Apocalypse 2024 #2
{{ Thursday, September 12
Boise, ID
Breakdown }}
Breakdown is still on air as Amy sits in her locker room, in stunned silence. She just watched Jaina interviewing CHBK, where he announced her as the first challenger for Josh Hudson for the World Championship. A dozen thoughts go through her head. Was she just rewarded for likely putting Simon into a forced retirement? How is she going to throw everything she has against Josh, a man who’s worked for her at BlackOut for the last year and is now seriously involved with Bree? What is Bree going to think about this? And she still hasn’t heard one word from Andrew, either in person or on air, about why he made his return the way he did. Amy had to admit she was surprised when she learned he hadn’t just appeared at Rise for her, but had signed a new contract. That meant that eventually, they would run into each other. There was no way around it.
Amy shakes her head. No. Forget Andrew. World. Fucking. Championship. Taking the fact that her friend is the current champion out of the equation, Amy lets her elation rise. Never had she thought she’d get another chance at it. Not after her retirement and subsequent comeback where she stated plainly that she wasn’t interested in it. Certainly not after she was defeated in VWA for theirs, a title she held in name only for seven years while the company was defunct. They ruled all that time as part of her reign, and she lost it the first time defending it. She is almost certain she’ll never see that one again. This one? The SCW World Championship? It was in her grasp.
All she had to do, was kick her friend’s ass. No biggie.
Amy shakes her head to herself as she gets up and opens the locker room door. On the other side is Jaina, her hand in the air as if about to knock. Amy smiles at her. Since the talk they had with Bree about the coven, the tension and even coldness between them had all but gone away. Jaina had come to terms with the fact she had been wrong about the coven leader and was fully on the side of her mother.
“Oh! Mom. I was just coming to get you.”
“Get me? What for?”
“Please tell me you just saw the announcement??”
“Yes I did.” Jaina surprises Amy with a hug.
“Did you see me almost lose it on live camera? He really should have warned me.”
“He probably wanted your reaction. Maybe they should have shown mine.”
Jaina grins. “Did you lose it? I bet you lost it.”
“I… expressed a few colorful words. So maybe it’s better I wasn’t on camera.” They laugh.
“It’s like he knows you or something.”
“So, why were you coming to get me?”
“Oh! CHBK needs you to sign the contract.” No, contract signings aren’t just for TV, all the title matches have them.
“Let me guess, not gonna be televised because there’s no heat?”
“Probably. Anyway, he’s waiting. Josh already signed.”
“Better not keep him waiting then.”
Mother and daughter leave the locker room and head down the hallway. Jaina’s phone dings, and Amy stops when Jaina does to check it.
“It’s just Marie texting. Go, I’ll catch up. He doesn’t need me anyway.”
Amy nods, and continues on. The hallway meets the larger, main hall of the backstage area. Amy steps into it and sees the smaller hall across the way that leads to where CHBK’s office is for the night. Before she can make her way down it though…. Andrew emerges from it. He’s looking down at his phone and doesn’t notice her until she stops in her tracks, her feet making a shuffling sound against the rough concrete floor. Andrew then looks up, and when he sees Amy staring, he slowly lowers his phone, keeping his gaze on her.
A dozen things run through Amy’s mind at once, all jumbled up. Why me? Why now? Why did you sign? What does mean? Are you… are we…? Just what? But she can say none of it, unable to decide what to say first. Instead, she just stares, incredulous, imploringly, hoping maybe he’ll just know what she wants from him. Needs.
Andrew’s expression remains stoic as he looks Amy up and down, then his gaze meets her eyes again. Amy thinks she sees his face soften just the tiniest bit, or maybe she imagined it. But then, he looks away a moment, then back at her, followed by a shrug and a slight head-tilt to one side.
At that smallest of gestures, Amy knew two things. One, he knew exactly what she wanted to say but couldn’t form the words. And two? The why. She relaxes her expression, her whole body stance really, and gives a single nod. She understands.
Andrew simply returns the single nod, then goes on in the direction he was going. Amy watches him walk away, marveling how after so many years the two of them could still read each other like that.
“Mom?”
Amy starts at sound of Jaina’s voice next to her, even though she didn’t speak loud.
“Oh! Yeah?”
“Did that just happen?”
“You saw that?”
“I was right behind you.”
“You understand what that was?” Jaina nods. “Rise was an apology.”
“I thought so when he did it. Did it really take you til now to see it?”
“I suspected… or maybe hoped. I guess I needed confirmation.”
“But he didn’t confirm or even say anything.”
“He didn’t need to.” Communication with words had never been the man’s strong suit, so at the time Amy had to learn to read him. Some things never fade away, and the brief glance they exchanged told her everything she needed to know. What’s more, he knew she’d get it.
“I guess not.” Jaina does her best to hide a grin, but Amy notices. What was that about?
“Jay…”
“We should go, CHBK is waiting for you.”
Jaina starts down the hallway, nearly leaving Amy behind.
She knows something.
Maybe Andrew's actions really were some kind of recompene. But Amy still doesn't know why.
{{ Monday, September 16
Gretna, LA
BlackOut Academy }}
It’s the first day that Amy and Josh have been present at BOA since Breakdown a few days ago, where it was announced to the world that they would face each other for the World Championship. Amy arrived first, and didn’t get a chance to speak to Josh before class was set to begin. Amy had a feeling that today would not be a typical day.
As suspected, when Amy, Josh, and Bree got into the main ring to address the students, as they do every Monday, the ring was filled with a different kind of chatter than usual. They normally sound conversational, even eager to start. Today? Muted. Murmuring. As if trying to keep their voices down, so none of the trainers would hear them. Standing against the ropes. Amy is all the way to the left, Bree in the middle, and Josh to the right. Jeff and Travis are present too, standing off to the side as normal. Amy decides to begin as if nothing is different, and makes a bet with herself how long that will last.
“Good morning, everyone. I love it when you’re all on time.” In fact they were all early. Because of course they were. “Before we get started today, there’s something I’d like to bring up, and-"
“Apocalypse.”
“Yeah, we know.”
“Everyone knows.”
“How is this gonna work?”
From there, the students begin speaking at the same time and Amy can’t pick individual comments out. She glances sideways at both Bree and Josh. Bree shrugs. Josh though puts a hand up, as if saying “I got this.”
“Hey, hey! Settle yourselves, will you?” The students quickly quiet down.
“Thank you. For the record, that is not what I was going to bring up, but since it’s out there, we may as well address it. SCW and the World Championship are a completely separate entity from BlackOut Academy. In their ring…. Well, you obviously know what’s coming. But in this ring?” Amy points down to the mat where she’s standing. “Nothing has changed. We are conducting business as usual.”
Before any student can throw a comment or question out, Josh steps up.
“I completely agree. This match coming up is not up for discussion here. We are here to teach you, and you are here to learn to be the best wrestlers you can be. Amy and I are professionals, and we’ve agreed to leave SCW out of this building. We would appreciate if you all would do the same. Agreed?”
Heads nod. Josh gives them a harder look, and murmured “yes’s” come from the group.
“Good. Thank you. Now, let’s get our day started.”
After getting the students started with drills, leaving Jeff, Travis, and Bree to supervise, Josh goes to the other ring to start setting up crash pads for a lesson later in the day. Amy has paper work to do in her office, but she goes to meet Josh instead. He’s sliding a mat into the ring as Amy walks up.
“Hey, got a minute?”
“Sure.”
“I was just wondering when we made that agreement.” Amy smirks. Josh laughs.
“I assumed it was a given.”
“So what you’re saying is, you don’t want to have a test run match in front of the kids?”
“What, and give you insight to my game plan? Not at all.”
They both laugh. “Good, because I don’t want to reveal mine, either. I just thought it would be fun to mess with you for a minute.”
“Won’t be so fun at Apocalypse.”
“Oh, I don’t know. It might.” Amy smirks. Josh nods, with a smirk of his own.
“Touche.”
“I do have a real question for you, by the way. Its what I was going to bring up before they sidetracked us.”
“Shoot.”
“I was thinking we finish out the week's classes, then suspend until after Apocalypse. I intended to get everyone’s input, including them-” Amy gestures to the students. “But after that earlier? I don’t think they should have any. You and I might be able to compartmentalize things, but I don’t think they can.”
“Clearly they can’t. I agree, let’s do it. Leaves us with the gym free for all the training we want.”
“At the same time? Won’t we be revealing secrets?”
“We’ll work out a schedule.”
Both chuckle again. “Fair enough. Listen, I know I probably don’t have to say this, but I will anyway. After the last few matches I’ve had, it’s refreshing to have one where my opponent isn’t trying to murder me. Doesn’t mean I’m not expecting your best.”
“I expect your best, too. I know you don’t think you still have what you used to, but I disagree, and clearly Alex does, too. Don’t sell yourself short before the bell rings.”
Amy smiles, looking down a moment. It’s true, she’s questioned whether or not she belongs in this match. “I appreciate that. Do you want me to beat you?”
“Fuck no. I want to be able to say that if I win, I beat Amy Chastaine at her peak.”
Amy laughs. “I’ll claim the same if I win.” She offers a hand. “Best of luck.”
Josh takes it. “Same to you.”
Amy heads to her office to complete the paper work before she leaves for the shelter. Another thing she’s grateful for that she didn’t say to Josh, is that she doesn’t feel the need to perform another working invoking the help of The Morrigan. Facing Josh was going to be a tough challenge, definitely a battle, but not a war, not anything she needed that kind of energy for. While she doesn’t regret doing what she did to face Simon and Ghalleon, the effects took a lot out of her and she’s looking forward to a normal match, as normal as one for a World Championship can be.
{{ Tuesday, September 24
Gretna, LA
BlackOut Academy }}
It’s early morning and Amy has just arrived at the gym. There are no classes, they’ve been suspended as she and Josh agreed to do. She’s here for a training session with Travis, but Travis isn’t here yet. Almost no one is, other than the cars Amy recognizes as belonging to the front desk clerk for the downstairs gym, the day care worker, and of course Wyatt. Amy sees two other cars she doesn’t recognize as she exits her Jeep. The door to the white sedan opens, and Amy recognizes the man who gets out as one of Wyatt’s regular clients. She opens the back door to get her bag, and as she closes it, sees from the side of her eye a woman walking behind her. Thinking nothing of it, just another early patron, Amy continues on her way. Until she’s shouted at.
“Hey! Amy!”
Amy spins around, and is greeted by the glaring stare of Maia, from Sacred Sisters. She glares right back.
“Can I help you?”
“Yeah. You can. You can stop sicking your little minions on me!”
“Excuse me, what?”
“Your kid and her aunt and the girls they stole from me, but you know that. Mabon, not a single person came to my circle.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Maia.”
“Don’t fucking lie to me! Right after the last full moon, where Jaina and Bree bailed on me, everything went to shit for me! I got evicted, because my landlord decided to sell the house I’ve been renting for fifteen years! I lost my keys. My wallet was stolen, all my cards, my license! And-“
Amy puts a hand up to shut her up. “Stop it. I know what you did, what you tried to get those women to do to me, that’s true enough. But I didn’t do a damn thing to you.”
“Bullshit!” Maia steps closer, trying to get in Amy’s face. “All of this started after—”
Amy steps back, her hand still up. “First of all, get the fuck out of my face. Secondly. The only thing I did do, was a protection working on myself. It was supposed to be for my matches, but it’s apparently worked on anyone who’s tried to attack me, in any way. I did nothing to you, Maia. You did it all to yourself.” Amy glares as she watches Maia think about her words.
“I don’t believe you. You had to have done something proactive! Protections don’t work like that!”
Amy shrugs. “Maybe yours don’t. I don’t care what you believe, and neither does the Universe. You were trying to use those women for your own purposes without telling them exactly what they were doing. You’re absolutely despicable, and the Universe will take care of you far more thoroughly than I ever could.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” The steam has been let out of Maia’s words, though.
“Don’t I?” Maia takes a step back, now intimidated by Amy’s stoic stare. “Now get off my property, and don’t ever step foot on it again. Or you’ll find out what happens when I really do do something proactive. Have the day you deserve.”
Maia starts walking backwards towards her car, not taking her eyes off Amy until she’s about half the distance away, then she turns and hurries to her car. Amy shakes her head and walks towards the gym’s front door.
One less thing to worry about while she prepares for her biggest match since coming out of retirement.
September 28
-----------------
I find myself in an interesting position, Dear Readers.
One I never anticipated being in again, not after returning from what I thought was a permanent retirement. But as the old saying goes…. Never say never in wrestling.
I laced up my boots again with the intention of making a run for the Tag Team Championships with a person I thought at the time was one of my best friends. Anyone who watched Rise to Greatness and saw the hell Simon and I and put each other through knows without any doubt whatsoever how wrong I was. But, at the time, the Tag Titles were my only ambition. Shortly after returning, things blew up. I did my best to keep that from you, the public. Meanwhile Simon declared he had his sights on the World Championship. I was fine with that. He’d never held it here, and I have. In fact, I’ve done damn near everything there is to do in this company. Supreme Champion, Hall of Fame, set some records. There’s only two things here in SCW I haven’t done. Won a battle royal… or been Underground Champion.
Maybe one day those things will come to be. Maybe they won’t. Either way, I’ve been satisfied with my career and accomplishments for a long time. I’ve come to terms with the idea that a lot of things were now beyond my reach. Younger, stronger, and faster competitors are here and sometimes I watch them and know – not wonder, but know – that I can’t keep up with them.
As I said on Breakdown in front of my hometown crowd, if anyone had told me even a year ago that I would find myself challenging for the World Championship here and now, I would have thought they lost their mind. Yet… here we are.
I’m not going to pretend I understand how CHBK thinks or why he decided to grant me this opportunity, beyond what he said when he made the announcement. I had a big win at Rise, and he thought that deserved something.
First, since I got a little carried away by the crowd reaction and forgot to say this at Breakdown… Alex, thank you. For someone like me who often has trouble believing I’ve earned what I have or that I still belong, this opportunity means a great deal to me. The fact that it’s coming right after I finally put away the man who’s been making my life hell for the last year…. It means even more, and I’ll tell everyone why.
Simon set his sights on the World Championship. He had two chances and failed them both. After everything he’s said and done to me and my family, I can’t think of anything much more satisfying than the idea of him sitting at home, recovering from everything I did to keep him home… as he watches me at Apocalypses and achieve what he couldn’t – become SCW World Champion.
Granted, I do not have an easy path to that satisfaction, because the man currently holding that championship is Josh Hudson. One of few true veterans around here who’s even more experienced and decorated than I am. Josh and I are of similar age, and after I came down from the shock and excitement of being given this chance, my first thought was…. If Josh is still out here kicking every ass in front of him and ‘keeping up’ with all the new and extremely skilled talent, why can’t I?
Maybe that’s what CHBK saw in me, more than just the fact I overcame my nemesis from the last year. Maybe I needed something like this to truly believe that I am the fighter I claim to be, even when sometimes I feel like I’m exaggerating.
The truth is, I am every bit the fighter I’ve claimed to be since rehab set me straight. In fact, I am more than that. At Rise to Greatness, I knew I would have to push my own limits, cross lines, and break every rule of sportsmanship that exists. When I watch the match back…. I almost don’t recognize myself. That strong, brutal woman can’t possibly be me! Except it was. Because I’ve always been able to do what needed to be done when things got ugly or dangerous, and Rise was no different. Do I like going to that level? Not particularly. But do I like fighting for what I believe in and to protect and defend myself more? You bet your ass I do.
It's refreshing to know that at Apocalypse, I won’t have to go to that level. Josh Hudson isn’t someone I need to protect or defend myself, or SCW, from. No, Josh is everything that should represent SCW. Sure, he has a history of some not-so-nice things, but so does everyone in this business. It comes with the territory. Underneath everything though. Josh has always stood for the same things. Integrity of the sport. Respect for that ring. And the honor of those championships. Everything that I’ve always stood for in this business, too.
I knew all of that about Josh before I ever met him. Then he answered an ad I posted for a trainer at BlackOut, and in the last year since he’s been working with me, I’ve come to really know that everything he says about it is true. Not only is he an integral part of BlackOut now, he’s also managed to find himself entrenched into my family. There are few people in this business I respect on the same level, both professionally and personally. In the ring he’s the battle-tested veteran that’s been a fixture of SCW for twenty years. Outside of it… he’s a real veteran, who tries his best to do what’s right for his family, his kids. Especially the youngest, after they both lost her mother. There are a lot of men – and women, let me be honest here – who would crumble under that kind of loss, pressure. But not Josh. The way he pulled himself up and turned all of his attention on what was best for his daughter should be an inspiration to anyone who’s unfortunate enough to go through something similar.
I hope I haven’t embarrassed him with my words, but I felt it needed to be said, in order for my Dear Readers to truly understand how much of an honor this is for me, and how very much it would mean for me to win. Not only am I facing someone I respect on a level few share, who I consider a friend, and who may very well be family at some point in the future… but if I do manage to beat him, if I walk out of Apocalypse as SCW World Champion…. I’ll be making personal history.
That’s right. In my whole career, every championship I’ve ever held… I’ve never held any of them more than once. That’s an insane stat, isn’t it? But it just worked out that way. I’d get beat, I’d pick myself up, and move on to something else. So many people in SCW have carried that title two, three, even six times, so becoming a two-time champion might not seem like that big of a deal to many of them, or even to many of you, Dear Readers.
But to me? It would mean everything.
The first and last time I was SCW World champion, I had been here less than a year, in 2016. Here I am, nine years, three surgeries, and one retirement later… one match away from doing something I’ve never done before.
Josh. I respect you as a colleague, I care about you as a friend. But when the bell rings at Apocalypse, I can’t look across the ring and see you as either of those things. I have to see you as the obstacle in my way of achieving a personal first, and of proving not only to myself, but to everyone who’s questioned CHBK’s decision, and even my decision to return two years ago…. That I can keep up, I did earn my place, and this is still where I belong.
That’s what you did at Rise to Greatness when you defeated Selena Frost. It’s time for me to do the same.
Stay Brave,
Amy Chastaine