The city welcomed James and Adrian as they made their way through the busy streets. James tried his best to appear cool, calm, and collect but the news story he had just scene flashed through his mind, repeating like a CD skipping. It played forwards and backwards.
He couldn’t help but immediately question whether or not it was Abel.
Abel, the evil that had resonated within James, was buried deep down, far away. At least that was what his doctor said would happen with therapy and meds. At least that was what James hoped.
“You alright?” Adrian asked suddenly.
They had driven through the city and had not uttered a single word for so long that James had sort of forgotten the young man was riding in the passenger seat next to him. James quickly shot Adrian a glance, letting him know that James knew he was there before he said, “Yeah. I’m fine. I have a lot on my mind. Just trying to work things out.”
Adrian nodded his head in a rhythm, as if he were listening to music, “Ah,” he replied, “The mind can be a tricky thing.”
“Is that so?” James questioned, “What makes you say that?”
Adrian shrugged, “Well, I watched my dad go crazy when I was growing up, especially after my mom died. He lost his marbles and I mean, he lost them quickly.”
Taking a left, James glanced at the young man and they locked eyes for a brief moment, “Lost his marbles, huh? I’ve not heard it put like that in a long time. How did he lose them if you don’t mind me asking?”
Adrian shook his head, “I don’t mind at all. The mind fascinates me,” he said, looking forward, “My father drank a lot. He did quite a few drugs, too. You know, that old song and dance.”
“What do you mean?” James asked.
“Stories always involve drugs and alcohol these days,” Adrian stated. James couldn’t help but agree deep down, knowing that his own story involved those two key ingredients. James gave a simple nod as the young man continued, “But those are two major things that sent my dad closer to the edge. We started living off of the land because that was what he wanted. He didn’t want us to come anywhere near the city. He taught me how to hunt and how he fish. Hunting was his favorite past time. Something about the sight of blood…it excited my father…” Adrian’s tale reminded James once again of his own story. James recalled how his own father had a knack for violence and bloodletting, especially when it came to getting his fix for whatever substance he had chosen to abuse.
“The more we had to hunt, the more into it he got,” Adrian continued, “It scared me at first, but I got used to it, I guess you could say. But, then one night something happened. Something was different about my father. I was afraid to go to sleep.”
“Afraid to go to sleep?” James asked, surprised by the turn the story was taking.
Adrian nodded, “Oh yeah, man. He woke me up and told me to go outside. I was half asleep so I wasn’t sure what was going on. Once the cold hit me, as this was in the dead of winter, I woke up. And then, I saw my father was carrying a rifle.”
“He wanted to take you hunting at night?” James asked, finding the entire story incredibly odd the more in continued.
“In a way, yes…” Adrian replied, looking down this time.
James didn’t reply at first. He thought about what Adrian could have possibly meant by that statement. It didn’t take long for it to hit James. When it did, it hit like a ton of bricks, “Are you trying to tell me…”
Before James could finish, Adrian stated it for him, “My father wanted to hunt me.”
“Jesus Christ,” James quickly said, unable to comprehend the notion of a father hunting his son. It reminded him of how long it took him to comprehend the fact his own father used him in many ways in order to get drugs when James was a child.
“Yeah, he had been on a binge for quite some time. I can’t remember how long it lasted,” Adrian said, “But he took me outside and I’ll never forget what he said to me…but he looked at me with this wild ass stare and he calmly said…’Run…’”
“Did you run or just stand there? I’m sure I would have stood there like a deer in headlights, dude…” James said as he brought the car to a stop. James tried to picture it in his head, seeing a younger Adrian, standing there in some pajamas, staring confused at his father, who James saw was a long haired, dark bearded man, holding a rifle as he stared coldly at his son.
Adrian shook his head, “No. I saw the look in his eyes and I knew something was off. I didn’t stand around long enough to see what would happen. Something told me what would happen if I did, so I ran. I ran as far and as fast as I could. I knew the woods we lived near like the back of my hand but I was still scared shitless.”
“I can’t say I wouldn’t be,” James replied.
“I ran despite the cold filling my lungs. I eventually felt that I had created enough distance between he and I,” Adrian said with a hard swallow, “And it was snowing, so I knew my footprints would be able to be tracked, so I quickly ran one way then another before coming back to my original stopping point. I wiped away any footprints that would give away my position and I hid.”
James pictured it all in his head, feeling a chill running up and down his spine, “How long were you out there, hiding in the cold?”
“I’ve no idea. I was more worried about not freezing to death,” Adrian responded, giving a slight chuckle which struck James in a way he couldn’t describe other than eerie, “All I know is, I remember hearing my father running up to where I stopped. I heard him breathing heavily. I remember him wheezing and shouting for me. His shouts scared me, but I covered my mouth to muffle any gasps. I just sat there waiting until I heard my father take off again. I waited a few minutes and saw that he was gone so I ran home, fearing that he’d see me…”
“…but he didn’t…” James said. Adrian just shook his head no, “What happened after that?”
The young man shrugged, “I called 911 and hid under my bed until they arrived. They eventually found my father near death in the middle of the woods. The rifle was freezing to his hand. He was taken to the hospital where he died from complications they said,” James sensed a certain degree of uncertainty in Adrian’s voice.
“Why do I get the feeling that you don’t believe that?” James went ahead and asked.
Adrian scoffed, “What makes you think I don’t?”
“Call it a gut feeling,” James fired back.
“You really want to know?”
“Yes. I’m curious. But,” James started, “You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to. It is really your choice and I’ll respect it either way.”
“I don’t mind telling you,” Adrian said, giving that eerie laugh once again. He paused as the smile remained. A few moments passed and it faded as he said, “I think my father killed himself while in the hospital. You see, he was very sneaky and he had told me he’d kill himself if he was brought to the city again or placed in any sort of hospital.”
The eeriness remained as James listened, not saying a word. It reminded James of his own father once again. The man said he would rather die than go to a hospital or be placed behind bars. James started to think about his father some more, wondering if he was truly alive when Adrian spoke again, “He said he would inject air into his bloodstream if possible. He had all kinds of tubes connected to him so I feel that was the way he did it.”
James sat silently, shaking his head ever so often. He finally looked over at Adrian, “That is one hell of a story, dude. It’s hard to believe, but here you are. Living proof. It took a lot of courage to survive something like that.”
Adrian nodded, staring solemnly at James before asking, “Have you ever had to survive something like that?”
James stared back at Adrian for a few moments as his mind wandered. He saw himself as a child, being taken to a house in the middle of the night and being told by his father to make him proud. James recalled being led into a bedroom with a man he had never met before in his life. It was also the same night Abel came to life, taking all of the pain he would endure. And then, James thought about Dustin and how he had shared some of his life story with the kid, hoping it would help him in some way. James thought about Dustin’s outcome. James shrugged as he told Adrian, “No,” he said, feeling shitty for lying, but felt it was not the best way to go about things given how it ended last time, “Compared to you, I had the ideal childhood.”
James looked out of the window as he heard Adrian ask, “Where are we?”
James turned to Adrian and replied, “We are outside of my friend Angelica’s loft. I came by to see if she’d like to hang out with us. She has partnered up with me recently while working with the youth center. She’s a very cool person. I think you’d like her.”
“And how do you know her?”
“We work together.”
“Doing what?”
James shrugged, realizing he hadn’t told Adrian what he really did. He didn’t know how the kid would react, as he recalled how Dustin had. Dustin came off like he thought James was working with him just to look good in the community, to look like he was doing a lot of those Make-A-Wish visits. James told himself just to say it, “I’m a pro wrestler. Like I wrestle on TV and stuff. I wasn’t sure if you had recognized me or not.”
Adrian shook his head, “No. I’ve never really been much of a wrestling fan. My dad was. I remember many nights when he would get drunk while watching. He would stay up really late, just shouting at the TV. He almost lost it when I said it was fake.”
James grinned, while also trying to bite his tongue, “What I do…it’s not fake,” James said with a sly grin, “Don’t let Angelica hear you say that. She will kick your ass in the street,” he said as Adrian grinned and nodded, rolling his eyes slightly. James went to get out of the car before stopping. He took a deep breath, thinking about Dustin and how his death had affected Angelica as well. He then turned to Adrian, “Hey man, do you care if I go up first? I don’t want to bombard her out of nowhere. I’ll ease her into meeting you, which I really want her to meet you. Just have to use a little of finesse. That cool?”
Adrian nodded, “Yeah sure. I know how women are. You never know what you’re going to get with them. They can be so moody at times,” James nodded as well, knowing that he couldn’t really argue with that assessment and he also wasn’t quite ready to debate the battle of the sexes with someone he had just met.
“You sure? I will come get you and hopefully have her in tow,” James stated.
“It’s cool, James. I’ll smoke a cigarette or two in the meantime. All of this traveling has my nerves shot,” Adrian said, fumbling through his bag and pulling out a pack of smokes. James nodded before making his way into Angelica’s building. He wasn’t sure why he came other than the feeling that he didn’t know if he could try again with at-risk young by himself. He knocked on Angelica’s door. She opened it and gave James a surprised look.
“James?”
“Hey red,” James said. They were partners in the wrestling business, but he wasn’t good with nicknames. Her surprised expression became stern as she glared at him, “Still not doing so hot in that arena, but I’ll get there,” he said with a smirk, “How are you?”
“How does it look like I’m doing?” Angelica asked. Her hair was clearly a mess, and she was wearing sweats instead of looking completely classy which was the norm for her. She turned away and walked through her loft before plopping down on her couch. I took it as an invite and followed her into the living room, closing the door behind me.
“You look like shit, so I guess you feel like shit?” I asked as I stood a few inches away from the couch, where she sat with her right arm draped over her eyes. I wasn’t sure what to say or do as I hadn’t seen Angelica in such a state. At least not since those rough first days where we were becoming friends through our therapy group, “Why don’t you…” I said, taking a seat next to her and letting Angelica rest her legs over mine, “Just tell me what is going on? Something is clearly bothering you. So out with it, woman,” I said, trying to lighten things a bit.
Angelica removed her arm from her face, revealing wet eyes. She wiped the tears away from them before shaking her head, “I woke up this morning and I turned on the news...which is a bad habit I desperately need to break…” James knew exactly what she was going to say before Angelica said it, but he let her finish as she continued, “I turned on the news and I saw the news story for the day...a young woman had been murdered. I flipped through all of the news stations, and read articles online, trying to figure out as much as I could.:
“Why’d you want to do that?” James asked.
Angelica shrugged, “I don’t know. Maybe I am glutton for punishment,” she said, letting out a sad cackle, “I don’t know, really. I guess I felt I had to. I’m still dealing with the shit from Dustin’s death.”
James nodded, “I know how you feel. I’m still dealing with it myself. That is sort of why I came by. There is something…”
Before he could continue, James was cut off by Angelica, “And now, I wish I hadn’t done all of the digging that I did. I found out who the girl was and…” Her voice started to break. Angelica shed a few more tears but James could tell she was doing her best to fight them, “And...and...I knew her.”
James felt his eyes grow wide as the news shocked him, “You knew her? Wow,” James said with releasing a deep breath, “How close were you guys?”
Angelica shook her head, “I had not seen her in quite some time, but I feel I was a big part of her life at one point and vice versa.”
James slowly nodded, rubbing his hands together, wishing he had words to bring her comfort but he knew he didn’t have any, “I’m sorry, Angelica. I truly am. I wish there was more that I could say or do, but I’ve learned I’m pretty shitty when it comes to that. Not as bad as the nickname department, but close,” James said, forcing a grin.
Angelica let out a soft chuckle, which made James feel somewhat better and then she said, “I just really need to get out of this city. I just can’t leave. I’ve no one to take care of my things while I’m gone. I usually have a friend to take care of things while I’m gone for Breakdown and what not, but I think I just need to get out for a few weeks, maybe a few months. Just seems a lot has gone wrong since I’ve come back to the Big Apple.”
“I can understand that. I could help as much as possible, but you know that I’m on the road just about as much as you are,” James replied.
“I appreciate it,” Angelica said, “I’m sure I’ll figure it out. So,” she said, wiping her eyes and combing her hair back with her hands, “You said you came by here to talk to me about something. What was it?”
James shook his head, “We don’t have to talk about it right now, Angelica. You’ve got a lot on your mind, obviously.”
“No, please tell me,” she shoot back, “Whatever it is, as long it is nothing too sad or depressing, I think I can handle it. Anything to get my mind off of everything else.”
“Fair enough,” James said with a nod, “I have this kid...well, he’s not really a kid. He’s 20 years old, but I have been set to work with him through the youth program. He has no family to go to and he’s homeless. I was my way to a hotel or something to put him up for awhile until he can get on his feet. And I wanted to know if you would be interested in helping.”
“He has no family?”
James shook his head, “No. He came here because he had family up here, but they turned him away. I’m not sure why they did but they did. He is basically on his own, except for me. I want to help him as much as I can.”
“I get that,” Angelica replied, “I just don’t think I can get involved. What happened with Dustin...wait, did you say he was 20?” James nodded, “He’s practically an adult, then. Do you think he’d want to stay here while I get away?”
James blinked a few times, taken aback by her question, “Wait...what? Him stay here?”
“Yeah, sure. As long as there is nothing wrong with him. Like he’s not psychotic or anything is he?” Angelica asked.
James stared at her for a few moments, thinking of the eerie feelings he had during his time with Adrian, “He is definitely unique to say the least, but he needs my help.”
Angelica looked away for a few moments, nodding her head before looking back at James, “Do you think he would feel comfortable staying here? I’m being serious. If he is okay in your book and if I meet him then feel the same way, then he could stay here,” James cocked an eyebrow at Angelica’s slight excitement as she continued, “It would help me out a lot, especially with me wanting to get out of the city for a little bit. I think it’s a win-win.”
James shrugged, “I don’t know, Angelica. I really don’t. I would hate for him to stay here then things get fucked up. That will come back on me dude, and I’d like to avoid that if all possible.”
“If anything gets fucked up dude…as you called me, then that would be on this guy instead of us. Besides,” Angelica smiled playfully for the first time since James arrived, with him actually finding it genuine, “I won’t hold it against you for too long. I promise. Scout’s honor.”
James ran his hands over his face and just stared at Angelica, unsure of what to say. She spoke once again however, “I’m being serious. Let me do this. To help him. To help you,” Angelica said as she sat up and slid closer to James, “Hell, to help myself. I feel this would take my mind off of everything like I said. I think it would help ease my mind some.”
James sighed, “If you’re really okay with it then fine. But I know how you women are with your grudges. And the fact that you’re a redhead…” James said with a smile before ending his statement before he could finish due to the look Angelica flashed him, “Um, let’s go meet Adrian,” Angelica nodded as James climbed to his feet and led the way to the outside. Once out in the city, James spotted Adrian leaning against his car, smoking a cigarette, “Hey man, are you old enough to smoke?” James called out, as Adrian turned to him, smiling and shaking his head. James edged closer, “Adrian this is Angelica,” he said, pointing to his tag team partner.
“Pleasure to meet you,” Angelica said, extending her hand.
Adrian put his smoke out then took Angelica’s hand, “The pleasure is all mine, gorgeous,” he said before kissing her on the hand.
James stepped in, feeling a little awkward about the young man’s approach and that Angelica wasn’t sure of how to respond, “Alright easy man,” he said, creating distance between Adrian and Angelica, “It’s great that you two have met.”
Angelica nodded, appearing as if she were trying to hide the uneasiness in her smile, “Yes, as I said it is a pleasure to meet you, Adrian.”
James then turned to Adrian and spoke, “Angelica wants to get out of New York for awhile and she has offered to let you crash at her place while she is gone. Is that cool with you, man?” James asked. Adrian nodded then James looked at Angelica, part of him hoping she would take back the offer, but Angelica simply nodded in agreement, “Alright, it seems to be settled then. Do you want to take the grand tour, Adrian?”
“Yes,” he said, excitedly, “But as long as she gives the tour herself. I’ve spent too much time with you,” Adrian said, ribbing James.
Angelica nodded, “By all means, follow me, Adrian,” James then watched as Adrian began to follow Angelica. He stood next to the car until he saw Angelica turn and glance at James over her shoulder. James nodded and began to job after them, hoping that this would help Adrian out especially for Angelica’s sake, but James also hoped that this wouldn’t turn into a total nightmare.
__________________________________________________
James made it to the locker room, shortly after his match with Andrew Raynes had come to an end. Angelica had walked with him to the back. Angelica tried to talk to him, but sadly her words offered no real comfort. James was beyond pissed. Not at her, not at anyone in management. He wasn’t even pissed at Andrew Raynes. No, he was mad at himself. He was mad at himself because James let himself down. He felt going into his match against Raynes, that he would be able to continue the momentum of winning the tag team championships with him, leading him to another victory but that didn’t happen. And now, James just wanted to be alone.
James started a shower, letting the hot water rush over him. He ran it through his mind, trying to figure where he might have gone wrong, where he made a mistake, but nothing really sprang to life. He thought about how his mind had been all over the place ever since he saw the news of the murder in his city. New York, a place he was starting to feel truly safe in, had plastered it all over the news. A young woman had been killed and each news station was exploiting it for ratings. That made James, but not as sick as everything going around and around in circles in his head.
James finished his showered and got dressed before taking a seat, resting his head against the locker, letting out a deep and exhausted breath, when a knock came at his door. James sighed, hoping whoever was on the other side would leave, but another knock came. James rose to his feet and opened the door to find his mentor, Josh Hudson, standing before him.
“Hudson?”
The tattooed and muscular Hudson stood before him in a black Led Zeppelin T-shirt and jeans. A grin appeared on the old man’s face, “Are you not going to invite me in?”
James stared at his mentor wearily, knowing that the man was full of surprises. Not to mention, Hudson was as mean as they came in the industry, and James remembered many times during his training that Hudson had told him to never trust him. James cleared his throat and stood firmly as he said, “I’m not so sure that I should. I know who you are and what you’re capable of, Hudson. I wouldn’t put it past you to come in here and attack me as soon as I took my eyes off of you.”
Hudson threw his head back and laughed for a few moments, making James feel slightly uncomfortable. Hudson locked eyes with his protégé and shook his head, “I come in peace, James. You’re not someone I would feel the need to attack. I know that we’ve had our differences and that our past isn’t a happy one, but I’m here to talk. Nothing more.”
James continued to stare at Hudson for a few moments before finally stepping aside, telling himself that it would be a smart move to keep eyes in the back of his head. Hell, James reminded himself, that would have been a good idea for my match against Andrew. Hudson stepped inside the locker room and James closed the door, keeping his eyes on his mentor who took a seat. James remained standing, crossing his arms over his chest, “So what brings you by, Josh? It’s not like we are the best of friends or anything so I will just go ahead and admit that it’s a little odd for you to be here out of the blue.”
Hudson nodded, “Yeah I can agree with that. In fact, I do agree with that. We’re not the best of friends and I guess now that I am heading towards the end of my career, I’ve realized that the two of us being so far apart has been a bad thing.”
James arched his eyebrow, feeling slightly puzzled by Hudson’s comment, “Now what makes you think that?”
Hudson shrugged and ran his face over his slightly bearded face, “To be honest, I wasted a lot of time with Regan and Sienna. You’ve heard the statements that have been made, and you know what has happened…but I wasted a lot of time with them. I didn’t focus on myself. By the time I did, it was a little too late.”
James uncrossed his arms and grabbed a folding chair before using it for a seat, “Okay. Why are you telling me all of this?”
“I listened to your promo against Raynes and then I watched your match. It reminded me of myself. You see, when I was with Regan and Sienna, I wasn’t being myself. I was being stupid and following their lead, letting them take the wheel. I didn’t realize that I had a say in things and that I needed to fight for what I wanted. That I shouldn’t have been afraid to piss them off.”
James shook his head, “Alright if I’m being honest, I don’t see what any of that has to do with me…”
Before James could continue speaking Hudson cut him off, “I wasn’t being myself and when I listened to your promo…I got the sense that you weren’t being yourself. You were being such a good guy and it was fucking boring, James. That isn’t who you are and I know that firsthand.”
James went to speak once more but Hudson cut him off yet again, “Who are you fighting for? You are weighing yourself down, talking about how you’re going to fight for the people, and how you are going to be respectful. That just weighs you down.”
James finally piped up, “There’s not a damn thing wrong fighting for the people, Josh. They keep us in business.”
Hudson rolled his eyes now, “No shit, James…” Hudson said, situating himself as he sat next to the locker, “But the people want to see you fight for something. You weren’t fighting for anything when you uttered those words of yours. You spouted that typical good guy bullshit but there was no fire. I know that isn’t the case, because I trained you. I know there is fire in you. But if I’m mistaken then you need to get your ass in gear.”
“Who in the Hell do you think you are?” James asked, suddenly feeling himself grow frustrated.
Hudson calmly stared at him as he said, “I was fixing to ask you the same damn thing. This James Evans is trying to be respectful in a cutthroat business. This James Evans is trying to be the nice guy in a world where being nice gets you damn near killed. Just ask that fucker, Raab. This James Evans is not the James Evans who went at Rachel Foxx and New Eden years ago after they put me on the shelf. This isn’t the same James Evans who defeated Shilo Valiant for the SCW United States Championship….”
James wanted to speak but he didn’t. He simply looked down as Hudson continued, “I know that you don’t want to be the James Evans who nearly murdered Ace Marshall to become the SCW World Champion but you are going to have to wake the fuck up!” Hudson shouted, causing James to lock eyes with his mentor as the words continued to flow, “You are going to have to find that same venom that flowed through your veins two years ago and let the world know you’re not fucking around.”
James stood up from his seat and glared at Hudson, the frustration growing, giving James a feeling he had not felt in quite some time, “I’ve played that game before. I’ve filled those shoes before Josh and it nearly destroyed me. I almost lost everything so if you want me to go down that rabbit hole then you can kiss my ass right now, because I won’t do it.”
Hudson quickly rose from his seat as well, grinning from ear to ear, letting out a slight laugh as he clapped his hands together a few times, “Now there it is, James. I can see that fire in your eyes. I heard it in your voice. I knew it was still in there,” Hudson said, poking James in the center of his chest only for James to swat his hand away:
“Get your hands off of me,” he said.
Hudson took a step or two backwards, “You don’t have to go down that rabbit hole, James. Hell, you and I both know that I’ve been there as well. More than once.”
“Exactly,” James boldly stated, “And here you are. You’re nothing more than a pissed off and bitter old man. You went down that rabbit hole one too many times and you never really came back. You lost more and more of yourself. I’m not going to do that. I don’t want to end up like you.”
Hudson shook his head, “You did come back and you didn’t leave part of who you are. No,” Hudson said wild eyed, “You came back with something else. Something you are afraid to let out. It’s not a voice inside of your head either. It’s just who you are. This Mr. Nice Guy routine is not you. It’s alright to let that anger out and use it as motivation. You can fight for the people. You can fight for yourself. But you don’t have to do it honorably. Just honor who you are and let that anger do its thing.”
“You don’t understand, Josh…” James started only for Hudson to grab him by his shirt collar, shoving him into the wall. James tried to fight back but Hudson maintained his grip, “What the hell are you doing?”
“It is you who doesn’t understand,” Hudson hissed, “You can control your anger. You’re just letting that fear control you. You should have fucking owned Raynes, not only in the ring but on the microphone, James. We both know that. When you speak, you need to go for broke. No one else in this fucking company plays nice. Insult them. Let it all out. You used to but now you think you owe everyone something.”
James wiggles slightly and broke free of Hudson’s grip before shoving him back, “I do owe them. I was a fucking monster, Josh. I tried to maim you. Do you not remember?”
“Of course I do,” Hudson said. James recalled when he brought Hudson out to New York and drugged him before beating him senseless, resulting in his mentor ending up in the hospital. Hudson sighed, “But you can control that monster, James. You can make that monster your bitch or use it for good like I know you want to.”
James went to speak but stopped. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about letting Abel come back just to see if he could thrive as a so called good guy or good voice: James knew he’d be lying if the thought not only scared the hell out of him but intrigued him as well. Just like Hudson’s words to James, telling him he could control the anger and the monster, that he could use them for good, intrigued him as well.
“James…”
James looked up and locked eyes with Hudson. James’ mind bounced the thoughts and the words around like a game of ping pong but he didn’t want Hudson to see the intrigue. He didn’t want to give the old man the satisfaction of knowing he was right. James sighed, “Yes?”
“Are you going to say something or are you going to stand there and look like a lost pup?”
James maintained eye contact for a few moments before walking to the door and opening it, “Thank you for stopping by Josh. Always a pleasure.”
Hudson sighed and shook his head before stepping out of the locker room. He faced James once more and said, “You know I’m right. Deep down, I know you know I’m right. Don’t forget what I said.”
James nodded, “I’ll take it into consideration,” he said before closing the door behind him. And James knew that he would. And he did. The conversation with Hudson lingered in his head not for hours, but for days. It got to the point where it was the only thing James could think about and he needed a break. His need for a break from his own mind led him to the outside of Katelyn Buehler’s apartment.
James knocked on the door just as it was opening. James took a step back as he found himself face to face with Blake Mason. Blake was business casual as usual in dress, while James looked like he walked off the set of a 90s grunge rock music video.
James had history with Blake in the pro wrestling business. He and Blake teamed up in a Thunderdome match years prior, coming out on top. James also lost a championship match to Blake after an assist of a beer bottle being broken over James’ head. They were also connected due to the fact the mother of their children was the same.
“James,” Blake said calmly with a nod.
James returned the gesture, “Blake, how are you doing?”
Blake shrugged, “I’ve been better I guess you could say. Just came by to get Kayla for a day out with dad.”
As Blake finished speaking, Katelyn stepped forward and flashed a smile at James, “Hello James. How are you? Is everything alright?”
James wanted to tell her that he had been concerned with things after learning of the murder that had recently taken place. James wanted to tell her he had been beating himself up after the loss to Raynes and the conversation with Hudson but James smirked and shrugged, “Oh yeah, Kate. I’m good. Just felt the need to grab the little one so I could spend some time with her.”
James wondered if Katelyn knew about the murder and he also wondered if she had her doubts when it came to James, just as he slightly did. Katelyn shrugged as a smile formed on her face, something she did a lot of these days especially when compared to when she and James first met, “Sure. I don’t see why not. Kayla is going with Blake. Kierea is gone as well, so that would leave little miss Kelly. I will tell her to get her stuff. Abi and I need some alone time,” Katelyn said, giving a wink.
James chuckled at her joke, “Well, I will be sure to be gone longer than five minutes. I remember how fast you…”
Before James could continue, Katelyn slugged him in the arm, “Shut up!”
Blake then cleared his throat, before looking at Katelyn and James as if they had completely forgotten he was there, “I guess Kayla and I will be going. I will bring her back by in a few hours. Always great to see you Katelyn,” he said, giving her a side hug before turning to James and nodding, “James. Good to see you still doing so well.”
“Yeah,” James said, knowing that Blake had his own dip into madness shortly after James checked into a mental health facility, “Same to you.”
“Daddy!!!” James turned to see Kelly racing towards him. His daughter looked very much like Katelyn, but there was something in the eyes that would tell the world she was James’.
“Beautiful daughter,” James exclaimed, probably terrifying the neighbors with the volume behind his voice, but he didn’t care. He loved his daughter and wanted the world to know. James dropped down and scooped Kelly up in his arms and spun around in circles for a few moments as he held her close.
“Why are you here?” Kelly asked.
“Kelly,” Katelyn said, as she remained in the door.
James shot her glance before locking eyes with his daughter, “No, that’s alright. I’m here to see you, little bit. As long as that’s okay…” James then pressed his forehead against Kelly’s, something they had started to do over the last few months. It was their thing. Kelly grinned as James asked, “It is alright that I’m here to see you, right?”
“Oh….I guess,” Kelly said, her words followed by an abundance of giggles.
James grinned once more, “Oh you guess? Well...I guess I should just leave, huh…” James said, as he slowly started to place Kelly back on her feet, but she pulled her legs up to where her heels touched her back as she shook her head from side to side, “Oh so you do want to hang out with your dear old dad?” Kelly smiled wildly as she nodded, “Alright then. What shall we do today?”
Kelly then pointed at Kayla and Blake before they got onto the elevator, “I want to play with Kayla.”
Her response took James by surprise, “Oh you do?” Kelly nodded once again. James turned to Katelyn, “Uh...um…” He didn’t know what to say and he looked to Katelyn for a helping hand. Katelyn just shrugged. James sighed, “You are really know help. You know that, right?”
Katelyn nodded in agreement, “Well, the sooner you two get out of here, the sooner I can get in there, if you catch my drift. Besides, why wouldn’t you go hang out with Blake and Kayla?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Blake and I don’t really know each other. We talk on Twitter here and there, but other than that, we’ve had no real interaction in years,” James stated as a-matter-of-factly.
Katelyn’s shoulders moved up and down once again, “I don’t know what to tell you, dude. Your daughter wants to play with her sister, who is with her dad. Who, in turn, is Blake so I don’t really think you have much of a choice. Go have a playdate. It’ll be fun.”
Before James could respond, Katelyn came over and kissed Kelly on the forehead, before patting James on the back and stepping inside. James tried to make his groan sound like a cough but he doubted it worked judging by the look his daughter gave him, “What? I had to cough.”
He took her look as a sign. James made his way outside with Kelly, finding Blake watching Kayla as she climbed into his limo, before James shouted out to him. Blake turned to look at James, just as Kayla popped her head over the door, “Did you need something, James?”
James picked Kelly up and finished carrying her the rest of the way, as James shook his head and gave a shrug, “I don’t need anything. I just had a question. From what I’ve gathered from this little one here,” James said, nudging Kelly in the ribs, causing her to laugh, “She would like to play with her sister, Kayla. So, I figured we could all go grab some lunch and maybe head to Central Park or something afterwards so they can get rid of some of the never ending energy they seem to have,” James said, locking eyes with Blake for what felt like forever, “Unless you two already had plans?”
Blake finally looked at Kayla, who nodded her head, excitedly. Blake smiled at her before turning back to James and Kelly, “Alright. If that is what Kayla wants, then we can do that. But I get to pick where we have lunch. I know a great place.”
James and Kelly looked at one another. James felt a rush of delight in his chest upon seeing her smile. James replied to Blake, “Yeah man, sounds good. We can follow you.”
“Nonsense,” Blake said, “I’ve got a limo. Get in.”
“Fair enough,” James said, before placing Kelly on the sidewalk, knowing that somewhere down the line, he would probably get asked by Kelly as to why he didn’t pick her up in a limo. Doing what they did, James knew he and Blake had money, but Blake’s family had way more when it came to funds. James and Blake sat in the limo, calm and still, having to reprimand the girls from getting too carried away behavior wise ever so often, but other than that, neither man spoke to the other.
They had never been the best of friends. Talking over social media was way different than compared to face to face interaction. Blake had stuck up for James during a time when James faced immense backlash for wanting to return to SCW. It was well deserved but James couldn’t deny that it warmed his heart just a little bit knowing Blake seemed to have his back.
The silence between them continued during their lunch, which the girls absolutely loved. Blake chose one of the finest and most expensive restaurants in the city. James felt a sense of competition, so he paid for the entire meal, telling himself he would more than likely regret it later. Or at least, his wallet would. After lunch, they made their way to Central Park. James and Blake played with the girls, running around with them. James noticed Blake actually laughed, which would be the first time he had actually seen the man do so. He knew that Blake probably thought the same of him. The girls told their fathers that they wanted to play by themselves after sometime, so Blake and James retired to a bench close by.
The silence remained for the first few moments before James felt enough was enough, “So, how are you doing, man?”
Blake slowly turned to James for a moment before returning his attention to the girls, “What do you mean, James?”
“Oh I don’t know,” James started, “Losing your job because of some bullshit backstage politics…”
Blake sighed and stared off, as if he were contemplating the question, before shrugging his shoulders, “I mean, it is what it is. I have more free time, meaning I get to be with Kayla more often than not. But, on the flip side, it sucks because I love being in the ring.”
James nodded, “There is nothing quite like being a father, or being in the ring. Maybe I could ask Katya for an extended vacation,” James said with a laugh. Blake didn’t have much of a response, cutting James’ laughter short.
“I love being a dad. That’s for sure. I haven’t always been there for Kayla, or Katelyn…but I think that I have truly turned things around,” Blake said, “And it seems you have as well, James.”
“Yeah, you’re right. We both have. No more going psycho for either of us, which means there can’t be any running people over with cars, or stalking women…You know…the fun stuff,” James said, once again trying to get a laugh out of Blake, but once again to no avail. It was then that James wondered if Blake knew about the murder and if he had suspicions of his own. James asked himself if he needed to bring it up, but decided not to, just in case Blake didn’t know, “Sorry, man. Just trying to break the ice.”
“I understand. We’ve never really conversed, have we?” Blake asked, finally turning to James for a second time. James shook his head no, “Well, we can both agree that it seemed women made us do crazy things,” Blake said, his lips forming into a slight grin.
James smirked, “Yeah, by the way…how the hell did you live with yourself after marrying Bree? Like, she is a straight up lunatic,” James said with a laugh, “Like, I thought we were both crazy but I believe it is safe to say that she takes the cake, bro.”
Blake shrugged, “If you don't mind, Bree is off limits.” How are you feeling about your loss to Raynes? I’m sure he will definitely be staking his claim to the tag titles.”
James nodded, “I hated that I lost. I tried the nice guy approach and from what I’ve been told…” James paused for a moment, remembering the conversation with Hudson before continuing, “That approach doesn’t work.”
“Sounds like strong advice,” Blake said in response, “And with the way things are going in the SCW, being a nice guy isn’t going to get you anywhere. It won’t do you any favors.”
James exhaled deeply, “Yeah, sadly…that is the way it seems. I have worked really hard to be a good guy. I haven’t wanted to come off way too cocky and defensive like Selena or anyone else who claim to be good guys. I’ve always come in and tried to be respectful. I’ve talked about emerging from the darkness and embracing the light. I don’t know,” James said, giving a slight shake of his head, “Maybe I have been going at it all wrong.”
Blake nodded as well, “I know what you mean. I’ve gone the respectful route. Every so often, I’ve dropped the respect routine. Like my matches against Cassidy, I was ready to kick her ass both verbally as well as physically, especially after what she had said about Katelyn as well as our daughters. I wasn’t going to play that card. And with Dark Fantasy, as well as Beauty Factory…there is definitely a war brewing…respect won’t mean a damn thing.”
Blake’s words hit James and resonated in his mind before he replied, “At first, I didn’t know if I wanted to be part of that war. I mean, the last time we had something like this going on…it was the time of New Eden. I remember telling Mr. D that if needed, I would step up and fight, but he went to Selena instead. I took that to heart for a long time and held a grudge…And even this time, I said if needed, I would step up a fight…And I’ve thought about all of that for the last little bit, and I realized something…” James said, his voice trailing off.
“And what was that?” Blake asked.
“Just saying you’re going to step up if needed…that’s not enough. No one is going to come to you. They are just going to expect you to show up. I know that I need to show up. I know that I need to step up. I guess that advice I got was the gospel. I’d say it was truth. Fighting against the truth, only makes things worse,” James said, his eyes focused on Kayla and Kelly, but his mind was focused on what he planned to do next.
“One thing I’ve learned during my time in this game, James is that it takes a lot to say the word, but it takes even more to put those words into action,” Blake stated, “I’ve wasted so much time saying a lot of things that really amounted to nothing. If I somehow manage to get back into the SCW, I know…deep down…I can’t waste any more time. I suggest you do the same.”
James nodded, bringing his hands together as he felt the shake. He wasn’t sure if it was nervousness or excitability. Either way, he wanted to keep it hidden from Blake, “If I am going to do this, if I am going to step up and become part of this war, if I am going to fight for SCW then I know…deep down…that the gloves have to come off.”
“I can get behind that, James…” Blake said, which spoke to James, his words telling him that Blake once again…had his back, “I guess the next question you have to ask yourself is…how are you going to do that?”
“The only way I know how,” James said, turning to Blake and locking eyes with the man, “By making a statement. By letting the entire locker room, hell the entire industry…know that I’m still here.”
“Then go for it. Take action. Before you do, the most important thing you need to ask yourself is why are you doing this?” Blake pauses shortly so James can let the question sink in. “Do you want to enter the war to prove to the world you are a good person? Do you want to pay the company back for giving you a second chance or are you getting into this because it is the right thing to do? I don't need to tell you entering the war won't be easy. Beauty Network. Dark Fantasy. They aren't going to play around. So you need a very powerful why to keep your head above water if the temptation arises to cross a line you don't want too. Ask yourself that before you take the plunge. Like we discussed, no one is going to ask you to play a role. Don't wait around. Just do it.” Blake replied.
“I will,” James said before looking at Kelly and Kayla, “But first, I think we are being summoned again,” James said as he climbed to his feet, “Ready to go be dads again?” James asked as he extended his hand to Blake, a man who had walked a path of redemption as well. James knew that if he was going to follow through with the plan forming in his head, then he would not only have to fight for Blake, but for an entire company. He knew it was a lot of weight on his shoulders, but James knew it wouldn’t be the first or last time he had felt the weight of the entire world pressing down on him.
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