Taking Hold of the Flame 2023 #1

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{{ Tuesday, April 11
Gretna, LA
BlackOut Academy }}

Two days removed from the last conversation she ever expected to have with Jason, Amy had to show up to work at the Academy, business as usual. BOA had been closed yesterday, the day after Easter, to give students who went out of town for the holiday time to return to the city. It had also given Amy at least one day to process how abruptly and drastically things had changed. She had spent most of the day in bed, alone, other than the few times Wyatt checked in with her, or brought her some tea. She did go downstairs for dinner, putting on a front for Loki. She had simply told her son she didn't feel well, as she wasn't in a place to start explaining. This morning though, Amy did her best to pull herself together as she got dressed and headed to the gym. She used the ten minute drive to mentally prepare herself for what she knew was ahead – Jason telling everyone else at BOA about his departure. She knew what he planned to tell them – they had talked about it when she spent the night with him. Knowing didn't make it any easier to stand by and listen to, though.

Amy parks in her usual spot in the Crescent City Fitness/BlackOut Academy parking lot. She looks around, and notices she's the first there for BOA. Good. She walks into the gym and straight towards the stairs leading up to her domain. Some students were already here, talking near the ring. Amy waves to them as she passes by on the way to her office. Inside, she closes the door, and sips the coffee she brought with her from home. For the first time in... a long time, she thinks that she wishes she was drinking something else. Immediately she shakes her head at herself, and whispers, “Stop it, Ames.” She then scoffs to herself. She once hated that nickname, until Jason started using it. Amy sets her bag down, then her nearly empty coffee cup. She likely wouldn't get around to finishing it; she rarely does once she gets here. Having no reason to stay in her office other than to hide, Amy makes herself go out to the training floor. Looking around, she sees that in the few minutes she was in her office, both Simon and Jason had arrived. There was a dichotomy it was too early in the morning for, Amy thinks to herself. Simon sees her first, and waves. She smiles weakly as she goes up the steps into the ring. Most of the students have arrived now, a little over a dozen of them, the future of wrestling. Seeing Amy enter the ring, the students do the same, sitting on the mat facing Amy as she leans against the ropes. They started every morning off with a short meeting like this. Whoever was lead trainer for the day would go over what the day's drills and lessons were. Amy watches as both Simon and Jason enter the ring, one after the other from the apron. Simon stands on her left, Jason to the right. She and Jason exchange a grin, anyone paying close attention would notice that it wasn't the same easy one as usual.

“Alright, is everyone here?”

“Ricky isn't, but he's not coming. He asked me to let you know. Bad ham for Easter or some shit.” The young male shrugs.

“Thanks for that, Jax.” Amy shakes her head, more at Jax's phrasing than Ricky's illness. “I hope he feels better soon.”

“Me too, I had to catch the bus here.”

“You made it though, that's the important thing.” Simon gives Jax an encouraging nod.

“Okay, I guess we'll get started. First, I hope everyone had a good holiday weekend, and extra day off.”

“Ricky didn't.” A young woman chirps from the back row. A few chuckle. Amy pauses a second, and continues.

“We're back to work now, and we have a new skill to go into today. But first...” Amy glances towards Jason. He nods. “I'll give the floor to Jason.”

The students collectively frown with mild confusion, usually only one trainer spoke in the opening meeting.

“Hey guys. I won't take up too much time flapping my gums, you'll need every minute of today you can get for what's on the card for you. I just have something to tell you all, and it's better if we get it out of the way now. This week... will be my last week here at the Academy.” A few gasps and disappointing groans come from the group. “I know, I know. I'm not super excited about it either, trust me. But, my wife and I have some business ventures in Los Angeles that badly need our attention, and I simply can't split my time between here and there, and take care of what needs taking care of.” He gives Amy a sideways glance. She looks down. It wasn't a complete falsehood. And the Helms' did own two clubs in the LA area. Amy looks up as Simon steps away from the ropes and almost in front of her. He had no idea this was coming.

“Well... let me be the first to say we'll be sorry to see you go. It must be rather urgent, this seems so last minute.”

“Appreciate that, Simon. And yeah... one major issue came up suddenly, and a few minor ones we've been putting off.”

“Sorry to hear that, I hope everything works out for you out there.” Simon extends his hand for a handshake, right in front of Amy. Jason accepts it, and Amy watches, wordlessly. Simon steps back and Jason turns back to the class.

“That said... I am here until Saturday. We'll be doing last minute things Sunday and flying out Monday.” Amy already knew this. She kept her gaze down, she didn't trust herself to not make a face that anyone might suspect meant this was something more than Jason was saying to them.
“So, if anyone would like any final advice from my perspective, or a one on one training, or... anything, really. Catch me before Saturday.” Several heads nod. “Alright. That's all I've got. And it's enough, right?”

“I'll say.” Amy turns to Simon, she caught something in his tone that made her think he'd guessed what hadn't been said. Amy feels the need to cover for that. She speaks low so only Simon hears her.

“Sorry you found out with the class, I only just found out myself a few days ago. It wasn't my place to tell you.”

“Of course. I just meant that it's a big change, and loss, for the Academy.”

“That it is.” Amy forced a smile, and turns back to the class. “Alright. Let's try to focus on today's work, okay?” Heads nod. “Good. We'll start with the usual warm-up drills, and after that I'll introduce the new skill I mentioned. Let's go.” Amy claps once, ending the meeting. The students get to their feet, and Jax immediately approaches Jason. Amy turns in the other direction, not wanting to hear what one of her star students had to say. She steps through the ropes and goes down the steps, making a beeline for her office, praying she gets there before she loses her stoicism.

Amy gets through her door, and starts to close it behind her with one hand as she rubs her face with the other. The door doesn't close though, it meets resistance. Amy turns around, and finds that Simon followed her.

“Have a minute?”

“Yeah. Of course.” She crosses her arms, hoping she appears normal. She does not. Simon closes the door, then leans against it.

“What's going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“That, out there. With Jason.”

“Pretty sure he just explained that himself.”

“He said words, that I don't believe are the truth. I can see your face, you know.” Amy looks down, almost as if trying to hide her face. But it was far too late for that. “What's really going on?”

“His words were true.” Amy forces herself to look up. “He is leaving the academy, and they are moving back to L.A. He just... left out the part where he's leaving me, too.”

Simon sighs, and steps away from the door, closer to her. “I had a feeling, by the way you both were acting. I'm sorry.” He leans in to hug her. Amy keeps her arms crossed, not hugging back, not pushing him away, either. At the last second, she leans her head towards his shoulder. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Fine. I mean, as fine as I can be.”

Simon pulls away, and crosses his arms, matching her pose. “I don't think I believe you.”

“I am. I will be. Nothing bad happened, no one did anything wrong. It just... is. That's all I can say. I'm just... adjusting, you know?”

Simon seemed relieved to hear it wasn't anything ugly. “You said you found out a few days ago, was that true too? All of it at once?” Amy just nods, hoping Simon would get the hint – she didn't want to say much more, and couldn't anyway. Jason's business with his wife was his own. “I see. Well... again, I'm sorry. You know I'm here if you need anything, right?”

“I know. Thank you.” Amy forces a smile.

“Of course. Just call. Anytime.” Amy nods, knowing what he means – if she had any thoughts of reaching for a drink. Simon gives her a warm smile, and another hug, this one one-armed, and kisses her cheek. “Ready to go back to the class?”

“Actually... could you keep an eye on drills for me? I have some paperwork in here to take care of.”

“Paperwork?”

“Yes, paperwork. Such as payroll, and business expenses.”

“Right. Of course. Sure, I'll make sure drills are done.”

“Thanks.”

As Simon leaves the office, he closes the door behind him. Amy drops into her chair, and sits back. It was easy for her to say now that she would be okay. Jason was still here. She couldn't speak for how she would be after he actually leaves. But that was next week's problem. Today's problem was that the passing thought she had earlier about wishing her coffee cup was filled with something else, wasn't passing through. It had stopped at decided to stay for a while. Amy closes her eyes and goes into a mental trick she learned from Dr. Lucio, her therapist. Instead of focusing on what's upsetting her, or what she's losing, to put her focus on what she has, and is grateful for. She smiles to herself at the first thing that always comes to mind when she does this thought exercise – Wyatt. She'd always have her husband, she had no doubts about that whatsoever. Her thoughts move on to the next, which became more important just a few weeks ago, that being the man who just left her office. Only a handful of people ever knew that years ago, she and Simon had a brief affair (maybe that was the wrong word, but Amy couldn't think of another to describe it). After the way it had ended due to Wyatt's ultimatum, she never thought it would, or could, happen again. But that had all changed recently, again due to Wyatt...

* * * * *{{ Thursday, March 9 – New Horizon Women's Shelter }}* * * * *

Amy didn't often spend Thursday's at the New Horizon shelter, her usual day to spend time there was Monday, and occasionally Friday. But every now and then, a case – a woman – came into the shelter that needed more intervention than most, and quickly. That was the case today, for a young woman who had called the emergency line the night before, past midnight. The shelter had several staff who took turns being on call, this time it just happened to be Bonnie Comeaux.

Bonnie had worked at the shelter since its beginning – and was in fact the inspiration behind it's existence. Amy had come to know Bonnie through her daughter Carly, a friend of Loki's from school. The kids were around ten at the time. Bonnie had been in a relationship with a violent and dangerous man, Mike Menard. Carly had asked Amy for help when she was at the school volunteering. Menard was not her father and he scared her. Bonnie eventually asked for help herself. Her issue was complicated by the fact that Menard was a cop, so contacting authorities for help wasn't possible – they covered for him. Amy did everything she could, with Wyatt helping too, to help Bonnie and Carly escape from that man. Everything led to one night that Bonnie called Amy at almost midnight, Menard was angry and raging through the house. Amy and Wyatt rushed over, Menard had seen the cops (called by them) and fled. Wyatt saw him hiding behind the house next door, and took him down for the police to arrest him. With outside witnesses, they had no choice. Eventually, Menard was put in jail for his offenses, and Bonnie had exposed a department-wide coverup. Because of this, she found herself needing a job. And Amy needed a right hand for the shelter, as it was just opening up. Since then, early 2018, Bonnie has been the Director of New Horizon, second in charge under Amy as President.

Over the years, the women had become close friends. Loki and Carly remained friends as well, and Amy is pretty sure the teenagers are dating. Bonnie had of course been grateful not only for Amy and everything she did to help her, but also to Wyatt for that night she called them for help and Wyatt was the one who took Menard down – quite literally by tackling him to the ground as he tried to run away. It always seemed to Amy as if Bonnie saw him in constant awe, and for months, almost a year, after the incident, seemed a little intimidated by him. That eventually faded and for years now, they had all been friends, worked together, had lunches and dinners and barbeques, and of course attended the kids school functions together. A year or so ago, Bonnie had even started going to Wyatt's gym, to increase her strength and keep fit. Amy and Bonnie knew everything about each other's lives. If asked, Amy would say that Bonnie was one of her best friends, on the same level as Nadine, or Kara.

On this day, Amy and Bonnie had to be all business though, as they came together to figure out the best course of action to help the young woman who's call Bonnie took. They meet in Bonnie's office – Amy didn't really have one here, as she wasn't there every day. Amy arrived early, with coffee. Once they were settled at the large desk, Amy pulls out her tablet to take notes. Bonnie seems a little preoccupied.

“Bonnie? Are you ready?”

The blonde snaps her head up. “Oh. Yes. Of course. I'm sorry.” Bonnie fumbles with some papers, which put Amy on notice. Bonnie was usually sharp, on top of things, had her shit together, so to speak. Yet she had been jittery since Amy walked in.

“You seem a little off today, hon, are you okay?”

“Off? No, I'm not off. I'm fine. Maybe tired...”

“Right... this woman called at what, midnight?”

“Almost one, really. I didn't get much sleep.” Amy nodded, that explains it. Probably. “I'm also very concerned about Annie.” Annie was the woman who called the emergency line. Bonnie seems to have overcome the weirdness Amy picked up at first; she was sounding like her usual self now.

Bonnie fills Amy in on Annie's situation. Her abuser was her husband, Kirk. He had a record - a year ago he'd been arrested and charged with domestic abuse battery. He'd broken her wrist, which turned the charge into a felony. The case was tossed on a technicality though, and nothing happened. Annie went back home with Kirk. Nothing changed. Pushing around and hitting were common. He would lock her in the bedroom at night, the door locked from the outside. Some nights he'd leave her alone all night, or even a whole day. Others, he'd go in and force himself on her. Last night though, he'd made a mistake. He thought Annie was asleep, and left the house in the middle of the night. She was awake, and called the shelter's emergency line. A male counselor was sent to pick her up. She was now upstairs in Room 4, resting. Annie had no recent injuries, but due to the history and nature of the abuse, Amy and Bonnie determined that Annie should be moved to a safe house. The shelter started with one – a small house that originally was owned by Wyatt. He'd given it to Bree, and after she bought her own house, she donated it to the New Horizon Foundation to be used for this purpose. Since that time, through donation funds the NHF had purchased three more. The newest, called Maplewood for the street it's located on, was nearly ready.

“What's left for Maplewood to be ready?”

“Well, Tessa is bringing over groceries and toiletries right now. I think all that's left is to dress the bed.”

Amy makes a face. “Why does the bed need to be dressed? No one has stayed there in over a month.”

Bonnie blinks a few times, averting her eyes. “Um.... well, I'm not sure.” Amy found the sudden awkwardness odd. Bonnie recovers quickly though, looking back up. “Tessa said it had no bedding. But I'm sure she's taking care of that, too.”

“Oh... that's weird. I wonder why it would have been left like that.”

“Just slipped someone's mind, I'm sure. Everyone is so busy.” Bonnie grins, somewhat uncomfortably. Amy assumes this is because Bonnie realized she is the one who forgot to dress the bed after the last occupant left. She decides to let it go. It's not a big deal.

“Probably. So, we should be able to get Annie there by this afternoon?”

“That's the target. She's actually terrified he will find her here and somehow get to her. He's threatened to kill her if she ever ran.”

“Of course he did. That's what they do. Well, we're not gonna let that happen. Should I go up and speak with her?”

“I think she'd like that.”

As Amy spoke to the young woman and got her settled into the Maplewood house, she had forgotten all about Bonnie's unusual demeanor in the morning.

* * * * *{{ That Evening – Amy's Home }}* * * * *

Amy and Bonnie had spent the rest of the day with Annie, getting her settled into the safe house, answering her questions, and doing their best to calm her fears about being found. Local police knew what the house was and it was on a list of locations that required extra surveillance. Since Annie arrived with only the clothes she was wearing, Amy had taken her to the donation closet at the shelter, which was really a large room that looked like a mini thrift store. Racks of donated items - clothes, shoes, handbags, bedding and kitchen items, anything a woman who left with nothing might need, want, and could choose herself. Annie chose a few outfits, a crocheted blanket that was similar to one she left behind, and a pair of boots. Amy told her she could go back anytime as long as she was under the shelter's care to get anything else.

Physically tired from the travel back and forth a few times, and mentally exhausted from hearing the few parts of Annie's experience she was willing to share (which honestly hadn't been much at all), Amy arrives home and exhales, glad to be in her calm space. Wyatt wasn't home yet, but Loki was, as Amy could tell by the sound of a video game coming from upstairs. The teen was fifteen now and perfectly able to be home alone for a few hours after school. Amy lets him know she's home, then goes back downstairs to the kitchen. She looks around, trying to decide on supper. Seeing nothing she feels like preparing after her tough day, she pulls out a menu from her favorite sushi place, who delivers. Comfort food was the prescription. Amy then reached for a particular cabinet, almost out of muscle memory, a long-practiced habit. On seeing the shelves empty except for a set of wine glasses, she sighs at herself and slams the door. Even after being sober for years (a single glass of wine with dinner once every few months, not enough to cause any effect, notwithstanding), her brain still went straight for old habits when she was under too much stress. It truly is a constant fight. Instead, Amy opens the fridge and pulls out a pitcher of iced chamomile tea. This would do. She pours a glass and goes into her office, taking the sushi menu to look over until her husband gets home.

About a half hour and another glass of tea later, Amy hears the front door open and close. Her office door is open, so as Wyatt passes by in the hall going towards the kitchen, she calls out from her comfy spot on the couch.

"Hey baby, I'm in here."

Wyatt stops and pokes his head in. "Hey yourself. Are you busy?"

"Not unless you count deciding on a sushi order as busy."

Wyatt steps into the room. It was clear he'd already cleaned up and changed at the gym before coming home, as his hair was still damp. That wasn't unusual, he didn't like having to rush upstairs and shower before being near anyone. "Rough day, I take it?"

"Very. I spent the whole day at the shelter, with one incoming. I'd rather not talk about it right now, if that's okay."

"Sure. So... if you're not really busy, there is something I wanted to talk to you about."

Amy sits upright on the couch, curling one leg under herself. “Alright."

Wyatt sits next to her, and Amy studies the look on his face. She has a feeling her day isn't going to get any better. “I have to admit, I'm not really sure how you'll take it.”

“So, you're warning me I might be about to be more upset?”

“That is a possibility. But it can't be put off.”

“Oh.” Amy then understands that this has something to do with their arrangement. She wonders if Wyatt is about to ask for permission, or forgiveness. “Okay, I'm listening.”

Wyatt has always been the type to not mince words, beat around the bush, walk on eggshells, or any other similar cliché. He doesn't believe in wasting time, so he gets right to the point, sometimes very bluntly. Amy knows this about her husband, it's something she admires about him. Even so, she was not prepared for the question on his mind.

“Alright. I need to know how you would feel about me and Bonnie.”

Amy squints in thought for a second... then everything about this morning clicks. She scoffs quietly, shaking her head. “Wow. How did I miss that?” Amy leans back in the couch and folds her arms. “This is why she was acting strange this morning, isn't it? She knew you were going to talk to me.”

Wyatt just nods. Amy shakes her head again. There was no point in asking how things progressed to the point where he needed to talk to her. The two had a connection since the night Wyatt shouldertackled Bonnie's ex so the police could arrest him for hurting her and her daughter. He'd remained protective of her, and she'd retained admiration. In hindsight, Amy is now surprised it actually took this long, once the nature of their marriage was known to their friends. It must have grown the more Bonnie was active at the gym. Thoughts move faster than words, and all of this went through Amy's head in a few seconds.

“Are you asking me how I would feel, or how I do feel?”

“Isn't it the same thing?”

“No, it's not. One means you're only thinking about it, and the other means something happened. Given you said this conversation can't be put off, I'm assuming the latter.”

“It's not a hypothetical, if that's what you're getting at.”

“So, something happened. How far has it gone?”

“Um... well...” Wyatt looks away as he scratches his cheek. Amy could count on one hand the number of times she's seen him hesitate to answer anything.

“You've already slept together,” Amy stated, not asked. He raises his eyes back up to hers.

“Yeah.”

“I see.” Amy pulls her crossed arms tighter around herself. A part of her wanted to be angry, Bonnie was one of her best friends, and neither she nor her husband had bothered to mention this attraction before it got this far. But... allowing herself to get angry would make her a hypocrite. She'd done something similar - act first, ask later - herself once upon a time. Amy forces herself to speak as calmly as she can. She had to be fair. “Okay. Given we agreed a long time ago that asking first wasn't necessary anymore, I can't really say that any rules were broken. But... she's one of my best friends, Wyatt. I... it's probably not fair to say this, because you technically didn't do anything wrong, but I really wish one of you would have talked to me first.” If one of them had asked? Amy likely would have said no. She doesn't get that choice now, and she resents it.

“I should have. I'm sorry for that, that's my responsibility, not hers. I know this is gonna sound trite, but I meant to. It's been a little while since our conversation turned in that direction. Only in the last few weeks though did it get more... serious? Real? You know what I mean?” Amy nods her understanding. “I've been trying to find a way, or a good time, to bring it up. But...” Wyatt shrugs.

“But... there's never a good time, and shit happens.” Amy was well aware of that fact.

“Yeah. Shit happens.”

'Complete honesty' was in full effect, and Amy needed more information. “When?”

“Yesterday.” With the conversation started, Wyatt was back to his usual, to the point tendencies.

“Where? Not here....”

“No, of course not. It was your empty safe house. She'd asked me to help move some things back into place after the deep cleaning, and...”

Amy had barely been listening, she wasn't interested in minute details, just the basics. Wyatt noticed and stopped. Amy keeps silent, remembering this morning when Bonnie said the bed needed to be dressed. She probably hadn't meant to say that and got flustered when Amy asked why that was needed. Understandably. Wyatt takes Amy's silence in a different way.

“I don't think I have to say that if you're truly uncomfortable with this, that'll be the end of it.”

“I have one question for you. I think I know the answer, but I want to hear it. You said you've been talking more... intimately, for a while, right?” He nods yes. “So, is this development yesterday just a physical, for fun thing? Or do you actually care about her?”

“Yeah... I care about her. But like you said, you already knew that.”

“Yeah, that seems obvious now. I'm asking myself how I didn't notice.”

“You've been busy. Trying to get cleared for SCW and VWA. Training with Simon for your return, in secret. On top of the academy and the shelter. You may be at the gym a lot but you're always upstairs. Tell me how many times you've actually seen she and I in the same place?”

“Not many, now that you mention it.”

“You didn't have much opportunity to notice. And that wasn't by design, I promise. It just.. is.”

Amy nods again. It was the answer she expected, and in a way hoped for. Because this situation reminded her a lot about a time a few years ago when she got involved with someone she cared about, Simon.... except she had done everything wrong and Wyatt put a very firm foot down on the whole thing; he gave her an either/or choice. An idea comes to mind quickly, that's probably pointless since Simon was with Amy's friend Nadine and had been for several years now. But she might not get another chance to open that particular door.

“I have another question. If I were to concede to this... do I get a concession?”

“What concession would you... Oh.” Amy saw in his eyes the moment it clicked. “Simon.” Amy just nods in reply. “Still, huh?” Another nod. He had to know that connection wasn't going to go away just because he'd forced her to cut him off. “And you'll be traveling together when you go back.”

“That did come to mind.” Amy had thought about how being on the road affects things. Keeping things friendly at home was easy. Being in a situation with no one else around and where it's very easy to keep secrets... might complicate things. Amy had no desire to go against her husband's wishes, but she also knew herself. There was thought behind this ask, no matter how quickly the opportunity to propose it had come up.

“You haven't...?”

Amy frowns.“Come on, you know I haven't.” He was one person who she could never keep a secret from for very long.

“Right.” Wyatt sighs hard. “I suppose I should have seen this coming. It's quite similar, isn't it?”

“A little bit.”

“You know... at the time I didn't get it. It seemed... too close, if that makes sense. The whole thing felt threatening.”

“I remember what you said. I understood why you felt that way, but there was never any threat to you.”

“I know that now. Or rather, I understand now.”

“I was hoping that you might.” Amy could tell Wyatt was thinking hard, though. It's not often he backs down on anything, and this would be a big step back.

“I feel like your answer is contingent on mine. Is that what were doing here, making some kind of trade, or deal?”

“If that's how you prefer to think of it. I just think it's being fair.”

“Fair.... that's a good point. You know what? I think I can live with that.”

“Are you sure? I don't want you to agree now just to get what you want and then get mad at me all over again if and when I see him again.” The 'if' didn't need to be explained, they both knew Nadine existed. Amy just wants the option, if it's ever on the table.

“That's not what I'm doing. You made a valid and fair request. If I expect you to trust me, I have to trust you. And I do.”

“So, deal?”

“Yeah. Deal.”

Following the conversation, they moved on to looking over the sushi menu together, as if it were just a normal night at home. On Amy's mind though... how and when to approach Simon with it.

* * * * *{{ Tuesday, March 14 – BlackOut Academy }}* * * * *

Sitting on the ring apron at BOA, Amy and Simon are about to begin a training session. BOA class is over, they'd been doing all of their training after hours, to avoid any questions about why Amy was working so hard. She planned to appear at Retribution and announce her return, but she wanted it to be a surprise.

Speaking of surprises, Amy had one for Simon. She needed to bring this up before Retribution, before they would be traveling together regularly. Having no idea what he'll say or how he'll react, she knows the only way to know is to put it out there.

“So, before we get started, I want to share something with you.”

“I'm all ears.”

“Okay. Well... Wyatt recently came to me about someone.”

“What do you... oh. A woman?”

“Yes. Someone he's interested in, but wasn't sure if I would like the idea, seeing as how it's Bonnie.” Simon's eyes widened. “Yeah, exactly. My gut reaction was to scream no. But-”

“I'm sorry, Amy, but I don't understand why you're telling me about this personal issue with your husband.”

“You'll understand soon, I'm getting to it.” Simon gestures for her to continue. “So, as I said, my first reaction was to deny it. But, then I thought of something. There was a time when I was interested in someone that he didn't like the idea of.”

Amy pauses, waiting for Simon to catch on. A few seconds pass, then he gives her a sideways look.
“Amy, where exactly are you going with this?”

“I saw an opportunity. He wanted my permission. I asked for something in return.”

“By something, you mean your own permission?”

“Yes. A sort of trade. He gets what he wants... I get what I wanted. Would still like. If it's an option.”

“And he agreed to this?” Amy nods. “To... me?” She nods again. “He must care about that lady a great deal.”

“I think so. Anyway, I felt like I should put that on the table. I know its probably a long shot, I don't know if you're even interest-”

“I will never not be interested.”

Amy grins, but it fades quickly. “And then there's Nadine... I have no idea what she would think, but I can't ask her.”

“She's your best friend. Why can't you?”

“That's not how it works. It needs to be an agreement between the established couple. You'd have to talk to her.”

“I see. I remember you mentioning something like that before.”

“Right. So, yeah. I just wanted to let you know my situation changed. What you do with that... is up to you.”

“Thank you for sharing that.” He smiles. “I'll take it from here and... see what can be done.”

Amy smiles back. “Okay.” She takes a deep breath and leans back on the rope. “So... ready to spar?”

Simon laughs. “Hell of a transition. Yeah. Let's get to it.”

Both get up and enter the ring. The sparring session turned out to be their best one yet.

* * * * *{{ Sunday, March 19 – Dallas, TX - Retribution }}* * * * *

Retribution is over. Amy made her appearance, although not in the manner she had expected. Simon was fighting Kandis, and she managed to catch him with that knee strike of hers and beat him. That wasn't enough for her, and she attacked him after the bell. Well, Amy was there and she wasn't going to stand in the back with her thumb up her ass while this bitch beat her friends ass. So, she ran out there and put a stop to it. In the heat of the moment, she decided to show the world she was back rather than tell them, and planted Kandis with a BlackOut, a move she hadn't done in front of a live crowd in probably five years.

Back at the hotel, Amy is in her room relaxing before going to bed. She was never one able to go immediately to sleep after a show. She always had to wind down first. That was especially true tonight, as she hadn't planned on getting active yet she did anyway. Amy was sitting at the small table reading internet reactions to her appearance, and contemplating ordering room service when someone knocked on her door. She gets up and opens it, to find Simon.

“Hey. Couldn't sleep?”

“I don't know. Haven't tried yet. Feel like some company?”

“Sure.”

Simon enters and they sit across from each other at the table.

“Feeling any better from earlier?”

“Do you mean about losing or about getting my ass kicked?”

“Um... both?”

Simon sighs. “Yes, and no. I wasn't supposed to lose my first match back, dammit! Sorry... didn't mean to yell. As for physically, I'll be fine. Nothing a hot bath and a good sleep won't fix.”

“That's good to hear at least. Listen, don't worry about-”

“Amy. Can we not talk about my match right now?”

“Of course. You're upset. Sure. What do you want to talk about?”

“Well... I actually did come here with something in particular to say to you. I kept it until after the show, to ensure we were both focused on work.”

Amy leans on the table, having a feeling about what he's talking about. “What's that?”

“Well... I thought about what you said earlier this week. About... you and I. I thought about it a lot. I wasn't sure if I wanted to open that door with Nadine, because what if she said no? Then she'd always be suspicious, and I didn't want that. But, I decided I had to trust that she would trust me to hold to it if she did say no. So... I spoke to her.”

Amy didn't think he had, because she figured that Nadine would have wanted to talk to her immediately if he did. She must have said no. Just as well. “And?”

“And... she was very skeptical about it at first. She never quite understood how it all worked, or what the point was. But, after a fairly long conversation... she came around.”

“I figured- Wait. What? She... agreed?”

“She is willing to give it a try.”

“I... did not expect that.” Amy has known Nadine for over fifteen years, since before Loki was born. She would have never thought Nadine would agree to something like this after one conversation, if at all.

“Neither did I, to be honest. She did have one caveat.”

“There usually is at least one. What is it?”

“She doesn't want to know anything about it from my end, or talk about any of it from hers. Not unless absolutely necessary, of course. This would mean she would hear nothing about you.. or whoever. And on the other side, I would know nothing she's doing. It's not my ideal arrangement but it's the only way she'd agree. So... that's the deal.”

“It sounds fair.” Amy was still in shock that this was actually happening.

“This isn't just for me, though. She doesn't to hear about it at all. She knows it's you, but she doesn't want to talk about it. You can't mention it in front of her, she doesn't want any sort of mental images, basically. If you mention it or even drop a hint, she'll think about it, and... she says that would be weird and put her off. You understand?”

“Of course. I went through that phase. If it's something that works out for you two, she may get past that and you can be more open, like Wyatt and I are.”

“Maybe so. But one step at a time. I wanted to be sure you understood how important it is to keep it between us, so she isn't put off the whole thing.”

“Absolutely. The last thing I want to do is make anyone uncomfortable.”

Simon leans on the table and stretches his hand across towards Amy. She does the same, and he grabs her hand. “Have to say, I didn't expect to ever get this chance again.”

“Me either. Funny how quickly things can change, isn't it?”

“I wouldn't say funny. Maybe... fortunate.”

“I like that.”

Amy ended up ordering room service food for them both, and Simon didn't go back to his own room until the morning, when it was time to pack up to check out.

* * * * *{{ April 11 - BlackOut Academy – Amy's Office }}* * * * *

The memory of Retribution night fading in her mind, Amy smiles to herself. It had been less than a month ago, and it seemed like just yesterday and like forever at the same time. Amy kept her end up and said nothing even resembling a hint about any of this any time she was around Nadine. As for Bonnie? As soon as Amy let her know that she knew and it was okay, the awkwardness from that one morning went away, and the two women had another level of closeness to their friendship.

Amy makes herself smile a little, focusing on everything good and everyone she does have in her life, rather than what she's losing. Feeling a little better, Amy turns her computer on to work on the paperwork she told Simon she had to do... and then sighs to herself. Part of that paperwork? Jason's exit forms. She reminds herself that she's lucky it's ending more or less amicably, rather than in a nasty way over anything someone did or said. That was one more thing to be grateful for as Amy starts on the paperwork.