Be Brave

Apocalypse 2024 #1

{{ Sunday, July 28
St. Louis
Rise to Greatness }}

“I promise you, I am fine.” Amy protests as a trainer fusses over her backstage following her victory over Simon Lyman. Wyatt watches from the side as the trainer dabs a cottonball soaked in alcohol on the cut over Amy’s left eye. She winces at the contact.
“You should know standard procedure by now, Amy.” Everyone gets a once-over after PPV matches. Given the nature of the one Amy just finished, she is likely due for a twice and third-over, just to be sure.
“Doesn’t mean I have to like it. That damn alcohol hurt more than getting the cut in the first place.”
Wyatt steps closer and lays a hand on her shoulder. “That’s adrenaline, you know this. You’re gonna feel all of this later tonight.”
Amy looks up at her husband, a slight smirk on her face. “I will not.”
Wyatt frowns. “You didn’t actually swallow any of that liquor Lyman poured on your face, did you?”
“No! Honestly the taste made me sick, I spit it out. Why would you even ask me that?” That was a small lie, she had no choice at first, it was either swallow or choke. If asked why she lied, she couldn’t have answered.
“I can’t think of any other reason you would think you won’t be sore once that adrenaline wears off.”
Amy shrugs. “I took precautions.” Then she smirks. A second later, Wyatt’s eyes widen just a tad.
“Oh. I see.”
The trainer pokes and prods Amy’s side, and she winces, moving away from his hands.
“Oh, tender spot there?”
“Little bit. Old rib injury probably aggravated.”
“Should I send you for an x-ray?”
“No, I felt nothing til you poked it. Can I go now? I have things to find out.”
The trainer steps back and nods. “Yeah. I think you’re relatively fine. Luckily that laceration doesn’t need stitches. Just keep it clean.”
Amy glares a little. She’s been in this business since this trainer was in elementary school, she knows how to care for minor cuts from the ring.
“Yes, I know. Thank you.”

Amy gets off the table and walks away from the trainer's area, Wyatt following her.
“You want to tell me exactly what kind precautions you’re referring to?”
“Magickal ones. I’m telling you, I am fine.”
“Maybe physically. What about mentally?”
Amy stops in her tracks and faces him. “What do you mean?”
“Andrew.” Wyatt says with a glare.
Amy sighs hard, lowering her head. “I don’t know what the fuck that was.” Looking up, she shakes her head. “I haven’t spoken to him in years.”
“I remember. Bree tried to negotiate a truce.”
“That was a fucking disaster.” Amy tilts her head to the side, a thought coming into her head and then straight out of her mouth. “You don’t think Bree had something to do with this?”
“You’d have to ask Bree.”
Just then Bree herself appears behind Wyatt. “Ask me what?” Her hair is damp and she’s changed from her gear from earlier into plain tights and an SCW logo t-shirt.
Both Wyatt and Amy turn to her. “Andrew.”
Bree puts her hands up defensively. “Hey, I had no idea. I didn’t even know he was gonna be here. I was just looking for him, actually.”
“I heard he left the building already, but I don’t know how accurate that is.”
“Well, it’ll have to wait, I have to meet Josh.”
“Tell him I said kick ass.”
“I will. Oh, and congrats. That motherfucker deserved everything you did and then some.”
Amy blinks at Bree’s language. She doesn’t typically speak that way unless she’s very angry. Which she must be after losing her championship earlier.
“Thanks. I’d have kept going if he wasn’t already half dead. Listen, you did a great-"
Bree holds a hand up. “I don’t want to talk about me right now. I have to focus on Josh and support him.”
Amy nods, she gets it. “Okay. We’ll be watching.”
Bree just smiles and continues down the hallway.

Amy and Wyatt go the other direction towards Amy’s locker room.
“Well, she had no idea. So that leaves… absolutely no lead.” Amy shakes her head again.
“I find it very hard to believe that man would have come back to SCW just to save you, all on his own accord.”
“I don’t believe that, either.” They get to the locker room and go inside. Amy locks the door. “I can’t worry about it right now though. I need you to do me a favor.”
“Sure, what do you need?”
Amy takes a deep breath, then peels her gear top off. It’s supposed to be pale blue, but it’s splotched with so much blood it’s hard to tell.
“I’m gonna go into that shower room…. and I need you to stand at the door where I can see you.”
Wyatt looks at the shower door then back at his wife. The locker room shower? That she’s avoided for sixteen years?
“You’re gonna do what?”
“You heard me. Come on.” She walks towards the door, and Wyatt follows, still stunned. Amy stops one step through the door, looking inside.
“You don’t have to-"
Amy spins to him and glares. “Yes I do! I have to get his blood off me!” Amy’s hands, neck area, part of her arms, whatever wasn’t covered by her gear top, are smeared and streaked with blood. Her face had been too but the trainer cleaned most of it off when he tended to the cut. Wyatt leans on the door frame.
“Understood. I’ll be right here.”
“I did lock that door, right?” Amy gestures to the main door to the hallway.
“You did.”
“Okay.” She turns, then breathes deep, filling her lungs with air as if she was about to dive into a swimming pool. For her though, this was much more than a dive. The idea of one drop of Simon’s blood on her for another minute, much less the amount smeared all over, was so detestable that she’s willingly pushing herself past the last remaining fear left over from the trauma of being assaulted in a locker room shower, sixteen years ago. With one glance over her shoulder to make sure Wyatt was in the doorway, guarding it, staying in her sight, Amy goes to the closet stall of the three and turns the water on. She steps back from it to continue undressing.

You can do this. Got to get rid of him. Every last molecule. You can DO this.

Nude, Amy glances at Wyatt once more. He’s still there, as protective as ever. She takes a slow step under the water. Once she’s under the stream fully, she closes her eyes and imagines every last microscopic dreg of anything to do with Simon going down the drain with the hot water, mixed with both hers and his blood.

Unbeknownst to Amy, Wyatt watches her a moment or two, then turns his head away, shutting his eyes against the swell of emotion. He had no idea her hatred ran this deep.

{{ Saturday, August 31
London, England – Wembley
VWA Pandora’s Box }}

A little over a month after Rise to Greatness, Amy finds herself in a much similar situation – following a brutal match, much more brutal than Rise was if she was honest, in the trainer’s room… and somehow, miraculously, unharmed. At Rise, it was camera cables and chairs and alcohol and a piledriver through a table. Tonight? It was an Ivory Tower – the piledriver move Amy’s VWA nemesis Ghalleon had used on her months ago causing a concussion – but this one was off the stage, into production crates. Sitting here mostly unscathed though, Amy had to admit…. This one fucking hurt.

Only Bree is here in London with Amy, and she enters the area, with concern all over her face.
“Amy!”
“Yeah, I’m here. Where they dragged me.” She holds an ice pack to the back of her neck.
“Not that I’m not thrilled, but how the actual fuck are you not in a neck brace right now?”
Amy shrugs. “Lucky, I guess.”
Bree folds her arms. “I don’t buy that. Ghalleon swore he was going to legit kill you, and that fall should have broken at least one bone, if not several. And here you are without even a bruise?”
“Oh no, there are bruises.” Amy lifts her gear top with one hand and turns a little to show her back, revealing a light purple splotch across the middle of her back.
“Oh gods. That’s ugly.” Bree reaches for Amy’s hand that’s holding the icepack. “Let me see your neck.” Amy moves her hand, and Amy’s neck underneath is red, with one deeper red bump in the middle. “Wow. I can’t believe this is all.”
Amy replaces the icepack as she turns back to face Bree. “Do you want me to go jump off the stage again, try harder to break my neck?”
“Of course not, don’t be ridiculous! I’m just…. Extremely relieved.” Bree smiles, her emotion showing.
“Imagine how I feel.” Amy grins. Bree gives a small laugh.
“I’d rather not. Going off a stage into all that equipment is not something I want to experience.”
“I hope you never do.”
Bree leans against the wall in the small exam room. “Seriously though. Tonight, and Rise? How?” This time Bree is asking a real question, not just speaking in exclamations. Amy sighs, she knows.
“The Morrigan.”
“You invoked a war goddess?!”
“Both Simon and Ghalleon started their wars with me, and I decided if they want to play dirty, I’ll end the wars my way.” The Morrigan is an Irish-Celtic goddess that is seen as both a singular and a triple goddess. She’s known to incite war, lead those who call on her to victory, and protect them from harm.
“Okay, I get that, they both fucked with you hardcore, in very different ways, but… look, I know you don’t take anyone’s shit and stand up for yourself, it’s what you’ve preached for years. But I always thought that came from a place of personal strength and desire to help others help themselves. I’ve never known you to be so… spiteful.”
“A person can only swallow so much shit before it has to be regurgitated back to those who served it.”
Bree pulls a face “Okay, ew. But I understand. It’s just-“
“Just what, Bree? Was I supposed to let Simon keep pretending to be Jesus and trying to get people to follow his bullshit? Was I supposed to stand still and let Ghalleon steamroll me – again! – just because he’s been jealous of my success for twenty years? I had enough! They had their ways around the rules and I have mine.”
Bree just stares at Amy for a moment, and Amy assumes she’s dropping it. She lowers her head a little, adjusting the icepack on her neck. A trainer had clearly seen her already, but she had to wait for him to come back to decide if she had to go to the hospital or not.
“You know what this reminds me of? That argument Jaina told me you had with her about her coven leader.” Amy snaps her head up, wincing a little in pain.
“What? About Kali Ma? She told you that?”
“Yes, she did, because I asked why Maia didn’t like you. I’m on your side about that, but you’re sounding pretty hypocritical right now. Calling on someone like that?”
Amy sits up straighter, irritated. “You listen to me. You have zero place trying to call me out on something magickal when everything you know came from me. That’s true in two areas now, isn’t it?” Amy knows she’s being a bitch and Bree probably doesn’t deserve it, but the effects of her working with The Morrigan are still in force and she can’t stop herself. Bree flinches at the comment. “The difference between what I’m doing and what Maia was doing is, Maia was asking Kali Ma to go on attack. She was the provoker. I called down The Morrigan primarily for protection. If those assholes got hurt in their attack on me? That’s their own fault. You think I’m spiteful? Sweetie, I am spite incarnate.”
Bree sighs, and seems to accept Amy’s response. Amy can usually tell what she’s thinking, but for some strange reason, right now she can’t.
“I see. Listen, this conversation reminded me. There’s something that Jaina and I need to talk to you about, regarding that coven. I’d rather wait until Jaina is here too, to really get into it. But I wanted you to know, to expect it.”
“Let me guess. Sacred Sisters is up to some kind of bullshit again?”
“Something like that.”
“Okay. Thanks for the heads up.” Feeling the effects of her working slipping away, Amy takes a deep breath. “Bree, I’m sorry. I know I was a bitch a minute ago, I just-“
“I know. It wasn’t you. Literally.”
“Well… it was partially me. Just… amplified.”
“You’ve been through a lot. Like production crates. You’re forgiven.” Both women smile, and Bree moves to give Amy a hug, but they are interrupted by the trainer coming back in.
“Amy – oh, sorry to interrupt, Bree. But I’ve spoken with the head trainer and we’ve settled on not sending you to the hospital.”
“Thank gods.”
The trainer looks over his shoulder out the door a moment, then back at Amy. “Uh, there’s also a camera outside, they want an update for the live show.”
Bree moves towards the door. “That’s my cue to go. Come find me when you’re done here.”
Amy nods and Bree leaves. Amy turns to the trainer. “Okay, let them in.”

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

{{ Tuesday, September 3
Harvey, LA
Amy’s home }}

It had been a hectic few days. Breakdown on Thursday in Dallas, while a storm passed over New Orleans. Amy had tried to get answers from Andrew but he didn’t respond. Then she and Bree immediately flew to London, while Jaina went home to check on her condo following the storm. In London, Ghalleon had done his best to keep his word on taking Amy out of the business, yet she walked away from the destruction. Bree’s questions, and questioning her methods, had given Amy pause. Had she done something wrong in calling for the assistance of The Morrigan? There was only one person Amy could think of to ask about this – Velvet Reed. The woman was ‘officially’ Amy’s sponsor that she met through rehab a year ago, but she was also a pagan practitioner, like Amy, however more experienced. She's only a few years older than Amy, but had never taken a break, so to speak, from the craft like Amy had. So today, Amy is meeting with Velvet for lunch at home. She always takes the Monday after a Pay Per View off to recover from travel, and this one especially needed it, having been overseas. Amy hadn’t had much time to process what happened at Breakdown – or rather, what didn’t happen – as she had to immediately hone her focus on the battle she had in London. Now though, with everything over with and nothing to do at home, everything is piling up in Amy’s head. Seeing Velvet today was exactly what she needed to keep herself thinking clearly.

In the kitchen, Velvet sits at the island, as Amy is pouring two glasses of tea. She sets one down in front of Velvet then sits across from her at the island.
“Thank you, darling.”
“I’m just glad you were able to come by, I know it was short notice.”
“I’m always available for you.”
Amy grins. “One of these days I’m gonna catch you in the middle of something with another client and-”
“I don’t have others.” Velvet smiles. Amy sets her glass down slowly.
“Oh.” Amy doesn’t know what to say to that, so she just swishes the ice around in her glass of tea.
“Why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind?”
“I don’t even know where to start.” Sure, she wanted to ask about her workings, but there were other things on her mind, too.
“Well, we haven’t really spoken much over the summer. You’ve been doing so well, I have to say. A year sober, isn’t it?”
“Fourteen months, if you want to be specific.” Amy smiles, proud, but it fades a little.
“What’s wrong? I saw that.” Velvet gestures to her own face.
“Just... something happened in my last SCW match in July, and I’m not sure what it means.”
“In relation to sobriety?” Velvet sounds confused.
“Yeah. I don’t know if I told you, but I was facing Simon.” Velvet nods, she remembers. “Okay. Well, obviously he knows everything about me. So in the match, he... poured liquor in my face, trying to get it down my throat.”
“Fuck’s sake.” Velvet shakes her head.
“I broke the bottle over his head, and I won, so it turned out okay. But I just wonder if it means anything. Like... does it negate my progress?”
“Did you ingest any?”
Amy looks away a moment, getting a hold on her anger. “I tried not to. I tried to spit it all out but instinct made me swallow a little rather than choke.” She hadn’t admitted that to anyone else. She had been afraid it would ruin everything she worked for, and she didn’t want to give Simon that win, or the satisfaction.
“I see. Well, I would say it negates nothing. You didn’t choose to drink it, it was forced on you. It was a violation, and you shouldn’t punish yourself for something someone else did to you.”
Amy scoffs to herself, with a wry grin. Doesn’t that sound familiar. “I see what you mean.” She looks up, the grin now grateful. “Thanks.”
“I thought putting it in those terms might hit home.”
“Right at the doorstep.”
“Other than that, how was the match? Did you do the protection working we discussed?”
“I did. For that match and the one a few days ago.”
“Who did you settle on calling on?”
Amy hesitates a moment. Velvet’s reaction to her answer would say a lot. “The Morrigan.”
“That’s certainly a choice.” Velvet seems surprised, but also... proud? “How did it work?”
“So well that I kept getting asked how I wasn’t in the hospital.”
Velvet leans forward on the island. “Should you have been?”
“Probably. If not after Simon, then definitely Saturday.” Amy then explains what Ghalleon did to her.
“I’d say either your working was effective, or you were miraculously lucky. I know which I’d put my money on.”
“There’s no doubt in my mind it was Her. Both matches, I didn’t even feel like myself. If you can stand it, go watch them. You’ll see.”
“I may just. How exactly did you perform the working?”
Amy takes a deep breath and sits back in her chair. Explaining her rituals isn’t something she usually does. It even felt strange when she was teaching Bree. But, Velvet always makes her feel comfortable, so her hesitation was slight.
“Well, first I wrote an invocation. I’m not going to recite it here-“
“Of course not.” Neither of them wanted The Morrigan in Amy’s kitchen.
“-but it asks Her to rile up Her war mode, be with me while I go to battle in SCW against the enemy Simon, and protect me from any and all attacks. For the other match I just changed the names to VWA and Ghalleon. On the altar I laid offerings of crow feathers I found in the yard, dragon’s blood incense, and red wine. I had Wyatt buy it for me so no stories got to the dirt sheets.” Amy rolls her eyes.
“Good thinking there.”
“I also placed an old steel pipe I kept from a match a long time ago on it, as my war weapon. And charged two small red garnet chips with Her energy and tucked them into my boots.” Amy thought it best to leave out the fact that pipe was from VWA when she brutally beat Dustin with it. No one knows she kept it, except the ring crew member who she saw grab it, and she asked to have it. It still has dried blood on it.
“You certainly went all out. And you performed this when? The day of?”
“About a week before. To let the energy build. With a clause for the effects to wear off after the match was over. I left it open to Her interpretation if She wanted to actually be involved, coming down to me, or just lending her energy. I’m honestly not sure which happened.”
“Maybe She doesn’t want you to know.”
“Maybe. I did have a question for you about all of it, though. Was it too much? Too far?”
Squinting thoughtfully, Velvet folds her hands on the countertop. “In what sense?”
“Bree said something about it being too much, that I was a hypocrite because I called someone else out over invoking Kali Ma.” Amy then explains that situation. Velvet scoffs.
“Well that’s silly. You were protecting yourself.”
“That’s what I said. But she just made me think about it, you know? It’s been a long time since I’ve really used any of this for work. Wyatt was wary about it at first, but eventually gave me his blessing to do what I felt necessary.”
“If it was necessary, then it was right. And in both these cases, I’d agree it was necessary.”
Amy smiles, and sips her tea. “Thanks. Try explaining that to Bree.”
“I will if you like.” Velvet smirks. Amy shakes her head no. “Alright, offer is there.”
“I’d rather let her see it for herself. Anyway, my second-guessing myself isn’t the thing that’s been bothering me the most.”
“It didn’t seem like it. What is it, darling?”
“In a word? Andrew.” Velvet knows all about him, as Amy had spoken to her extensively about the things in her past that mentally contributed to her problems.
“That’s out of the blue.”
“You’re telling me! He showed up in SCW during my match and stopped Simon from essentially breaking my neck.”
Velvet blinks in shock. “He went in just to help you?”
“Yes! Do you see why this is fucking with me?”
“Absolutely. Do you have any idea why he would do such a thing?”
“None. At Rise he left the building before either I or Bree could find him. Last week at Breakdown I knew he was in the building and tried to call him to the ring to talk, but he wouldn’t come out.”
“What about Bree? Has she found out anything from him yet?”
“If so, she hasn’t told me. It’s possible he did explain to her and made her promise to keep it to herself. They’ve been good friends for a long time. Oddly.” Amy was never quite sure how that worked out, other than the fact they became friends through Blake, when she and Amy weren’t exactly on speaking terms. Somehow, it stuck through their reconciliation and Bree and Blake’s breakup. Andrew took Bree’s side in that mess. Velvet knows all of this though, so she understands Amy’s comment.
“Do you have any ideas at all? Like, could he want something from you? Does he have his own quarrel with Simon?”
"Simon did break into Bree’s house… but that was months ago and he waited til now to do something. But I honestly have no idea. I wouldn’t be so fucked up about it if he’d just say something.” Amy scoffs at herself, shaking her head. “Gods, if I had a dollar for every time I said that… communication, or lack of, was the biggest part of why things went south between us all those years ago. I really shouldn’t be surprised he’s acting this way.”
“Perhaps not. This is one of those things that you need to try to understand that you can’t control.” Amy sighs hard. Those things keep coming up and they remain a struggle. “He may explain himself to you in time, or you may never see or hear from him again and never find out. There isn’t anything you can do to determine which way it goes.”
“I can keep trying to-“
“How did that work our for you last time?”
Amy glares, smacking the counter with her fist. “Fuck.”
“I’m sorry to be so blunt. But…” Velvet shrugs.
“I know. You’re right. I hate it, though.”
“I understand. What you went through with him was traumatic, and triggered your addiction. You’ll always be triggered by him for that reason. But you still can’t control him. You can only control how you react to him. My feeling is… if he wants you to know why he did what he did, he will let you know in his own time. You can’t force it out of him.”
“Never could. And I know that, and I’ve been trying to tell myself that and not let it bother me, but…”
“But triggers are hard to unpull.” Amy simply nods in agreement. “I would advise you to focus on the things you can control.”
“I’m trying. I called you, didn’t I?”
“Indeed you did. I’m proud of you for that. It takes a lot of work and strength to get where you are, Amy. Over a year sober? The percentages of that are low. Under twenty. I don’t mind telling you I had my doubts when I met you.”
“Ha, don’t blame you. I was resolved, though. Still am. I can’t lose my family.”
“I know that now.”
“While we’re on the subject, I have to tell you that you’ve been a big part of this. There are quite a few times I can think of where if I hadn’t been able to contact you? It would have been bad.”
“I told you… I am always available for you.”
“And I appreciate that more than I can ever tell you. Thank you.”
“Oh, Amy, you-"
“And not just for the sponsor thing, but spiritually, too. You’ve helped me get back on that path, as well.”
At this point Velvet reaches across the counter and grabs Amy’s hand. “I’ll just remind you that I was put into your path for a reason, and I’m happy to fill the role the gods have given me.”
“I’m happy they did so.” They squeeze hands, then Amy sits up straight. “Now, how about that lunch?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” They laugh as Amy gets up to start preparing their meal.

An hour or so later after Velvet left, Amy remembered that Bree had mentioned she and Jaina wanting to talk to her about something. So, she gets comfortable in her office and calls Bree.
“Hey you.”
“Hey yourself. Busy?”
“Not really. Just got off the phone with Dom. Heath will be coming home later this week.”
“I know you miss him.”
“Like the sun misses the flower.” Amy laughs at the movie reference.
“Nice quote. But I know you mean it.”
“I really do.”
“Listen, I remember you said you and Jaina had something you wanted to talk to me about.”
“That’s right, we do. I haven’t asked her about getting with you because she’s been dealing with her floors.” The flood waters from Hurricane Francine got into her house by a few inches and destroyed the entire first level floor.
“Such a pain in the ass. When both you and she have time is fine, I just wanted you to know I didn’t forget.”
“Alright. I think she’s waiting for the new flooring to be delivered and there’s not much she can do in the meantime, so I’ll ask her and get back to you.”

They end the call, and fifteen minutes later, Bree texts with a time and place. Amy has no idea what this could be about, but if it involves Sacred Sisters, it can’t be anything good.