Warrior's Code

March 3
Orlando, Florida
The Kane-Williams home

“They have got you completely wrapped around their little fingers, you know.”

Glancing up at the doorway to the living room from his place inside the blanket fort he had constructed for his two daughters, Lachlan gave his wife a slightly sheepish grin. “What can I say? I’ve always been a pushover for these girls.”

He glanced down at his lap, where Jade and Olivia were resting their heads as they slept peacefully. The laptop playing Disney+ was now rolling the credits on Encanto (their fourteenth collective watching of the film to date). Sierra crouched down and carefully gathered Olivia in her arms while Lach carried Jade. The girls whimpered softly but didn’t wake up as they took them to their rooms and laid them into bed, quietly closing the doors behind them and smiling at each other across the hallway.

They walked back down to the living room and packed away the blanket fort before flopping down onto the couch. Sierra picked up the remote and started browsing through Netflix, while Lach just sat back with his head tilted back and his eyes closed. He must have dozed off for a few moments because he felt his shoulder being gently shaken and his eyes shot open. He glanced over to see Sierra with an amused smile on her face and her hand on his shoulder.

“All you did was watch a movie with the girls and they still wore you out?” she teased.

He simply rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at her childishly, but they settled in to binge watch their latest Netflix obsession. Somewhere along the line his mind started to drift to a thought he had been having more frequently over the past few months. It was something he had yet to bring up to Sierra, not only because of the emotional turmoil they had all endured but because he wanted to make sure it was 100% the right decision. But after the ordeal with Angel, there was no doubt in his mind anymore.

When the final episode finished up, he took a deep breath and turned to Sierra, lightly grasping her hands in his as he looked into her eyes. She gave him a curious look, one eyebrow raising over her green eyes but waiting to hear what he had to say.

“Si…I want to adopt the girls.”

—------------

“Feels good to be back.”

Sitting out back of his Orlando home, Lachlan Kane smiled as he looked out across the backyard. It was early evening, the sun was just beginning to set on the horizon and the sky was alight with shades of red, yellow and orange. Out on the expanse of grass, his two daughters were happily playing with bubbles, and their laughter filled the air and his heart. He watched them play for a few moments longer before raising the sunglasses that had been covering his eyes to the top of his head and fixing the camera with his blue-eyed gaze.

“And I’m not just saying that because I took the last episode of Victory off. It just finally feels good to be back in my own headspace. For too long, I let that conniving, devious snake of a woman Angel into my head, let her poke around and warp me into something I never thought I’d be again. I tapped into a side of myself that…well, you all saw what happened at Magnificence.” A cocky little smirk briefly crossed his lips. “Rest assured, the darkness has been mostly purged from my mind, and I’m back to being the Scrapper you all know and love. Then again…it’s never too far away to call on, should the need ever arise.”

He tapped his temple with his index finger, and gave a cheeky wink to the camera. “But, now that that particular demon has been rather violently shaken from my back, I can look ahead and focus on the future. Namely reclaiming my Victory championship. But, first things first. My return match at this upcoming Victory versus Mister Luchador himself, El Landerson.”

He lowered his arms from behind his head and leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees and lacing his fingers together. A determined glint came to his gaze, and his face fell into a serious demeanor. “Now, I’m not about to sit here and underestimate you, because that’s not the kind of man I am. I truly believe that the two of us are gonna step into that ring on Monday night in San Antonio, and we’re gonna give the people their money’s worth in our match. What I am going to do, however, is explain just why you won’t be the one walking out of Victory…with a victory.”

He allowed himself a small amused snicker at his wordplay before his face fell into its slightly intimidating stare again. “I am coming off of one of the biggest and most personal victories of my career. I went to hell and back in that match against Angel. I put my entire body on the line, I poured my blood into that match - literally - and I pushed myself past every limit I have to earn that victory. Now, are you really going to sit there after seeing that performance and really think you stand a chance against me? Not to mention the fact that I’m starting my climb back to reclaiming my Victory championship. All these factors add up to one simple truth - come Monday night, you will be standing across the ring from a man who has everything in the world going for him, and everything to fight for. I’m not treating this as just some stepping stone match, contrary to what people might think it looks like. From here on out, I’m walking into every match with a warrior’s mindset. I’m ready to challenge anyone I have to to get back to that pinnacle once again. And it starts this Monday night in San Antonio. Landerson, I’m looking forward to our meeting…but not for the reasons you might think.”

With a self-assured smirk on his face, Lach reached up and covered the lens of the camera with the palm of his hand, effectively ending the feed as the screen went black.