My Happily Ever After

Tokyo, Japan
2015

“C’mon Eddy, we’re heading out to celebrate!”

With an exuberant smile gracing his face, Lachlan bounded into the room he shared with Eddy and two of the other trainees and flopped down onto his bed. He looked across the way at the Welshman, who had his nose buried in a copy of Tolstoy’s War and Peace.

Eddy glanced over the top of his book at the younger man, a smirk turning up one corner of his mouth. “You know, when I told you to slow down your training and actually enjoy your life, I didn’t think you’d take it quite so fiercely to heart. You’ve been out almost every night this week.”

“Well, tonight’s a special occasion! How can you not want to celebrate when we’re finally getting bumped up the card!” Lachlan whooped. “This is everything we’ve been working for! All the hard work and dedication is finally paying off! Now we start making the big bucks!”

“Well, the medium-sized bucks, anyways.” Eddy slid a bookmark into his novel and placed it on the nightstand. “But why don’t we save the celebration for when we actually complete our first match on the midcard? Hell, we don’t even know when that is yet.”

The young Irishman waved a dismissive hand through the air. “Details, details. All I know is that Tokyo is calling and I’m ready for a good time!” He rose up from his bed and grabbed his leather jacket from where it was hanging on the wall. “You coming or not?”

WIth a beleaguered sigh, Eddy stretched out his long limbs and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. “Alright, gimme five to scrounge up something decent to wear.”

A few hours later

The karaoke bar was absolutely packed, mostly with the young wrestlers that Lachlan had been training with for the past eight months, though there were a few other foreigners that he didn’t recognize. He was surprised at the number of young American women he saw here, until one of his friends had explained that there was an all-female wrestling promotion in Tokyo that was twinned with their own company, and they would sometimes all put on shows together. It was certainly making for an interesting evening as it went on and the alcohol kept flowing.

Lachlan was certainly feeling the effects of the intoxicating beverages he had consumed, though he was still (mostly) in control of his faculties. He smiled as one of his friends threw an arm around his shoulders and tried to lead him up to the small stage to sing, but Lachlan politely declined and slipped out from under his arm. He slowly looked around the bar until his eyes fell on Eddy, seated in a far corner away from the rowdy crew in the centre of the bar. He weaved his way through the throng of bodies, stumbling into a few of them and hastily muttering a drunken apology, before he arrived at the table Eddy was seated at and promptly threw himself down into the chair next to the Welshman.

“Gee, what the hell are you doin’ way back here all by your lonesome?” Lachlan said, his words slurring together ever so slightly.

Eddy just shook his head with a wry grin. “Keepin’ the hell away from you drunken fools.”

“Pfft, you’re no fun. We’re supposed to be out having a good time!”

“Who says I’m not? This is highly entertaining for me.”

Just as he said that, one of their roommates stepped up to the microphone and attempted to sing “Sweet Home Alabama”, though the rendition was more akin to a cat having its tail pulled. The two men glanced at each other and winced, before breaking out into laughter.

“Oh Lachy, there you are! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” A feminine voice was heard above the din before a petite blonde girl sidled up beside Lachlan and looped her arm through his. She gave a flip of her hair and giggled as she pressed herself up against him, glancing briefly at Eddy. “Aren’t you gonna introduce your friend?”

He grinned at her as he wrapped his arm around her waist. “This is my best mate Eddy. And this is...uh…um…”

“Lili,” she said, rolling her eyes and giving another high-pitched giggle as she playfully slapped his shoulder. “Sounds like you’ve had one too many, Lachy.”

“Nonsense! The night is still young and I have not even hit my halfway point yet!” he declared loudly.

“Well, a bunch of us are gonna go hit up this other bar down the street. You wanna come?”

“Lead the way!” He glanced over to Eddy. “You comin’ with, too?”

Eddy shook his head ruefully. “Think I’m gonna call it for tonight, head back to the dorms.”

Lachlan gave him a concerned look. “You sure? You want me to come with you?”

Eddy waved a hand dismissively. “Nah, don’t let me ruin the rest of your night. You go and have fun. But just remember, we’ve got training first thing tomorrow morning.”

Before Lachlan could answer, Lili was practically dragging him towards the group that was already starting to head out the door. But he did steal one more glance back, and he could have sworn he saw Eddy staring down into his drink with a saddened expression on his face. But before he could give it much thought, he was pulled out the door and into the cool Tokyo night.

—-----

“Deja-vu all over again, isn’t it Victoria?”

The lilting Irish brogue that the fans had come to know and love was overlaid atop the background sounds of bright, cheery music, screaming children and parents’ exasperated voices as the scene opened up on one of the most iconic streets in the entire world - Main Street, USA in the Magic Kingdom of Orlando’s Disney World. It was a place that Lachlan Kane had become quite familiar with since he and his family had moved to the Florida city, due to the fact that his daughters begged every other week to come here. And because the two little girls had him completely wrapped around their fingers, more often than not he would find himself in The Happiest Place On Earth, overpaying for food and souvenirs but happier than he’d been in a long time as he made memories for his girls.

This week, however, he would be attending the park in an entirely different capacity. The entirety of the Magic Kingdom would be turned into PWE’s personal arena for its roster, with matches taking place in various locations across the amusement park. Appropriately enough, the opening match would be taking place in the entrance to the park, right along Main Street. Currently, it was filled with the usual throng of tourists and park-goers of all ages, and Lachlan watched them all from just off to the side of the street. He was dressed casually in shorts and a T-shirt with sunglasses on to try and blend in with the crowds, but every once in a while someone would glance in his direction with a look of recognition. No one approached him, however, as the camera crew was a clear indication that today was all business for Lachlan. He folded his arms across his chest as he leaned up against the wall of the shop he was currently standing next to, sliding the sunglasses up to the top of his head to reveal his clear blue eyes.

“While you may not have won against me the first time we tangled, you certainly proved that you’ve got quite a set of claws on you. And for that, I will give you your due.” He clapped his hands together in applause, with no trace of sarcasm or malice behind the action. “But now, I know your moves. I know your style. Of course, the argument could be made that you know mine now as well…but you’ve only just scratched the surface. The Lachlan you tangled with last month on Victory will not be the same one you see at Rebirth. Because at Rebirth, there’s a whole lot more at stake than just bragging rights. At Rebirth…I’m fighting to get back what I lost.” He paused, tilting his head to the side slightly. “No, not lost. What was stolen from me. That’s one injustice that will soon be rectified, once I take care of you on Monday night.”

He pushed off from the wall and began to make his way along the street, sliding his hands into the pockets of his shorts as he ambled along slowly. “What you need to understand is that from the moment I lost that Victory title, I have had one singular goal etched into my brain - and that is to get it back. I have never been silent about that. In fact, I’ve done everything but climb to the rooftops and shout it to the world…though the thought has certainly crossed my mind more than once.” He smirked, but it quickly dropped from his face. “I have never been more focused, more dedicated to something in my entire life than I am to becoming the two-time Victory champion here in PWE, and there is no way in hell I am letting you steal that opportunity from me. I have overcome every single obstacle that has been put in my path. I have gone above and beyond every challenge I have faced on this journey. I didn’t come this far, just to come this far. I’m ready to make PWE history as the first two-time champion in the company. And I’m going to do whatever I have to do to make that happen.”

He weaved around a large group of Asian tourists in the middle of the street, and past a family with a few small children in tow. “Now, I know that you are coming off of a huge win over Ellie Quinn. Not only your first win here in PWE, but against a current champion of all people. That’s got to have you all kinds of pumped up. I don’t blame you in the slightest. Hell, I’m pretty sure I’d feel the same if I was in your shoes. But that win comes with a little footnote, doesn’t it? You beat the current Victory champion, sure - but she wasn’t at one hundred percent. You simply took advantage of the fact that she had a bum leg to pick up that win over her. But you’re not going to have that luxury against me come Rebirth. I’m in the best shape of my life going into this match. I’ve been pushing myself to my limits in training to make sure that I’m at the top of my game, just so that I can make damn sure that I earn this shot. You will have no weakness to exploit, no body part to target on me. As hard as the two of us went last month, this time I’m ready to take it to a whole new level. The stakes have been raised, and anyone who knows anything about me knows that I thrive under the pressure.”

He stopped just before the circular courtyard at the end of the street, turning around to face the camera as the sunlight highlighted the glint of determination and ferocity in his bright blue eyes, as his face mirrored the emotion. The people seemed to fade away into the background, and it was just Lachlan staring down the camera.

“And when it’s all said and done, I will get my happily ever after.”

With a smirk, he flipped his sunglasses down over his eyes and turned to walk away, disappearing into the crowds as the camera panned up to a majestic shot of Cinderella’s Castle before blurring out and fading to black.