It's More Than A Slogan

August 27
Orlando, FL

He couldn’t get home fast enough. Clenching his fists in his lap and grinding his teeth, he strung together a string of curse words in his head as he stared holes into the back of the head of the Uber driver sitting in the front seat. He knew that he was being irrational, but after what had just transpired at his sister and brother-in-law’s house…

He could still see the image as if it had happened just seconds ago. It was burned into his brain. He wasn’t sure he would ever forget it as long as he lived. The nursery, covered in vibrant red paint. The furniture they had so carefully chosen and arranged, completely destroyed. The absolute terror on his sister’s face as she watched the scene on the television, subconsciously holding little Elise closer to her chest while Lachlan tightened his own hold on Patrick ever so slightly.

The only way he could have felt any more rage would be if his own two daughters had been threatened.

That had been three days ago, and though he had been loath to leave New York, Alanah reminded him that he had his own commitments he needed to honour. “We’ll be fine, Lachy,” she had reassured him.

He was jolted from his thoughts by the sudden stop the car made, and he glanced out the window to see that they were just outside his home. He nodded to the driver and grabbed the duffel bag from the seat beside him, exiting the car and practically sprinting up the sidewalk and barrelling through the door.

The noise startled the two little girls sitting in the living room, but when they looked up to see what had caused it, their faces lit up with smiles. They scrambled up off the floor and ran towards him, and he knelt down and enveloped them in his arms. He held them like that for a good long while, just enjoying the feel of their little arms around his neck. A swell of emotion threatened to overtake him, but he pushed it down for the time being as he kissed each girl on their forehead as they babbled excitedly at him. He glanced over their shoulders to see Sierra’s mother standing in the doorway to the kitchen, a warm smile on her own face.

Lachlan stood up and with Jade clutching his hand and Olivia in his free arm, he made his way over to Amelie and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. “Welcome home, Lach,” she said, her lilting French accent colouring her words. “How is your sister and the babies?”

“Well, the birth went well, there were minor complications afterwards with the babies not breathing, but overall they’re all as healthy as can be. Of course, there was that incident from PWS...but everyone is safe.” His face dropped slightly, along with his voice. “How’s Oscar?”

“No change,” Amelie sighed. “They’re keeping him as comfortable as possible. It’s about all they can do for him at this point.”

Lach nodded in understanding. “And Si?”

“At his side, like always. The only time she ever comes home is to shower and change her clothes.”

His heart constricted in his chest. He knew how hard this was on Sierra, despite the bravado she showed when she appeared for PWS. “I’ll get unpacked and showered, then I’ll take the girls and head over to the hospital. Stop and get some food on the way too. I can’t imagine she’s been eating much.”

Amelie smiled and patted his cheek. “She’d like that. She’s missed you terribly this past week. We all have.”

“I’ve missed you all too,” he smiled at her as well as his two daughters. “Once things are less chaotic, we’ll bring Alanah and Jack down with the babies and have a big family party.”

“Yay! I wanna meet the new babies!” Jade exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly. Olivia copied her sister’s enthusiasm, giggling and bouncing in Lach’s arm.

———

September 1
Wolfslair Training Facility
Orlando, FL

“Gee cuz, you look like ten pound of shite in a five-pound bag.”

Hearing the English-accented voice of his younger cousin Alfie, Lach gave a roll of his eyes but grinned as he turned to face him. Alfie was a new start to the Wolfslair gym, electing to follow his cousins over to the States after an uneventful attempt to break into the European wrestling scene. Lach had taken him under his wing, becoming almost a mentor to the young kid. But even in the short time that Alfie had been training, Lach could see that he had potential and could possibly become a breakout star in the near future.

Even still, he wasn’t going to let the jab slide. “Yunno, I should make you do burpees til your legs fall off for that crack.”

Alfie put a hand to his chest in an exaggerated display. “You wound me! I was merely commenting on the fact that you look unwell, and perhaps should take the day off.”

“Whatever, drama queen. Not getting out of training that easily.” Lach gave another roll of his eyes, before turning back to the whiteboard with the day’s schedule written on it along with a class roster. He was getting ready to add a round of chops to the repertoire when a pair of hands covered his eyes. “Listen, you don’t stop dicking around, I’ll add a fifteen minute plank to those burpees, Alf.”

A decidedly feminine and not-Alfie giggle sounded behind him, and Lach got immediately confused. “Uh, if you’re here for the women’s class, it’s not until tomorrow.”

The hands removed themselves, and Lach turned around to see a petite blonde girl standing just behind him, hands now behind her back and giving him a cheeky grin. “Well, I will be going to that class, but I had to stop by to see my favourite cousin first!”

Lach blinked a few times in surprise, but then a large smile overtook his face as he picked the girl up in a massive hug, swinging her around in a circle. “Ciara! What the hell are you doing here?”

Ciara rocked back on her heels after Lach put her back down on the floor. “Well, I figured since you, Mal, Lanah and Alfie are all in the wrestling biz, why not make it a whole family affair? I’ve done a bit of training back home, but when I saw that you were heading up the training here in Orlando, I knew I had to come be part of it myself.”

“Hey, I’m always happy to have more family around. Especially with the way things have been lately…” He ran a hand through his dark hair as a pained expression overtook his face.

Ciara’s brown eyes looked at him with pity. “Tell me about it. If it weren’t for bad luck, you’d have none at all, eh?”

“I wouldn’t say it’s all bad, really.” The two of them walked over to a bench along the wall and took a seat. “Things have been rough with Sierra’s dad, and that whole scare at Jack and Alanah’s house...but things here have been going good, and this new company I signed with is taking off like a rocket.”

“Been keeping my eye on it. Lots of top names on that roster.” Ciara whistled impressively. “Not to mention that Ollie Dorito. Thought for sure he was a lock for the Excellence championship.”

He gave her an unamused glare. “Would you quit takin’ the piss?”

She giggled and shrugged her shoulders. “Sorry. Couldn’t help but poke a little at ya. I mean, you’re in a company that has a cat on the roster, for cryin’ out loud.”

Lach rubbed his hands down his face and sighed exasperatedly. “First Alfie, now you. Will I never know a moment’s peace around here?”

Ciara reached out and pinched his nose lightly. “Not a chance.”

--------

He hadn’t had much time to himself lately, but this particular morning Lachlan Kane rose earlier than the rest of the household and sat out on the back porch of his home, watching the sunrise paint the sky with golden beams of light. He sat for a few moments in contemplative silence, his gaze cast out over the expanse of his yard, before he turned his eyes to the camera set up just off to the side.

“I’d really like to speak on my opponent for this week, but I’m finding it somewhat difficult. She’s a new face to the scene, as are quite a few in this company. From what I gather, this is her first time in a wrestling company - though the fact that her mentor is none other than Crystal Zdunich already tells me that she is quite the force to be reckoned with.” He grimaced slightly. “At least, it would be impressive if it weren’t for the less-than-impressive showing she had at the first Victory. First one eliminated isn’t exactly a great way to make a first impression. Now granted, a scramble like that is quite chaotic and almost anything can happen in those kinds of situations, so it’s not always a reliable way to get the measure of an opponent, to see what they can really do. So this one-on-one match should open a lot of eyes and be a true showcase of what the two of us can do.”

He rubbed his hands together in front of his face, a determined glint in his eyes. “I came to this company to shake certain….perceptions of myself. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love my wife and am immensely proud of everything she’s accomplished, with and without me. Hell, I don’t even mind when people call me ‘Mr. Sierra Williams’, because it’s not as big an insult to me as people seem to think it is.” He held up a finger. “However, having said that, I figure it’s about time that I step up and take my place beside my wife, so that when people look back at the greats of this sport, the two of us are seen as one of the true great power couples.”

He leaned back in the chair, raising his arms and linking his fingers together behind his head. “See, I have a lot of respect for your mentor. She’s practically a legend in this business, and I’ve seen her in action over in Sin City Wrestling before. She’s got an impressive track record. But you could have been trained by Muhammad Ali himself for all I care, and it won’t make a bit of difference. I’m not called ‘The Scrapper’ just ‘cause it looks good on a T-shirt. I’ve been fighting, clawing, bleeding, and scrapping for opportunities my entire career, so I’m ready to bring it all and leave even more in the ring to push myself up the ladder here in PWE. I may not have trained under any legends, or had any fancy school training, but there’s no one in this company with more heart or determination than me. And I’m going to show everyone come Victory.”

He rose up out of his chair, stepping closer to the camera so his frame filled the screen while his eyes burned into the lens with fiery determination. “So bring your little head, packed with all the knowledge you gained from training under Crystal. All it’ll take is one well-placed knock on your chin to scramble your brains and render it all useless.” He stretched out a fist towards the camera, clicking his tongue with a cheeky wink as the camera faded to black on the scene.