into our privacy?” Luz asked.

“...that was actually what I was trying to do with my stupid antics...” Jacob admitted, which he knew gave Luz and Amelia every reason to start fuming at him. “I know this doesn't excuse what I did or paint me in a better light, but I built my whole online presence around being willing to go farther than anybody else to get the exclusive scoop for my viewers.”

“Do you know why she was having you do this?” Avery kept pushing.

“Besides the fake sob story she gave you about The Empire she was a part of all along?” Amelia added, though Jacob shook his head in response.

“All I knew was she had 'eyewitness proof' that you and Luz had been replaced by doubles who worked for The Empire,” he replied. “She asked me to help her gather something more concrete to expose you in exchange for the attention I'd get online for being the first to break such an exclusive story. Given that everyone knew by then about the fake Luz competing down in Mexico from last year, it sounded like a stunt that stable-turned-cult or whatever would pull. Between that and the fact that she's a bonafide legend in the wrestling business, I didn't think I had a reason to question any of it.”

“Sounds about right for how she manipulates people,” Luz huffed, recalling her own experiences with the elderly woman over the past few months. “She knows how to easily get into people's heads and make them think exactly what she wants them to... just like Caleb.”

“I do have a theory... if you're willing to hear me out, that is...” Jacob hesitantly offered, not being surprised in the slightest by the skeptical looks he got in return before Avery motioned for him to continue. “Look... before my reputation tanked because of everything, there's no denying that I was probably one of the biggest and most outspoken channels of my kind on YouTube. I had a rabid and devoted fanbase that didn't care if I crossed lines as long as I gave them something to sink their teeth into. I think Theresa or Caleb through her or whatever thought they could weaponize that, both to distract you all so he could be busted out, and because maybe they thought I could actually turn the general public opinion of you on its head with such claims about you actually having ties to The Empire. You know, kind of like how so many SCW fans started turning on Selena Frost when she started publicly taking issue with the thought of new ownership for the company.”

Avery raised an eyebrow, not seeming to get the connection. Luz and Amelia, however, both gasped and look at each other as that did help make things a little more clear.

“They probably thought if we were at our lowest, with no one supporting us...” Luz started.

“...then we'd be willing to listen to Caleb's words and actually be convinced we needed to join him to fix it!” Amelia finished.

Avery hummed as they stroked their chin in thought at this potential revelation. “We knew The Empire was keeping tabs on your SCW careers, but we thought it was mostly the Blythes to take petty jabs at you, Amelia, and the likes of Caleb and Theresa just wanting to sow seeds of doubt. But if they're actually using events to try and create potential plans...”

The unspoken implication hung in the air as they fully realized that Jacob's theory, while a bit wild, actually made sense given the other pieces of the puzzle that no one else knew about. That, in and of itself, was horrifying in the sense of what else Caleb and his cronies could employ to fulfill his deranged desires to 'save' Amelia and Luz from their 'sinful ways' purely for the sake of at least his own perceived redemption in the eyes of God, especially considering everything the couple had been battling through this past month alone and the challenges that still awaited them in the ring that they knew of.

“Is that everything?” Avery finally asked Jacob to break the growing silence.

“That is honestly everything that I have to share,” he admitted. “I know it's not much, but...”

“No, you've actually been a bigger help than you may realize,” Avery told him, which seemed to help improve his mood. He tempered his joy, however, when he looked to Amelia and Luz, who still didn't look comfortable around them.

“Jacob...” Amelia finally said, pausing to look at Luz and getting a nod from her wife. “We don't forgive you... this is honestly a good start, but we still feel you have a long way to go before we can truly feel comfortable forgiving you.”

“You hurt us,” Luz added. “It may not have been physical, but what you did was a gross violation of our privacy and gave us every reason not to even want to go through with this. I can't even say for sure we ever will be able to forgive you or have any reason to fully trust you... but... maybe, if you realize the harm you've done and are truly willing to move beyond it and become a better person, we might reconsider one day.”

Jacob opened his mouth to respond, but quickly closed it, seemingly realizing based on the look he was wearing that he might've been about to risk undoing any good will he might've regained, no matter how slight.

“That's fair,” he ultimately settled on, punctuated with a shrug, though they could pick up on the clear strain in his voice that made it clear he was trying to hold back his true feelings.

“If Theresa ever contacts you again about anything, don't hesitate to reach out,” Avery finished. “Any help you're willing to give us at this point will go a long way in regaining the goodwill you've destroyed, that's about all I can say at this point. And... thank you, for what you willing to share.”

Jacob just nodded, watching as the trio turned to meet up with the agents who had been watching from a distance before they disappeared around the corner, letting out a resigned sigh as he realized this didn't go anything like he'd hoped it would... and yet, a part of him felt that wasn't a bad thing. It was an odd feeling, for sure.

As far as Luz and Amelia were concerned, they had a bit of closure on this lingering issue, and knowing of possibilities that The Empire was looking towards for crafting plans to get to them only made it feel that much more important that they had to keep standing strong out in that ring, no matter what James or Waylon or Alex or Aisling or Asher or anyone in the locker room wanted to throw at them, hoping to be the ones to snuff out The Light In The Darkness once and for all. Not only would it send a message that they fully embraced the identity of that beacon of hope that couldn't be destroyed and would lead the way into a brighter future for both SCW and wrestling as a whole, but it would make the statement loud and clear to The Empire that such a future, wrestling or otherwise, had no place for their twisted religious views on what the world should be.

They had already fought through hell in various forms over the course of the past month to prove these points... why stop now?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing we see is the sight of the American flag waving proudly against a clear blue sky, the kind of sight that would make any patriot stand up and salute with pride. As we slowly pan back, we find that this flag is a proud part of Fort McHenry, a national monument and historic shrine located in Baltimore whose history is intertwined with what we now know today as the U.S. national anthem. Perhaps its fitting that a fort that was so valiantly defended back during the War of 1812 and left its mark on American history is where we find our reigning SCW World Tag Team Champions, The Light In The Darkness. Both Amelia Nevado and La Pequeña Luz are facing away from us, their focus on that very flag fluttering overhead, but given their matching attire of blue jeans and open back cropped blouses, we can clearly see the lingering damage they've endured over the course of the past month. Luz's back is clearly covered in kinesio tape, as is the back of Amelia's neck. As they slowly turn to face us, we move in closer and can easily pick up on something else that stands out: the stitches across their foreheads. Not even Luz's mask is able to hide hers, but she and Amelia don't seem to be too bothered by the damaged state we see them in. After all, they're both standing here hand-in-hand, their World Tag Title belts resting over their shoulders while Luz's interim U.S. Title is also strapped around her waist, and they both look as focused as we've ever seen them.

“Another year, another Fatal Fortunes is in the books, and I think we can all agree that the past two weeks have offered us quite a lot to both enjoy and contemplate as we approach the end of 2024. Going in, Luz and I set a simple goal for ourselves that we knew would be anything but to achieve: pull off a clean sweep of our bookings. Considering that last year I had the one loss in my non-champion booking that kept it from being a reality, we saw that as the perfect challenge for this year to keep proving just how far we've come over the course of the past year. In our minds, we still have a long way to go, but that's because we're always ready and willing to keep showing the world that we belong here, that we're worthy of not just being on the SCW roster but also representing this company by holding gold. The World Tag Team Titles, perhaps more than any singles title, represent the bond Luz and I have forged over the years that has led to us being considered by many of you as, perhaps, the best tag team of SCW's modern era... high praise that we honestly aren't sure we've entirely earned just yet, but we haven't been shy about just how much these titles in particular mean to us and how hard we will fight to defend them whenever we're asked to do so... no matter who out there wants to claim that we haven't earned anything we've been so willing to fight tooth and nail for since we first came to this company.”

“That said, we're nothing if not honest and humble women, which is why we'll be the first to admit that we aren't too happy with some of our results from the past two weeks even if we were victorious. I would have loved to have put forth a better showing in my first defense of this interim title around my waist instead of briefly succumbing to my injuries and having to capitalize on an opening to keep this title around my waist. Amelia will be more than happy to tell you that she and Xander would have loved to... properly bust someone open, I guess, to win their First Blood Match instead of someone deciding to interfere for their own purposes. And, of course... we can't forget about the one we know you're all going to hear quite a bit about, that being how the two of us are only still standing here as your World Tag Team Champions because Derek Adonis decided to throw that Clockwork Orange House of Fun Match instead of reign as champion alongside the very man who tried to end his career. I don't think anyone can really blame him, and we certainly don't have any control over how any of those matches ultimately played out... but make no mistake, we're not afraid to keep proving that we have, in fact, earn these titles we proudly wear and will continue to fight to prove that to everyone in the locker room, no matter the challenge that stands before us.”

“We especially want to make that clear to the likes of William Heaven, his son Billy, James Evans and Waylon Creek. By all means, go ahead and spin your narrative about how we don't deserve to be here, use the results of Fatal Fortunes to justify it all you like... it doesn't change one important thing that the two of us did prove over the course of the last two weeks. Despite your best efforts, The Light In The Darkness is still standing, still fighting, and shining brighter than ever. You attempted to put us out of action with a brutal and unprompted attack just to try and validate your claims about us... and we still showed up and, together, wrestled more matches than anyone else in this company over the course of Fatal Fortunes, regardless of what kind of match it was or who we were up against. And when every single one of you had your chance to try and finish the job, prove with a definitive result in that ring that we weren't good enough, we fought back without hesitation. Yeah, we'll give you the result of our Tag Title defense even if Waylon had the karma coming to him, but it doesn't change the fact that despite Billy attacking Luz with a steel chair to soften her up, the two of you spilled our blood and tried to finish the job... and we matched you, blow for blow, and refused to roll over and die like you wanted us so badly to do.”

“It's been the story of our lives, honestly. There have been so many we've crossed paths with, both inside the ring and out, who have hated us and wanted to destroy us simply because we refuse to bend to their whims and be who they want us to be. They hate us for the same reason we have become that beacon of hope in the eyes of so many fans of this business, because we are nothing less than our authentic selves and we aren't afraid to hide our flaws, our cracks, our wounds, because they're what make us human and push us to keep proving ourselves every single time we set foot in that ring. To men like James and Waylon, they see that as a weakness, as proof that we don't belong here and don't deserve to call ourselves champions. And yet... in one form or another, we have called ourselves your World Tag Team Champions for most of the past year. We have not shied away from any challenge to prove ourselves... heck, we've actively sought out those challenges! We asked to start a tag team turmoil last year, we didn't complain about starting in our Chamber Match back at Under Attack, and let's not forget that we have proven willing to ask for restrictions and sanctions if it will allow us to prove, to ourselves and to all of you, that we deserve to be here. That is who we are...

And that's what Aisling Reed and Alex Belmont will find waiting for them this Thursday night over at the CFG Bank Arena.”

Luz and Amelia exchange looks for a moment, almost taking in all the visible damage they have on display as we see them squeeze each other's hands tighter, the sun visibly glinting off of their wedding bands that gently brush against one another as they silently give one another strength.

“Alex, Aisling, we want to make something clear to the both of you right off the bat: we don't care if you were randomly paired together for Fatal Fortunes and just so happened to earn this opportunity over another randomly paired team. That fact doesn't make you any less of a threat to us when compared to anyone else who wants these titles. Heck, for the past two years, we've had to walk into the Fatal Fortunes Breakdowns preparing for a seemingly infinite number of possible combinations when it came to challengers... the only difference in this case is the fact that the two of you do have at least one match of experience together under your belts, and sometimes that's all it takes to kick open the door and see how much farther you can take this. If anything, the fact that what all you two can do together is still a big unknown gives us more than enough reason not to underestimate you. Facts are facts: you both earned this opportunity, fair and square, and we both acknowledge and respect that.”

“We're no strangers to the exact scenario we find ourselves walking into here in Baltimore. On paper, it's easy to underestimate you both given the circumstances, and we also have a glaring distraction looming over our heads in the form of two men who very clearly want to end our careers just for their own self-satisfaction. Historically, distractions like that have been fatal to our title reigns... just ask the Stewards how well it worked in their favor. We're also being upfront, just like we were before Fatal Fortunes, about the fact that we're far from 100%. Alex, Aisling, if there was ever a time for the two of you to shock the world and capitalize, this would be the Breakdown to do so, to cash in that golden ticket and etch your name in the history books. But before you perhaps get too far ahead of yourselves... we want you both to respect the fact that The Light In The Darkness will always fight with everything we have, no matter what, and it's easy to forget that we have far more fight to give than you probably think.”

“Aisling, I'm going to be honest with you... it's actually refreshing to see how far you've come since the last time we crossed paths with each other, all the way back around the time of that twelve person tag match early last year where we had to work together. We can both personally attest to the fact that calling yourself Television Champion, for any length of time, is no easy feat. You earned that right, and you've only gotten better since then. Amelia and I were watching when you and Alex won this opportunity, we know that you have what it takes to step up to the plate and take these titles from us, and that's all we could ever really ask of you: to meet us in that ring come Breakdown and give us nothing less than your very best. We want to be pushed to our limits having to hang onto these titles, we want to know that if we still deserve to hold them then we earned that right. That's all we've ever asked of anybody who's faced us, and this match is no exception.”

“Do us a favor and forget about the Fall of Man, Aisling. If they're so adamant that Luz and I haven't earned the right to stand here and call ourselves champions, then they won't insert themselves into this match because they know it won't prove anything. This match is only about the two of us, you, and Alex, and that's all it needs to be. This is your chance to step up to the plate and show the world how badly you want this, that you're just as ready to hold championship gold like Polly and Colleen do... and for that to truly be the case, then we hope you understand that while we ask you to give us everything you've got, we'll respond in kind. That's what these titles deserve, every single match where they're at stake: the very best that everyone involved has to offer, no exceptions, no excuses. It's why Luz and I push ourselves so hard, why these titles mean so much to us... Luz and I have tried so very hard to be the example of the kind of competitors this sport deserves, the kind who will leave it all in the ring, no questions asked, and let the results speak greater volumes than any senseless attack ever could. That's the kind of champion we want you to be Aisling... even if that time isn't now.”

“As far as Alex Belmont is concerned...”

Luz pauses as she looks to Amelia, almost as if she's seeking some sort of reassurance. Amelia nods to her, perhaps answering whatever unanswered question Luz left lingering in the air between the two of them, and that's all Luz needs to resume.

“Believe it or not Alex, we're glad that you're able to compete in this match. Like we said, you and Aisling earned this opportunity, and while we don't know exactly what happened last week and acknowledge that it's none of our business, you deserve to be able to get this title shot you earned fair and square. Honestly, it's a stark contrast to the way you and Wil went about trying to get one that ultimately led to us calling for the Chamber at Under Attack... whether or not that resonates with you remains to be seen. Make no mistake, we're not walking into this match assuming this is going to be a walk in the park like you seem to believe for any number of reasons... far from it, actually. But that's why we want you to do the same thing we've asked of Aisling, and that's to give us your very best. You want to prove yourself... so do we, because every time we step into that ring, even now, we're still fighting to prove to ourselves and to the entire world that SCW, the place where only the best talent comes to compete, is where we truly belong.”

“You've made a lot of assumptions about us, but I'd like to hope you know the old saying about assumptions, because you're making the same mistakes that so many others have been making about us as of late: you have this image of us in your head, you speak as though you've got control of the narrative, and you're going to learn the hard way that Luz and I just don't fit into the box you think you can shove us into. Just ask the very same Waylon Creek who you acknowledged has hurt Aisling—but seem to have ignored what he and James Evans have done to us over the past number of weeks—what happens when you make assumptions about The Light In The Darkness. Plain and simple, Alex... we're human, just like you. We want to win this match, just like you. And we're prepared to fight like heck to walk out of Baltimore with these titles that mean everything to us, not because we think we're better than you like how you and Wil have constantly proclaimed yourselves better than just about every other tag team in this company, but because these titles, this very sport of professional wrestling... this is what we live for, what is etched into our very souls and what we will fight for with every last ounce of blood, sweat and tears we have to shed if it means we can push forward towards the future we've earned... the future that this company, this industry as a whole, deserves to have.”

“This place we stand in right now, Fort McHenry, is a living symbol of the fight we will give come Thursday night to try and head into the new year still reigning as your World Tag Team Champions, no matter what kind of fight Alex and Aisling will give us, because that's who we are. These titles, this company... they deserve nothing less from us, and that's why we always bring everything we've got to that ring and ask the same of our opponents. As much as it probably clashes with Alex's perception of us, we want to know that the two of you have what it takes to potentially dethrone us... because that's only going to push us farther, to overcome our injuries, our prior mistakes that still hang over our heads, so that we can keep getting better and being the kind of fighters who will not fall so easily no matter what is thrown at us.”

“Coming from someone who was part of the winning Trios team this year... if that tournament taught us anything, it's that anybody can work together if they're willing to put in the effort to make it work. That's why Luz was able to get to the semi-finals with Scott Reed and Chris Lawler, it's why I was able to win it with Xander Valentine and, yes, Billy Heaven Jr., and it's why we know better than to take this challenge from the two of you lightly. Truth be told, we're looking forward to the fight you're willing to bring against us and how much you both are willing to prove yourselves... because we plan to do the same, and we wish you both the best of luck in seeing who wants this more.”

Amelia and Luz nod in acknowledgment to us before they start to walk off. As they do, we can clearly see the pain that both of them are still in from everything they've endured over the past month, and it's clear that they want us to know it's present. To them, it's just another challenge they know they need to fight to overcome, because if they don't, then those who want to see them destroyed would win, and that, in and of itself, is all the motivation they need to fight like their lives depend on it to defend their World Tag Team Championships, much like America did to defend this fort from the British navy over two centuries ago.

[Jay Gold]

NOTE:  Her condition is about to be fully revealed, and yes, realism is adhered to.  I did medical research.  Olek would be proud. :CTface:

Also the handler of Chris Dumont appears with approval. This is the only edit. RP is unchanged.



Season 6 / Episode 11 / Wondering (Part 2 - Her Condition)