Breakdown 1-19-23 #2
{{Saturday, January 14
Kenner, LA
Bree's House}}
It's Saturday afternoon. Liz left this morning, and Dom should walking into the door any minute. Nora stayed overnight but I let her leave after breakfast. She had been talking about some guy she recently met so who was I to keep her when Dom was coming home soon? I'm positive I can take care of my 9 month old by myself for a few hours.
Heath and I are sitting on the floor in the den. I have some music playing low on the TV for background noise. I have Heath sitting up against the couch while I'm across from him, the TV behind me. I have a toy tennis ball (it looks like a tennis ball but it's soft and not fuzzy) and we are practicing rolling it back and forth. By practicing, I mean I am trying to show him how to do it. I grab the ball back from near a chubby leg.
“Okay, Momma's gonna show you one more time. Watch close!” I wiggle my fingers to make him look, then I slowly put my hand over the ball, and push. It rolls slowly and bumps him against the leg. For the fourth time. He giggles, but this time he reaches down and pats the ball with his hand.
“There you go baby, now push. Send it to Momma.”
Heath looks back and forth between me and the ball. Then, he smacks it with his palm from above. The ball rolls out from under his hand, bounces a little from the impact, and bobbles towards me. Not exactly what I wanted, but it worked. Heath laughs.
“Good boy! You sent it to me! You're so smart. Here, it's coming back...” I grab the ball and push it back. This time Heath stops it with his hand. He holds it there a second under his hand, then pushes it towards me, almost the same way I've been doing. He laughs as it rolls and bumps my knee.
“See! I knew you could do it!”
The sound of suppressed laughing makes me look up. Dom is in the doorway, watching us. I smile at him.
“This just might be the cutest thing I've ever seen you do.”
“That's because you didn't see my silly faces this morning after breakfast.”
“You'll have to demonstrate later.”
A squeal joins the conversation. I grab the ball and make an exaggerated jaw drop face at Heath. “I'm so sorry! Here you go...” I push the ball to him. He tries to stop it but misses, and it bumps the diaper bump between his legs. He laughs. I look back up at Dom. “You should get down here and get in on this.”
“Can't turn down an invite like that.” Dom comes over and sits between us, but off to the side, creating a sort of triangle. He pats the floor towards Heath. “Hey there big boy. You wanna let Daddy play?” Heath wiggles everything, legs and arms, and laughs. He then swats at the ball, in Dom's general direction. It goes wide, more between me and Dom than directly at him, but I am still impressed. Dom catches it. “That's pretty good aim for a baby, good job Nug!”
We pass the ball back and forth a few more times, until Heath loses interest. Dom then scoots over and picks him up to sit in his lap. “That's better. I was only away a few days but I missed this guy.” He then kisses the top of Heath's head. I smile.
“I guess eventually we'll both have to get used to being away from him a few days. I'm not ready for that yet though.”
“Unfortunately I had to be. At least the pay for the tourism commercial I shot a few weeks ago took some of the sting away.”
“I still can't believe they offered you four hundred K just to say one full sentence about visiting Hollywood.” I shake my head. It's ridiculous. That's half my SCW yearly salary.
“Me either, but I wasn't gonna turn it down. It's a good start for this one's trust.” He jiggles Heath a little.
“It really is, especially added to my champion's bonus.”
“Well, if things go the way it seems and I hope, we won't have to worry about any of that for a while.”
“Oh? The script reading thing go well?”
Dom nods. “It did. But... I think I'd rather tell you the not so nice stuff first to get it out of the way.”
“Oh. The lawyers. Yeah, okay. How did that go?”
Dom sighs, causing Heath to look up at him, almost upside down. “It was the DA, and it was tedious as fuck. They pretty much made me go through the entirety of my relationship with Stone, from the day I first met him, script reads, the whole shoot, everything. We spoke for two hours before anything was said about the allegations.”
I shake my head in disgust. “Sounds familiar.” Authorities had spoken to me in detail like that for my previous issues – everything to do with Julian LeBlanc, and Jude Nelson, the man who raped me.
“Yeah, I couldn't help but think of all you went through for things like this. Finally they asked things that seemed relevant, about Stone, Jenna, she's the woman in the video a few weeks ago-” I nod, I remember. “And the other two as well, one I knew and the other I didn't. Based on some of the questions, I figured some details of their incidents, and....” Dom shakes his head. “I really don't feel comfortable repeating it.”
“I don't want you to.” He nods, he already knew.
“Anyways, they're done with me. I was asked again about you, and made it absurdly clear they'd best forget about you as any kind of source or witness.”
“Thank you.”
“Other than that, no other news. There isn't a trial date yet, but I was told I'd be notified, as I could be called as a witness.”
I make a face and groan. “God I hope not. I am so sick of court rooms.”
“I hope not, too. But if it does happen, you don't have to come. In fact I insist that you don't.”
“You don't have to ask me twice.” I shudder. I can't fathom the idea of sitting through that.
I notice Heath has picked up the ball we were playing with and has it partially in his mouth. Good thing its not a real tennis ball with fuzz. I grin at him. He seems so happy sitting in his daddy's lap.
“There, the nasty business is out of the way. Now, the good stuff.”
“Yes. All the good.” I smile and lean forward, showing my interest.
“There were three other actors there besides me, who had expressed interest in signing on. We did a sort of table read of a scene from the pilot that involved the four characters each of us would play. And...” Dom stops and chuckles a bit. “You're gonna get a kick out of this. I've already had to make a request.”
“Oh?”
He nods. “Before we started, the character names were on the first page, and I had to speak up. I said, “Excuse me, but if you want any chance of me signing on to this, the lead's name has to change. I am not spending a good portion of my career with a man named 'Carter Mason' as my alter ego.”
I gasp, then laugh. “Are you serious?”
“No one said anything for a few seconds, then I would swear there was an audible click when it registered. The showrunner stuttered a little then said, “Oh... I'm sure we can accommodate that for you.”
“That's absolutely priceless. Can you imagine?” I can't stop laughing.
“No, I can't. That's the problem.” He laughs too. “So by the end of the reading, the character's name was changed to Carter Cross.”
“That's not terrible.”
“I expect it to change again, names typically do a few times. But I wasn't taking chances.”
“Obviously not.” I giggle again. The audacity. “I guess the rest went well?”
“Oh, absolutely. The four of us there want in. It's really good content, you're gonna love it. The studio sent the pitch to several networks right after we were done. It doesn't usually take very long to hear back.”
“Wait... how is any of this good news if it's not even picked up yet?”
“Well, everyone the studio wanted for the show is in, the four main characters. Having names attached to the pitch is a great sell. Some of the suits at the studio think there may even be a small bidding war.”
“That sounds great baby, and I'm glad you're excited about something. But, I thought you said you wanted to take at least a year off?”
Dom nods. He looks down at Heath in his lap, who has now fallen asleep, and grins. “It still will be Even if everything goes perfectly, it's picked up immediately, there's no issues with full casting and staffing a crew and a dozen other technical things.. the earliest any kind of filming would start is summer, for the fall TV season.”
“Okay, that's fair. But I mean, you went to a meeting for this, that's working, in a way.”
“Technically, yes...but not really. It's just too good of an opportunity to pass up.”
“It absolutely is. Anything you want to do that you're happy with, I'm happy for you.”
Although it seemed a little premature to me, Dom wanted to 'celebrate' by grilling some steaks. I wasn't going to turn down a good steak, I just hope everything works out the way he thinks it will.
ON CAMERA
In front of an unlit fireplace (it's too warm in New Orleans for a fire today), Bree Lancaster sits in a cream colored armchair. A folded multi-colored quilt can be seen behind her draped over the back of the chair. Behind and above Bree on the fireplace mantle rests the Adrenaline Championship belt, propped up on a stand. Bree sits comfortably, dressed in black jeans and a dark gray shirt with a dark gold fleur-de-lis on the front.
Firstly, I feel I need to apologize to the fans in New Orleans who came out to Breakdown to see me. I wanted to give you a competitive match, but as I said in the ring, there just wasn't time, with everything else that was going on. There was a time that would have made me very angry, but now? I'll just do my best to make up for it by picking up a big win this week in Columbus.
Main event. Fatal fourway. Myself along with Selena Frost, Glory Braddock, and Adam Allocco. On the surface it doesn't seem like the match makes any sense. None of us have been involved with each other. We all have different goals. Yet while Glory seems to think it's pointless and a waste of time, I choose to see this differently.
It's an opportunity.
I feel honored to be ut into a match with these three people. They've all recently been considered World Champion contenders, and in Adam's case, still actively pursuing it. I may be the only single's champion in this match but the fact that SCW feels I am on level with these three already, to be put into the ring with them to see what happens... it means a lot to me. The main thing I wanted when I came back here was a chance to prove myself as the woman and competitor I am now, and this match, more than anything else since I've returned, makes me feel like I'm getting that chance.
Bree pauses a moment, adjusting herself in the chair and brushing her hair back behind her shoulder.
It's well known that I have a history with the two women in this match. Selena Frost and I go back years, and Glory and I... well, that one is a little complicated, when you remember everything that happened with my bestie Sienna Swann. If I wanted to, I could sit here and go over all of the history I have with both, and list all the reasons why I should be walking into this with a chip on my shoulder, something to prove to them both. But I'm not interested in giving a history lesson, nor am I interested in retreading the past.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. I didn't come back here to fight old battles or restart old rivalries. I came back here for a fresh start. So, you won't hear me make the same claims about Selena's motives that I used to go on about. And you won't hear me continue with my previous theory that Glory injured my ribs on purpose in that gauntlet match where I lost the World Championship. None of that matters today. All of us are different people than we were then. Some of us more than others I admit, but the past is the past and I am looking to the future. SCW, the SCW faithful, a few people I crossed paths with years ago, even Selena herself.... have all given me the benefit of the doubt, and a chance to have the fresh start I wanted, the chance to prove myself as who I am now. I'd be a hypocrite if I tried to ring up the past just to create talking points. I won't do it. There's enough current events to go on about that I can leave the past behind.
Take Glory Braddock for example. I don't need to bring up our history to make the point that she is a disrespectful and arrogant woman. I may have been one of the most arrogant people there was around here when I was at my worst, but one thing I never did was disrespect any championship I held. Glory though... she had the audacity to try to rename the United States Championship into something that suited her, represented her, rather than SCW. I think you all know what that championship meant to me years ago, and what it still means to me as a part of my career. It's the championship that launched me into the upper echelon of this company, that I had some of my best matches fighting for and defending, and one of the two championships I held when I was briefly a double champion. This is the one thing that Selena and I have always agreed on, despite being at odds over nearly everything else...
Disrespect will not be tolerated.
If Glory wants to be a United Kingdom Champion, she should go back to the United Kingdom. But, it seems she's moved on from that. Now she wants to be a Supreme Champion. I will never understand why some people make being a belt collector their goal. It smacks of disrespect. It makes it sound like the championships are trophies rather than representatives of the best in a division.
Bree shakes her head.
But, I've gone on and on about that before. Let's move on.
The one person in this match that I don't have personal history with is Adam Allocco. Adam, firstly I do want to congratulate you on your sobriety. I haven't dealt with any addiction issues myself, but I was witness to it for a long time back when Amy was struggling. Having been there for her through all of that, including the rehab program Amy was sent to by SCW due to some admittedly underhanded manipulation by myself and my ex-husband... I know that getting and staying sober isn't easy. In fact it is one of the hardest things in the world to do. So the fact that you've gotten sober and stayed that way Adam... I commend you for that.
What I can't condone though... is your attitude about the whole thing. That's where Amy's story and yours drastically diverge. Amy took her experience and turned it into motivation to give back, to help others in need. She started a women's shelter for domestic abuse survivors, who often were abused at the hands of alcoholics. She has a small chapter of New Finishes, the Treatment Center started by her friend Simon Lyman, inside the shelter. She even gives back to this business, with BlackOut Academy and by occasionally dusting off her manager's license to help up and coming wrestlers get their footing. There isn't a selfish bone in that woman's body.
Adam, though?
Bree scoffs a little, shaking her head again.
Adam, you act as if the fact you got yourself cleaned up makes you better than everyone else. Like you're the only person in the world who's ever been able to keep that particular demon and bay and find success in spite of it. I can think of several wrestlers just in SCW alone who would take issue with that, but it's not my place to name them. I think what bothers me the most about it though, is that you're using your sobriety as a sort of crutch... trying in some backhanded way to garner sympathy, while still being as much of an asshole as you've always been. You're using it as an excuse to act any way you want and think there can't be any repercussions.
I hate to tell you Adam, but it doesn't work that way.
Taking care of yourself to get and stay healthy is commendable. Using it to hold yourself on a pedestal over others is not. Most people come away from rehab with a sense of humbleness. They recognized that they needed help and there was no shame in asking for it and getting it. Somehow though, you missed that part, Adam. There doesn't seem to be a humble bone in your body, judging by the way you talk to people, think you're entitled to anything you want just because you stopped drinking. As commendable as it is... you're not special.
You're not the first and only person to do it and you aren't going to be the last. Maybe you think that the success you had right away after coming back to SCW proves that you're not doing anything wrong, and your attitude works, but let me promise you babe... it will eventually catch up with you.
This kind of match, with three other people involved and so many different ways things could go? It's exactly the kind of environment where you might pick up some of that humbleness you missed in rehab. Maybe it will do you well to remember that you are not invincible, while you gear up to cash in your Trios contract at Retribution.
Bree gives a pointed stare at the camera for a moment, then grins.
I might be looking forward to this match more than anyone else in it. Glory has made it clear she wants no part of it. Selena seems to have enough of Adam and Glory's bull, and Adam... well, he hasn't said anything that I've heard but I'm willing to bet he thinks this is meaningless. For me though? It's one more step on the path I want to create for myself. One more challenge to overcome, one more chance to shine a light on the woman and competitor I am today. It's not about redemption. It's about reclaiming who I am.
I speak the truth.
I walk in respect.
I am a fighter.
I am a champion.
Bree smiles once more, then looks back over her shoulder and up a bit at the title belt on her mantle. The shot pans to the belt for a moment before fading out.