Making Peace

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Scene 1

Off Camera

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Being a champion means having a target on your back at all times.  Marie Annabelle Jones, having been raised in this business and not only watching her mother have to deal with the constant barrage of attacks but also having to deal with it herself, being a multi-time champion, knows this truth all too well.  Currently the founder of #GingerNation is swimming in success.  She is a co-holder of the GFC World Tag Team Championship, a co-holder of the IWC World Tag Team Championship, and the reigning GCW Global Heavyweight Champion.  On top of all of that, she is one of the number one contenders to the IWC World Heavyweight Championship and will get the opportunity to main event IWC’s biggest event of the year, Invictus, as she tries to cap off this magnificent run by becoming the IWC World Champion.

Unfortunately the IWC World Championship has to be put on the back burner for now.  The eldest of the Jones children has a tag team championship to defend and thus far being IWC World Tag Team Champion has not proven to be a very easy task.

Jones won it with a rather hesitant tag team partner in the form of Brittany Lohan.  At the time Lohan was still bound to Silas Mason and thus Marie used that to her advantage.  Marie knew that the two of them had natural tag team chemistry, being former world tag team champions in other companies, and thus she knew that together they could defeat Alana Starr and Scott Cannon, The Good Villains for the straps at Last Stand II.  So it came as a surprise to many, but not a surprise to Marie, that new champions were crowned.

Since then, however, their reign at the top of IWC’s tag team division has been chaotic at best.  The first challenge came in the form of Bad Behavior, the duo Crissy Gardner and Patience Young.  Jones thought that she and Lohan had things worked out heading into the match but things quickly broke down between the two of them, mostly due to Marie’s egotism, and they nearly lost the belts but, thanks to some quick thinking on both of their parts, they came out on top.

The relationship between Jones and Lohan would continue to be strained over the course of the next couple of weeks until the next challenge would rear its not-so-ugly head.  This time the challengers would be Kat Kelly and Lexy Chapel, the pairing known as Wicked Intent.

Two particular things make this duo rather dangerous and the first one is the fact that they have been trained/mentored by none other than Lucas Knight and Trinity Street.  While Jones has not had any personal interactions with Trinity, she certainly has heard of her and of her famous family and knows what they are capable of.  Jones also knows that her own tag team partner, Brittany Lohan, may very well feel obligated to help Trinity Street.  Lohan and the Streets have been close before and it was Trinity who helped free Brittany from Silas Mason.  Who is to say that Lohan won’t use that as an excuse to abandon Marie?

She also remembers quite well the battle for the number one contendership she had with Lucas Knight this time last year.  If anyone can guide Kat and Lexy to tag team gold, it would be those two, it would be Lucas and Trinity.

And then there’s the obvious issue of Marie and Brittany not being able to get along.  A tag team can only be successful so long as the partners continue to work well together.  Sure, they managed to get lucky against Bad Behavior, but Jones knows that she and Brittany cannot continue to rely on luck.  The longer she and Lohan have problems, the more likely their reign as world tag team champions will come to an end.

Wicked Intent isn’t the only problem Marie has to deal with.  She is also the number one contender to the IWC World Championship and that puts her directly in the line of fire against other dangerous IWC superstars, namely New Eden and the reigning champion herself Taylor Chase.

The heat between Taylor and Marie has been building up for quite some time and it has come to a boiling point.  It can explode at any moment, any time the two women are in the same building together they want to tear into each other.  And then of course there’s Abigail Lindsey, better known as Serenity and the newest member of New Eden.  Marie still holds Serenity partially responsible for her kidnapping but that’s not the biggest issue.  The biggest issue is how dangerous New Eden can truly be and Marie is at war with them right now over the world title.

The Phoenix of IWC and Silas Mason’s own crown jewel knows that she will have to up her game in a big way if she expects to not just survive the coming weeks but to be able to leave with her ultimate goal: the IWC World Championship.  So to prepare for Invictus, and to prepare for what could potentially turn into a two on one or three on one scenario at Riot, Marie is turning once again to her twisted half sister Kimberly Williams for assistance.

Kimberly has long been of the belief that in order to survive the trials that she has coming ahead of her, trials such as the challenge of Wicked Intent, the trials of facing Serenity, Katelyn Buehler, and Taylor Chase at Invictus, the trials of surviving an enraged Brittany Lohan, these trials can only be survived and overcame if Marie taps into an inner darkness that Kimberly knows is buried deep down inside of her.

Kimberly, after all, was a victim once of Angelica Jones and her own inner rage, her own inner darkness that she calls The Dragon.  Marie is Angelica’s daughter.  If Angelica has it, then Marie can tap into it as well.

It’s late on the outskirts of Boston, Massachusetts as the infamous ginger sits in her vehicle, watching an old, ratty, run down motel.  Ok, so maybe “run down” and “ratty” are slight exaggerations, but this motel is definitely a far cry from the luxury that young Marie is used to having.  But this is where her half-sister Kimberly wants t o meet her.  This is where Kimberly says Marie will learn a valuable lesson.

The Phoenix steps out of her vehicle, shutting the door behind her.  She was told to dress comfortably and thus she is wearing a simple attire of blue jeans, tennis shoes, and a black “IWC” t-shirt.  She carries nothing else on her person, as she was thus instructed.  Jones then begins to make her way up towards the motel.

The office building is in the center and jutting out on either side of the office building are two wings of motel rooms.  Jones bypasses the office and heads straight for the rooms on either side, specifically going to the rooms on the right wing.  She looks carefully at each door, looking for a specific one.

Finally she comes to a stop in front of a room marked “14”.  She knocks lightly.  There’s no answer so Marie knocks again.

“It’s me, Kim.” She says somewhat loudly. “Let me in.”

She stands and waits for a few moments before she hears the doorknob turning and finally the door itself opening.  Marie then sees Kimberly herself emerge from the darkness with a wide grin on her face.

“You finally made it!” Kimberly touches her left wrist. “You’re late, though.”

“I know.” Marie answers with a sigh. “Sean wouldn’t go to sleep.”

Kimberly nods her head. “I understand.”

She steps aside to allow Marie access to the motel room.  Jones reluctantly enters and Kim shuts the door behind her.  Kimberly embraces Marie in a tight hug.

“I miss seeing Sean.” Kimberly says in a tone of voice that is clearly intent on making Marie feel guilty. “And I bet he misses seeing his Auntie Kim.”

Marie sighs. “I’m sure he does…”

“Then why don’t I see him more often than I do?”

“It’s…complicated.”

Kimberly frowns. “Un-complicate it for me.”

“Look, you know I am a very busy woman.  I compete full time in IWC and GCW and part time for the UK-Based Pro-Wrestling FRONTIER.  All of that PLUS the fact that I am a single mother.  If I had a husband, or even a boyfriend, things may be different, but unfortunately I don’t have either of those and that means I have to rely on the one thing I do have and that’s my family.  They help take care of Sean for me when I cannot watch him.”

Kimberly nods her head. “I see…and they don’t trust me.”

“No, they don’t.  And can you blame them?  You kidnapped me, for goodness sake.”

Kim snickers. “That was a simple miscommunication.”

Marie blinks her eyes several times in shock. “That’s like saying the Holocaust was a simple miscommunication.”

The memories of her kidnapping at the hands of Kimberly Williams all come back to haunt her.  Jones rubs her temple for a moment before looking back up at Kim with a rage in her eyes.  She begins to march forwards ever so closer to Kim, who begins to back away from her angry half-sister.

“Do you even understand the hell I went through?”

“Maybe…”

“Can you comprehend the pain I went through, because I don’t think you do.”

“Um, Marie…”

Jones shakes her head. “No, not now.  You are going to listen to me, because this is something I want to get off of my chest.”

Marie has been walking down Kimberly this entire time while the psychotic brunette has been backing away.  But now she’s backed against a wall with nowhere to go as she stares into her sister’s angry eyes.

“You took me from my home.  You took me from the people I loved and chained me down like a dog.  The physical and mental torture was so much that I forgot who I was.  I suffered a bout of amnesia because of you.  Then your mother, who is just as fucking crazy as you decided to send me away.  While you were taking my place in MY life you and your mother tried to get me to take YOUR place in YOUR life in some kind of twisted attempt to defeat me?  And you have the nerve to call that a simple miscommunication?!”

There is a long tense pause between the two women, the two half-sisters, and Marie herself isn’t even sure what will happen next.  But then the most unexpected thing does happen as Kimberly begins to applaud.

“Bravo!”

Marie furrows her brow out of curiosity and confusion. “Huh?”

Kimberly reaches out and touches Marie’s nose. “Usually you are quite adorable when you are angry.”

“Adorable?!”

“Yes, adorable.” Kimberly nods her head. “But this time was different.  I saw a rage, an anger boiling up inside you that I hadn’t seen in quite awhile and that IS the kind of rage and anger that you need to tap into, that is the energy that you need to tap into if you want to survive the coming weeks, dear sister.”

Marie frowns. “So you were fucking with me the entire time?”

Kimberly chuckles. “No, sweetie I wasn’t fucking with you.  I am a lot of things but I don’t believe in incest.”

“You know what I mean!”

“There’s that anger again!” Kimberly laughs, almost tauntingly. “But yes, I do know what you mean and no, I didn’t mean anything personal.  I just needed to see if you were capable of tapping into the inner darkness that I know you possess.”

The ginger-haired Phoenix lets out a frustrated shout.  Then Marie begins pacing the floor, almost like a caged lion.  Kimberly looks on with a knowing grin on her face.

“What’s wrong, dear sister?”

“What’s wrong?” Marie stops and spins around to face Kim. “Is this your test?  You called me down here to this dump to piss me off?!”

Marie begins pacing the floor again. “This was a waste of my time.”

“I didn’t have you come here just to piss you off and no, this isn’t a waste of time.”

Kimberly points to a closet door. “Go ahead.  Take a look inside.”

Marie looks over at Kim suspiciously. “Another game?”

“No game.  This is a deadly serious part of your lessons, dear sister.”

Marie stares at Kim suspiciously and then looks over at the closet door skeptically before.  She isn’t quite sure what to do before finally shrugging her shoulders and making her way over to the door.  She pulls it open and a body falls out.  Marie quickly jumps out of the way and lets a shriek as she gazes down in shock at this beautifully buxom blonde women in a tight, skimpy red dress and heels, all tied up with rope with duct tape over her mouth, lies motionless on the floor.  But she is motionless only because of the rope.  She can see based upon her eyes fluttering open and the muffled cries she makes that she is indeed still alive.

Jones is beyond stunned.  She knows she shouldn’t be.  This is, after all, her half-sister Kimberly.  Kimberly is capable of almost any kind of heinous act.  It shouldn’t come as to any surprise that she would have this woman tied up in her closet.

The question is…why?

“Kimbery!” Marie exclaims loudly, turning her attention from the woman on the floor to her half-sister, cackling like a witch. “What the hell is this?!”

“It looks like a woman to me.” Kimberly answers sarcastically. “Or more accurately a prostitute.”

“Are you insane?!”  Marie shouts as she kneels down next to the woman and takes the ropes. “We have to let her go.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, dear sister.”

“Huh?” She looks up at Kimberly incredulously.

“I lured her here.” Kim smiles wryly. “Amazing what a prostitute will do for money, eh?  But yes, I lured her here with the promise of a job, so to speak.  She got here expecting her usual unseemly duties and instead she got a beating from little ole me.”

Kim folds her hands as if in a prayer, trying to look innocent.  Marie then looks down to get a closer look at the woman’s face and, sure enough, there are bruises.  There are bruises and welts on her arms as well.  All of these are signs that Kimberly’s story of brutality is indeed true.

Jones, now even more shocked than before if that is possible, stands back up and gazes across at Kimberly.

“What is the purpose of this?”

“It is all part of the lesson, my dear sister.”

She holds up one finger. “Lesson one, you need to recognize what your ultimate goal is and what is important and what is not important in achieving that goal.  Or in your case, WHO is important and who is NOT important.”

Kimberly approaches Marie slowly. “So tell me, sister, what is your goal in IWC?”

“I want to be the best.” Marie answers unquestioningly. “I want to be at the top of the mountain.”

“Right, ok, then tell me this; who or what is important to you in achieving that goal?  Who or what is important to helping you become the best in IWC?”

“Silas Mason.”

Kimberly nods her head. “Agreed.  Now I happen to think Stetson boy is disposable, at this time he IS actually useful because your success equals HIS success and so he will use every resource available to him to make sure you become world champion.  He already proved that by using his resources to get you not just one but TWO world tag team championships.  Now who else?”

Marie thinks for a moment. “Taylor Chase, Katelyn Buehler, Serenity.”

“Smart girl.  You may not like them but right now they have to be at the center of YOUR universe if you want to become world champion.  They are going to try and stop you at Invictus because each of them has the same goal as you do.  Now tell me this, who is unimportant to you?  Who doesn’t matter?”

Marie frowns. “Brittany Lohan.”

Kimberely slaps Marie in the face. “Wrong answer.”

“Huh?” Marie is genuinely surprised as she rubs her stinging cheek.

“Brittany Lohan is of vital importance in the SHORT TERM.  You have a world tag team championship match coming up against Wicked Intent.  Kat Kelly and Lexy Chapel, mentored and trained by Lucas Knight and Trinity Street, they want the tag titles and you have to stop them.”

Marie shakes her head. “Why should I?  The world title is what’s important!”

“Are you honestly going to roll over and just let them have it?” Kimberly shakes her head. “No, you won’t because THE BEST IN IWC would not roll over for anyone.  THE BEST IN IWC would not hand over the tag titles just so she could focus on the world title.  THE BEST IN IWC would be selfish and want every damn championship, award, and accolade she could get her mitts on!  And as much as I like you, sister, you CANNOT defeat Kelly and Chapel ON YOUR OWN!  You need Brittany Lohan.”

Kimberly places a hand on her shoulder. “Now do you want me to tell you who isn’t important?”

“Do I have a choice?” Marie asks sarcastically.

“Nope!” Kim answers with a grin. “Jessica…”

“Lasiewicz?”

Kim nods head. “Jessica is unimportant.  You do not need her.”

“Jessica Lasiewicz is MY sister too!” Marie exclaims growing angry again. “She and I have been there for each other through thick and thin!  Unlike you she has ALWAYS been there to help me out!  Why on earth would I abandon her?”

“I’m not asking you to abandon her.  I’m asking you to ignore her for now.  She wants you to ditch Silas Mason and I’m telling you that you need him.  Once you get that world title if you want to go and have a heart to heart with Jessie go for it.  But do not rock the Silas World boat and do not jump ship until you have the IWC World Championship in your possession.”

Marie nods her head in agreement. “Fine, fine, that’s all well and good because I do agree that Jessie is wrong here, but still…”

She points down at the prostitute still lying tied up on the floor “…what does she have to do with any of this?”

“Oh, her…” Kim chuckles “…silly me, how could I forget?”

Kim kneels down next to the prostitute.  “This girl’s name is Taylor.  Ironic, don’t ya think?”

Marie gazes at Kim skeptically. “Get to the point.”

“All business, eh?  I like that.  Anyway, Taylor here is your typical prostitute, aren’t you Taylor?”

She rips the duct tape off of her mouth and Taylor shrieks. “HELP!  HELLLLLP!”

“That’s enough out of you.” She puts the duct tape back over her mouth and then looks back up at Marie. “Anyway, Tay-Tay here is your typical whore.  She was kidnapped at a young age and forced into this.  Her own family thinks she’s dead so they don’t care anymore.  They’ve moved on.  Everyone who at one time ever cared about her has moved on.  They have forgotten.  And now Tay-Tay is meaningless.  Unimportant.  And can become just…another…statistic…”

Kimberly stands up, reaches into her pocket and produces a small revolver. “Just…another…statistic.”

Marie stares at Kimberly, then looks down at the prostitute who is crying, albeit muffled cries, a lot more now.  Marie then gazes back up at Kim as it all begins to sink in.

“No, Kim…you can’t…”

“Why can’t I?”  Kim asks. “I have the power.  The power of life and death in my hands and it’s called a revolver.  One bullet through her head and she’s done.  And it isn’t like anyone will care about her being gone, now will they?”

“It doesn’t matter, it’s…it’s…”

“What?  Is it wrong?  Because I don’t think so.  I don’t think right and wrong really matter in this case.  What matters is you and what you want and I think you want to do this, Marie.”

Marie shakes her head vehemently. “No, Kim, I don’t.”

“Do you want to be world champion?  If you do then you will have to learn how to be uncaring and unfeeling.  You have to be able to look down at someone like this whore and recognize that she is beneath you, that ultimately all that matters is you and getting what you want.”

Despite Kim’s speech, Marie remains steadfast. “No, Kim.  You can’t do this.”

“Sure I can.” Kimberly grins. “But who said I was gonna do anything?”

“Huh?  What do you mean?”

Kimberly reaches out with the handle of the revolver, offering it to Marie. “YOU are going to do the deed.”

Marie Jones stares at the gun, this deadly weapon that she now possesses.  Then she looks down at the prostitute who is begging for mercy.  Kimberly, on the other hand, is giggling like a school girl.  The psychotic Williams is enjoying every minute of this.

“Do it, Marie.  Show a bad girl how it’s done!”

Marie stares at the gun for a long, tense moment before placing it down upon a nearby dresses.   Jones shakes her head.

“No.”

Marie looks intensely across the room at Kimberly.  After a tense pause finally Kimberly begins, much to Marie’s surprise, applauding.

“Bravo!”

Marie shakes her head. “What?!”

“You passed the test!”  She walks up and embraces Marie. “Congrats, sis!”

“This was a test?!  Are you nuts?!”

“Yes but that’s beside the point.  The point is that I wanted to see if you would cave under pressure.  You didn’t and that’s good.  Not only do you have to remember who is important and who isn’t but you also have to be able to know that you cannot be a blind follower.  You cannot be a sheep.  Silas Mason, Brittany Lohan, they are there to HELP you.  But remember who is the crown jewel?  Who is the next IWC World Champion?”

“Me.”

“That’s right.”

And with that Kimberly reaches over, takes the revolver back into her possession, turns it onto the prostitute, and shoots her in the head.

“Bang…”

Marie looks on stunned. “…what the hell did you do that for?!  I thought you were going to spare her?!  I thought this was all just an elaborate test?!”

Kimberly shrugs. “Sorry, dear, but I can’t leave any loose ends.”

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Kimberly Williams

On Camera

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Wicked Intent…

…nice name.  You two girls seem like the kind of bitches I could get along with.  I like villains with wicked intent in their heart and that’s one reason I am glad to see you two making such waves in the tag team division.  Not only do you have the youth, the drive, the determination, and the backing of two of the greats but you are also just plain wicked and I like that.

What I also like about you two is the fact that I know you will prove to be an adequate test for my sister, Marie Annabelle Jones.

You know the parable of the clay and the potter?   A gifted potter can take plain old dirt…clay in other words…and make it into something beautiful.  A masterpiece.  A work of art.

My sister has been on top of the mountain before, maybe not in IWC but elsewhere.  So she knows how to win.  But what I wanted to do was take Marie and mold her.  Just like the potter takes his clay and molds it into a masterpiece, I wanted to take my sister and mold her into something else…

…something better.  Something far more dangerous.

The fact is, you can be the best multiple times over and yet still that’s not the peak.  To be the best and yet at the same time be feared, now THAT is the peak.  That is the penultimate of this industry.  Few have achieved it but my sister on the cusp of achieving it.

She just needed a little extra push in the right direction and I’m the one giving her that push.

Ladies, what you are about to bear witness to on RIOT is the final evolution of Marie Annabelle Jones.  For truly the term Phoenix will become an inadequate term to define her.  Unlike the mythical phoenix, Marie will not die and be reborn over and over again.  This is it.  This is the final stage of her evolution and her final major test before Invictus.

Wicked Intent will no doubt be world tag team champions someday, but it won’t happen on RIOT.  Marie is selfish and she wants everything.  She wants it all.  She won’t roll over and play dead just because Invictus is on the horizon.  She will walk out of Riot with the world tag team titles.  She will walk into Invictus with those belts.  She will walk out of Invictus a double champion, co-holder of the World Tag Team Championship and your NEW IWC World Heavyweight Champion.4

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Marie Jones

On Camera

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Some may think I’m crazy.  Some may think I’m insane.  I mean, here I am, one half of the IWC World Tag Team Champions, still defending those titles while I have Invictus on the horizon.  I can’t even seem to make things work with my own tag team partner…

….hiya Britt!

So here I am, a tag team champion with a dysfunctional tag team partner, still with a world championship coming up, and I am still trying to defend the world tag team titles?  Most in my position would have abandoned the belts, with or without the psychotic loon Brittany Lohan, just to focus on Invictus.  Just to focus on the world championship.

Am I crazy?  No, I’m not crazy.  I’m just plain selfish.

I am selfish, ladies and gentlemen.  I want it all.  I don’t want to just settle for being world champion.  I want to be the undisputed best wrestler to ever grace the hallowed halls of the Independent Wrestling Cartel.  I want to make this company into MY WORLD!  I want to rule it, I want to dominate it.  I want to OWN IT!

In other words, I want it all.

Kat Kelly and Lexy Chapel, Wicked Intent, you have not earned the right to wrestle for the world tag team, what you have earned is the right to LOSE to the best.  You have earned the right to LOSE to “The Phoenix” Marie Annabelle Jones.

I happen to agree with Kimberly.  I think you will be great in IWC.  You will be a force to be reckoned with.

But you will not get past me.  That is one thing you cannot do, you cannot be.  You will be good but never as good as me.  And you’re just going to have to live with that fact.

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Scene 2

Off Camera

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The Jones Family has always been a tight knit group.  It began with sisters Angelica and Kayla Jones.  Later on Angelica’s daughters would be added to the mix, Marie and Kelly Jones and Jessica Lasiewicz.  Even Monroe Jones, Angelica and Kayla’s cousin, was also a part of this famous wrestling dynasty.  They may have had their own troubles, sometimes with one another and other times with other individuals, but through it all they always knew that they could count on one another.  They always knew that if push came to shove, they would be there for one another to help each other out in their times of need.

Marie Annabelle Jones was once kidnapped by Kimberly Williams.  To this day she still feels some resentment and bitterness over that whole ordeal, mainly because she feels no one cared enough about her to try and save her.  And yet while that may be partially true, the Jones family did use a great many resources to try to find and rescue her.  Jessica Lasiewicz herself put herself at risk in order to try and track down and rescue her sister.

Perhaps that is why things seem strange (or maybe strained is the better word) for the Jones family at this time?  For Marie Annabelle Jones, member of the famous Jones wrestling family, is not relying on her family for support.  Instead she relies on Silas Mason.  She relies on Kimberly Williams.

She is a desperate woman, there is no doubt about it, and maybe that desperation is what is driving her to make these questionable alliances?  While she is number one contender to the world championship, so is Katelyn Buehler and Abigail Lindsey.  And the champion is none other than Taylor Chase.  To get what she desires, she will have to go through some stiff competition.

And then there’s the world tag team championship.  The Phoenix may be one-half of the current title holders right now, but her tag team partner and co-champion Brittany Lohan has absolutely no desire to see this tag team continue.  Granted, Marie has had a lot to do with those feelings considering how she has treated Brittany in recent weeks.

Now Marie Jones and Brittany Lohan, the team Marie has dubbed “Ginger War Machine”, has to defend the world tag team championship against a very game tag team of Kat Kelly and Lexy Chapel, better known as Wicked Intent.

Ordinarily Marie would have relied upon the wisdom and advice of her family but things have changed for the ginger.  She has taken a new approach to this industry, one that includes doing things her way even if it means isolating herself from her family.

Just take for instance Kimberly Williams herself.  The woman who had kidnapped Marie has returned and has re-entered her life.  Marie and Kimberly have made peace with one another and, surprisingly enough, Kimberly is helping to train Marie.  She is helping to mold her into a much more ruthless competitor than she has been in recent weeks.

Young Marie is just coming back to her house after a long night with Kimberly, one that included the shooting death of a common street walker.  Kimberly claims that the woman’s name was Taylor but Marie doesn’t know if that’s true or if that was just her way of playing mind games, a way of getting Marie mentally ready for one of her Invictus opponents Taylor Chase.  Either way, the woman is dead in what was one of the most intense scenes Marie has ever witnessed.

Jones takes hold of the doorknob and pushes her way inside.  She makes her way into the living room where she finds her mother, Angelica Jones, sitting there on the sofa with Marie’s son Sean Connor Jones.

“Mom?  Where’s Jessica?”

Marie had left Sean with Jessica Lasiewicz, Marie’s sister, but to find Jessica  gone and Angelica here is a bit surprising.

“Oh, Jessie had to go unexpectedly.  Luckily I was in town to fill in.”  She looks down at Sean. “Right, buddy?”

“Right, grandma!”

No one likes to get old and while being called “grandma” makes one sound old, the forty year old Angelica Jones still enjoys the sound of Marie’s son, her grandson, calling her grandma.  To know that the Jones legacy will live on through him makes her feel good.

“Why don’t you go upstairs, Sean.” Angelica says as he kisses him on the forehead. “Me and your mother have something to discuss.”

“Adult things?”

Angelica smirks. “You could say that.”

“Darn.” Sean says with disappointment. “Ok…”

With that Sean hops up and  gives Angelica one final hug. “Goodnight, grandma.”

“Goodnight, sweetie.”

Marie pats him on the head as he passes her by. “I’ll be upstairs in a moment to tuck you in, ok?”

“Ok, mommy.”

With that, Sean disappears around and the corner.  Both Angelica and Marie wait motionless as they listen out for Sean’s footsteps up the stairs.  Once they are certain he has reached his room, Angelica stands up and approaches Marie.  Her formerly positive demeanor gone, replaced with an angry glare.

“Have you lost your ever loving mind?!”

“Nice to see you too, mom.” Marie says sarcastically.

“Don’t be sarcastic with me, young lady.” Angelica retorts angrily. “I am being deadly serious right now because YOU are really fucking things up for yourself.”

Marie places her hands on her hips. “Before you go off lecturing me about God knows what, can you at least begin by telling me where Jessica REALLY is?”

“She’s going to see your aunt Kayla.” Angelica responds. “I had Kayla set it up to get Jessica away from here.  I wanted to talk to you first.”

“About what?”

“About Kimberly.”

Marie knew this would come up eventually.  The world knows now that Kimberly and Marie have been working closely together for quite some time.  It was only a matter of time before one of the Jones family would call her out on it.  And to be honest, she cannot blame them.  Kimberly has tried to destroy the Jones family on numerous occasions.  But still, Kimberly is Marie’s half-sister too, every bit as much as Jessica is.  Why can’t Marie have a relationship with Kimberly as well?

“Let me explain about Kimberly…”

“Yeah, please do explain.  Explain how working with a psychopath like Kimberly is going to help you?”

“She is my sister.”

“She has also tried to destroy us all.  She also kidnapped you.  Have you forgotten?!”

Marie shakes her head. “No, mom, I have NOT forgotten!  But I also remember how cunning and smart she is.  I also remember how vicious she is.  I need her right now.”

“For what?”  Angelica throws her hands up in the air out of confusion. “For what ungodly reason would you need HER for?!”

“To give me the killer instinct necessary to become world champion!” Marie exclaims.

Angelica shakes her head in disappointment. “I don’t believe this…you have me for that kind of thing, Marie.  You even have Silas!   If anyone knows a thing or two about killer instincts it’s him!”

“Silas Mason is busy managing the careers of multiple wrestlers across multiple federations, not limited to IWC.  He got me to the dance but I have to finish it.”

She points a finger at Angelica. “And as for you, you’re too busy dancing with Selena Frost in SCW to be able to teach me any killer instinct.  Not that you’d want me to.”

“What do you mean by that?”  Angelica asks.  “Killer instinct is something every wrestler needs.  I would have no problem teaching it to you.”

“Killer instinct alone isn’t what I want.” Marie shakes her head. “I want The Dragon.”

The name “Dragon” means a lot to Angelica.  For Angelica “The Dragon” refers to her own inner darkness, the monster that anxiously waits to break free and destroy anyone or anything that gets in its way.  Angelia shakes her head.

“No, you don’t want The Dragon.”

“Yes, mom, yes I do.  I want The Dragon.  I need it.”

“No one needs that.  It’s an uncontrollable rage that…”

“Listen to yourself!” Marie interrupts. “You are afraid of it and just because YOU are afraid of it doesn’t mean I have to be afraid of it too.”

Angelica sighs as she sits back down on the sofa.  Marie walks over and sits down next to her.  The two women lock eyes and immediately both feel regretful for having lost their tempers and they embrace in a brief hug.

“I’m sorry, mom, it’s just that…”

Angelica nods her head. “I know…I know what you’re going to say and you have every right to say it.  I just didn’t want this for you.  I had to deal with The Dragon almost all of my life and I wanted to spare both you and Jessica of having to deal with it.”

“But shouldn’t that be my choice?” Marie asks. “I have three very capable and very dangerous opponents at Invictus I have to get through if I want to become world champion.”

“I know this.”

“AND you also know that I have to defend the world tag team titles on Riot against Kat Kelly and Lexy Chapel.”

“With Brittany.”

Marie rolls her eyes. “Well that’s not exactly a guarantee.”

“Yes and I’m working on that, by the way.” Angelica answers back. “It would help matters, though, if you were a bit more gracious and even apologetic towards her.”

“Apologetic?!  Why?!  What have I done to her?!”

“Oh I don’t know…you attacked her, manipulated her, verbally abused her…”

Marie frowns. “Doesn’t mean I need to apologize.”

“You need to apologize because for starters you ARE in the wrong and secondly if she DOES walk out on you then there is no chance in hell that you will retain against Wicked Intent.”

Marie sighs. “Fine, I’ll send her a fruit basket or something.  But my point remains, even with Brittany Lohan in my corner to team with me, this will prove to be a very difficult match to win.  I need The Dragon.”

“And you think Kimberly will help you tap into it?”

Marie nods her head. “I know she can.”

“Fine, ok, I give you my blessing to try and tap into The Dragon, that inner monster, violent streak, whatever you want to call it, but I’m warning you that this isn’t some kind of supernatural crap you see on television.  This is a real rage that cannot be controlled.  It cannot be contained once unleashed.  You can even LOSE matches because of it.  Just ask yourself, what are you willing to sacrifice to be the best?”

“The IWC World Championship is what I want.  And the IWC World Tag Team Championships I currently have mean a lot to me.  I will do anything and everything in my power to keep them.”

“Including working with a known enemy of our family.”

Marie shakes her head. “Kimberly has changed, mom.”

“I have my doubts.  As for Jessica…”

“Yeah, Jessica…” Marie’s voice trails off.

“My advice,” Angelica answers “don’t let the two of them into the same room together.”

==========

Angelica Jones

On Camera

==========

Marie Jones and Brittany Lohan in a tag team title match.  Marie Jones and Brittany Lohan can’t get along.  There’s no way they can retain!

Same old song and dance.  Same old story.  Been there done that two times now, this coming Riot makes three.

The first time was against Alana Starr and Scott Cannon.  The Good Villains were supposed to be insurmountable even for a tag team that is on the same page and yet Marie and Brittany got the job done.

Then came Crissy Gardner and Patience Young.  Bad Behavior had whined that they were passed up for a title shot in favor of Jones and Lohan and yet there they were, getting a title shot against what people then said were fluke champions.  Only the fluke champions defeated Bad Behavior.

Now Marie and Britt are supposed to lose because, what, they have the backing of Lucas Knight and Trinity Street?  Because like most flashes in the pan they had a good few high spots in IWC?  Or is it because of the same old song and dance…

Marie and Brittany can’t get along…Marie and Brittany were a fluke…

Wrong on both counts, darlings.

I know both ladies quite well, one because she is my daughter and the other because she is one of the closest friends I have.  Even when they are not on the same page, even when they are at each other’s throats they can be a damn good tag team.  Just ask The Good Villains.  Just ask Bad Behavior.  Marie and Britt weren’t on the same page and yet they still won.

Imagine what they would be capable of if they got on the same page?

Kat and Lexy, there’s no denying your talent and there’s no denying that you will be a great tag team.  But if you want to have any hope of defeating my girls then you had better PRAY that they are NOT on the same page by the time Riot rolls around, because that’s the ONLY way you will even have a chance at winning.

And even then it’s not a guarantee.

Marie and Brittany, The Ginger War Machine, they are for real.  They may not always get along but they are for real and you had better come prepared for war, ladies, because same page or not, they will bring war to your front door.

#HollaHollaTagTeamTitleMatchPlaya

==========

Marie Jones

On Camera

==========

We open in front of a brick wall, painted orange with the words “Ginger Nation” written on the front in black colored lettering.  It isn’t long until footsteps can be heard.  Then Marie Annabelle Jones emerges from stage right, wearing black boots, blue jeans, and the official #GingerNation t-shirt.  Her long red hair hangs unrestrained to shoulder length and she has sunglasses on to cover her eyes.  Her IWC World Tag Team Championship belt is draped over her right shoulder, the GFC World Tag Team Championship title belt is draped over her left shoulder, the GCW Global Heavyweight Championship belt is wrapped around her waist.

“Hello, Ginger Nation!”

The red-head waves at the camera, smiling with an ear to ear grin that some may say would have to be surgically removed.  But that tends to happen when you are as lucky as she has been as of late.

“Your Ginger Goddess Marie Annabelle Jones is here to once again provide you, my adoring public, with proper ginger enlightenment.  Now I have already provided IWC’s tag team division with all sorts of ginger goodness and a ginger champion that I can be proud of.”

She briefly hoists the IWC tag title belt up into the air, holding it there for just a moment for a pose before letting it rest back down upon her right shoulder.

“Not only that, but I have brought decency and a sense of respectability back to the IWC tag team division.  But then again, I am a tag team wrestling expert and anytime I win a tag team championship instant credibility and respectability is brought back to that championship.  This is my seventh tag team title reign.  Four of those seven has been with Brittany Lohan.”

She waves at the camera again “Hi there, partner!”

“Tag team wrestling is NOT a ‘ME’ effort and anytime it becomes about ‘ME ME ME’ then that team will surely lose.  Tag team wrestling is always a TEAM effort, not a ME effort and that is why me and Britt have always made such a great tag team.”

“Now it may appear on the outside looking in as if The Ginger War Machine is coming apart at the seams but have no fear, #GingerFans, because my buddy Brittany and I will be just fine on Riot!  Isn’t that right, Britt?  Because you and I have known each other for a very long time.  I know you and I know you are not one to walk away from a fight and whether you like me or not this IS a fight!  I am certain that your warrior spirit will not allow you to walk away from any fight.”

“No one knows me better than my mother but you might know me just as well as my mother knows me.  So you should know what being tag team champion means to me.  You should know that I am willing to do anything to keep these titles.”

She extends a hand. “I’m even willing to humble myself and extend the olive branch of peace to you, Brittany.  Sure, we’ve had our differences, but we cannot let my temper or your temper destroy the tag team wrestling legacy that we have built!  We have beaten the best tag teams in the world.  We have taken on all comers and turned them away.  I would even dare say that you and I are the best tag team in the history of tag team wrestling bar none.”

“Wicked Intent should be a piece of cake for a great tag team like The Ginger War Machine, so long as you and I can swallow our pride and get through this match, as a TEAM.  Not as individuals.  But as…a…team.  But it won’t be a piece of cake.” Marie shakes her head. “Especially not if we can’t get our act together.  Kat Kelly and Lexy Chapel are good, there is no denying that; but Brittany, you and I are great.  Admit it, we are unstoppable when we are on the same page.”

“So Kat, Lexy, you two had better pray that we don’t get our act together, because if we do then you are going to be in for a very rude awakening.  Once Brittany and I get back on the same page, and I am confident that we will, then your very quick rise to the top will be derailed very abruptly.  There will be no superkick soiree, but instead the blues will be played as your supporters moan and groan after watching yet another tag team fall at the feet of The Ginger War Machine.”

She takes off her sunglasses and tosses them to the side to expose her eyes, eyes that are full of intensity.

“And if we DON’T get on the same page…if, for the first time since I have known her, Brittany decides to run away from a fight…and if I am left alone, then you still have a problem on your hands and that problem is me.”

“I will be just like an animal, cornered with nowhere to go.  And you know what happens when an animal is cornered with nowhere to go?  It comes out fighting like hell.  And I am not going to stand here and make any delusional claims about winning this on my own.  If Brittany abandons me I will probably the titles, but if I go down, then by God I’m bringing one of you with me.”