Healing: Part 3

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Scene 1

April 26^th, 2017

Off Camera

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The Fatal Fortunes edition of Breakdown proved to be a smashing success for the Jones family.  Angelica Jones won a major hardcore match, her sister Kayla earned a tag team title shot alongside her randomly drawn tag partner Ravyn Taylor, but perhaps the most significant win of them all came from the first night of Fatal Fortunes in which Marie Jones made her triumphant and surprising return to Supreme Championship Wrestling.  And what a return it was, as she earned a United States Championship Title shot by defeating Craig Thomas and Shane Lawson in a triple threat match.

Winning the triple threat match was just the beginning of Marie’s long journey back in SCW, and it was the easy part.  She earned the United States Championship but earning the trust and respect of her peers will be the greater challenge.  Marie squandered a great deal of that respect in the days since losing the UWA World Championship to Vanilla Skyy.  That loss caused Marie to become jaded about pro-wrestling and she began to take shortcuts in order to get what she wanted.

It was in SCW, after losing a match to Amy Chastaine, when Marie had her turning point.  Amy spoke to Marie after the match and talked some sense, talked some reality back into Jones.  Marie realized that a changed needed to be made.

One such change came in the form of her representation.  Marie realized that she had burned bridges with her former agent, Tabitha Silverstone.  But that was fine with Marie, for Silverstone International represented Marie’s old ways of cheating and taking shortcuts.  Silverstone International represented The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling and Marie no longer wanted to be referred to by that somewhat arrogant moniker.

Marie Jones was now The Phoenix and with that change also came new representation in the form of Adam Chase, someone who promised to help Jones achieve her goals in Supreme Championship Wrestling.  And her goals are quite simple, really.  She isn’t looking to be the most dominant.  She isn’t looking to make loads of money.  Even championships are not her primary goal.  Titles are important, they maybe secondary goals even, but titles are not her primary goal.

Her primary goal is to earn back the trust and respect of her peers, rebuild any bridges she may have burnt, and reestablish the person she wants to be: not an arrogant Crown Jewel, but a proud Phoenix ready to rise back up and represent her family.

Thus far it appears as if she is well on her way to success.  She earned a United States Championship match the right way, no shortcuts, no tricks, and now she is preparing to take the next step: Tyler Tucker, the champion, and Supreme Saturday.

Marie isn’t going to take this one for granted.  Tyler Tucker has been on a roll.  He even did what Marie could not do: he beat Amy Chastaine to become United States Champion.  Jones knows taking the title from Tyler Tucker will be a great challenge.

A luxurious rental car has pulled up in front of a hotel entrance.  Marie Jones exits the passenger side, followed by her husband, Arthur Pond, who exits from the driver’s side.  Arthur is wearing a Carolina blue button up shirt with black denim jeans.  The Phoenix is wearing a knee length black skirt, a long sleeve red blouse, and black high heeled pumps.  Her long gorgeous ginger locks of hair hang unrestrained to shoulder length.

The stay at this hotel will not be a long one.  Thus, Marie only has one bag with her and her husband Arthur only has one bag with him, just enough for one change of clothes for the overnight stay before leaving the next morning for Marie’s next SCW appearance.

Kayla Jones, Marie’s aunt, exits from the backseat of the vehicle.  She joins Arthur and Marie in front of the car.  Arthur hands her the key.

“It’s all yours.”

Arthur winks and Kayla just snickers.

“Just until we return it tomorrow.  Speaking of which…”

She points at Arthur and Marie.

“…I’ll be here in the morning to pick you two up.  Is that fine?”

Marie nods her head.

Yeah, I guess so.  But what about you?  You can stay with us the night if you’d rather do that?”

Kayla shakes her head.

“No, no, I don’t want to impose.  I have a place I’m staying, besides, I need to track down your mother first.”

“Good luck with that.”

“Yeah, I know, she sounded rather cryptic this evening before she walked out on us.  I don’t like it when she’s cryptic.  So I guess I’d better find your mom and make sure she’s ok.”

“Just be careful, Aunt Kayla.”

Kayla scoffs.

“Don’t worry about me, Marie, worry about yourself.  You have a shot at becoming the United States Champion coming up.”

“But…”

Kayla shakes her head vehemently.

“No!  You need to start worrying about yourself sometime, Marie.”

“But you and mom…”

Kayla holds up her hand to silence Marie.

“…will be just fine.  Your mom raised you right, Marie, you are a selfless young woman, and it is great to be that way, but it is ok to be selfish once in awhile and right now, with this golden opportunity you have before you, an opportunity to become United States Champion, you can’t pass that up.”

“Still, it’ll be tough anyway, Tyler Tucker has been on a roll.  You know all about him, don’t you, Aunt Kayla?”

Tyler Tucker and Craig Thomas together make up Adrenaline Rush.  They feuded with The Sisterhood before, so this will not be the first time a member of Adrenaline Rush did battle with a member of the Jones family.  And it is true, Kayla does have intimate knowledge of how Tyler Tucker operates from her many battles with him.  If anyone can provide insight into how to defeat him, it would be Kayla Jones.

“That’s right, and if there’s anything you want to know before Supreme Saturday, just ask and I’ll be glad to help.  But for now…”

She nods towards the hotel entrance.

“I think you and Arthur should go.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.  Now go.”

Marie reluctantly nods her head in agreement.

“Ok, but I love you Aunt Kayla.”

“I love you too, Marie.”

Kayla turns and heads back to the parked rental car.  Marie and her husband Arthur, meanwhile, turn and head back towards the entrance of the hotel.  The automatic doors slide open for them as they enter the hotel.

The couple approach the lobby.  Arthur takes charges as he rings for the attendant.  The attendant, a young man with brown hair and wearing a navy blue suit and white silk button up shirt, approaches the front desk.

“Yes, may I help you?”

“My name is Arthur, Arthur Pond.  I have a room here reserved for me and my wife Marie.”

The attendant furiously types away at the keyboard of his computer.  It isn’t long before he gets a result.  The attendant smiles proudly at his find.

“Ah, yes, here you are.  Room 236.”

The attendant reaches into his desk and produces a key card.  He hands it to Arthur.

“Is there anything I can help you with, sir?”

“No, not really…”

Arthur’s voice trails off as he looks over at Marie for her answer.

“…do you want anything, babe?”

“Well, actually, a good bottle of wine would be nice.”

Arthur shrugs his shoulders.

“You heard her, some wine if you don’t mind.”

The attendant nods his head.

“I’ll have it sent to your room immediately.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank you for staying with us, Mr. and Mrs. Pond!”

Arthur can’t help but chuckle as he notices his wife cringe ever so slightly at being referred to as Marie Pond.  She never did get her last name legally changed to match her husband’s.  Marie has been very traditional about things with that one lone exception.  The Jones name is highly respected in professional wrestling.  Marie would never give it up for anything or anyone.  Arthur respects her decision so there’s never been a problem.  But it does make him laugh seeing Marie take exception to something so little.

With key card and bags in hand, Arthur leads his wife Marie away from the lobby desk and over towards the elevators.  Arthur presses the button calling for the elevator and the door opens.  Marie and Arthur enter the elevator and then Arthur presses the button for the elevator to go up.  The door closes and the elevator begins to rise.

“Are you ok, babe?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.  I’m just not comfortable being called Mrs. Pond, that’s all.”

Arthur chuckles.

“That was kind of funny, but that wasn’t what I meant.”

Marie turns and looks at Arthur curiously.

“What do you mean?”

“The wine.”

Marie arches a brow out of confusion.

“What about the wine?”

“The very fact that you asked for it.”

“There’s nothing wrong with a good wine, Arthur.”

“No, but you never want wine unless something is wrong.”

Marie sighs.

“There are times that I wish you didn’t know me so damn well.”

“Sorry, but you ARE predictable.  So tell me, what’s wrong?”

The elevator doors open.  Usually she lets Arthur lead the way, but on this occasion Marie steps out first and storms her way down the hall of the second floor, looking for room 236.  Arthur, with the key card and now carrying both bags, does his best to keep up.  It isn’t long until his wife stops in front of a door that reads “236.”  Marie turns as Arthur approaches…

“Here’s our room.”

Arthur sets the bags down so that he can insert the key card into the door.  He hears the door unlock and then pushes it open.  Marie steps inside first, followed by Arthur, carrying the bags.  Jones steps in front of the window staring out at the skyline overlooking the city of Boise, Idaho.  Arthur sets the bags down on the bed and then approaches his wife, standing behind her.

“You’re not getting out of it, babe.

“Getting out of what?”

“Don’t play innocent.  What’s wrong?”

Marie sighs and turns back around to face Arthur.

“I’m just worried about my family, that’s all.”

“Your family…”

Arthur’s face contorts into a look of confusion.

“…I’m a little confused here, Marie.  I thought all of you did great these past two Fatal Fortunes editions of Breakdown.  You, Angelica, and Kayla all won.”

Marie shakes her head.

“It isn’t as simple as that.”

Jones walks by Arthur and approaches the king sized bed.  She lies down on the bed.  Arthur notices that something is clearly wrong, so he approaches the bed and joins her, lying next to her on the king sized bed.

“Tell me, Marie.”

“We did win, between Breakdown on the 19^th and Breakdown on the 26^th we dominated Fatal Fortunes.  Angelica won a four way hardcore match, Kayla earned a tag title shot, and I earned a United States Title shot.  But that may not be a good thing.”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

Marie turns to look at Arthur.

“Aunt Kayla has a tag title shot…..with Ravyn Taylor, not with my mom.”

A look of realization washes across Arthur’s face.

“I see…”

“Yeah, and mom isn’t happy about it.”

“I thought your mom said she was ok with it and was happy for Kayla?”

Marie shakes her head.

“She can deny it all she wants, but mom isn’t happy about it.  I know her and I know she isn’t happy.  Kayla knows it too.  You heard her out there, Aunt Kayla noticed just as I noticed how cryptic mom was talking and acting.  And not just that but…”

Her voice trails off.  Arthur’s curiosity is peaked.

“…but what?”

“…I can’t help but think that there is still some tension there between the two over mom’s relationship with Aphrodite.”

Tears are forming in Marie’s eyes.

“I just hate to see them at odds with one another.  This family needs to be united.”

Arthur sighs out of frustration.  Then, in contrast, he rolls over on top his wife, not crushing her but in a gentle way.  He kisses her on the lips and she reciprocates with a kiss of her own.  Arthur runs his hand through her long red hair.

“This is what I love the most about you.”

“What?”

“You care so much, you care about others more so than yourself.  Your mom, your aunt, even your crazy sister Kimberly.”

Marie rolls her eyes.

“Yeah, Kim…she’s another problem that’s dividing the family.  I’m the only one giving her a chance.  Mom is still wary about her and Aunt Kayla refuses to give her a chance.”

She sighs.

“Yet another thing that divides us…”

“Marie…”

“What?”

“…just stop.”

“Stop what?”

Arthur rolls back over.  He rolls over out of bed and stands up.

“You’re worrying about your mom, you worry about your aunt, you worry about your sisters…stop it and stop it now.”

Marie rolls over and hops up out of bed, approaching Arthur.

“But Arthur…”

Her voice trails off as Arthur caresses her cheek gently and lovingly with the back of his hand.

“Hush.  I don’t mean to sound harsh and I don’t want you to think I’m telling you to just not give a damn, but they do have their problems and the fact is that they are not the only ones with problems.  You have your own problems too, right?  Don’t you want to restore your professional reputation back to the way it was?”

“Yes, of course I do, but my family…”

“…your family would understand and want you to take care of yourself and take care of that goal.  Now look at you, Marie.  You are so close to making one giant step forward in that quest to restoring your reputation and rebuilding those bridges you burned.  You have already earned the opportunity to wrestle for the SCW United States Championship and you earned it the right way.”

He leans over and kisses her on the cheek.

“Now you can go out there on Supreme Saturday and win the championship the right way.  I may not know a great deal about wrestling, but I would like to think that winning a championship without cheating or taking any kind of shortcuts would go a long way towards earning a great deal of respect from your peers and the fans.”

Arthur’s words were strong and poignant.  They definitely made an impact on The Phoenix.  Marie prepares to respond but is interrupted when her iPhone starts ringing.  Marie sighs as she walks back over to the bed and reaches into her bag.

“Sorry, Arthur…I’ll get rid of whoever it is…”

Finally she finds her phone.  Marie answers it and puts it up to her ear.

“Hello?”

Arthur watches as his wife listens to whoever is on the other end.  Marie’s eyes grow wide in a look of shock.  Needless to say, Arthur begins to get nervous as to who just called his wife.

“Yeah…yeah, we can meet up….sure.  Yeah, bye…”

Marie hangs up the phone and drops it back down on the bed.

“Who was that?”

“That was my aunt.”

“Kayla?  We were just with her.  Is something wrong?”

Marie shakes her head.

“No, not Aunt Kayla.  My Aunt Carolyn; Carolyn Williams, sister of my father, Sean Williams.”

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Scene 2

May 2^rd, 2017

Off Camera

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Marie has had many father figures growing up but none of them lasted very long due to the destruction of her mother’s various relationships.  The first stepfather Marie had was Andreas Lasiewicz, a man who wrestled with Angelica in GDW, and that lasted the longest but it, too, was doomed to failure.  Then there was Sean McBride, who wrestled with Angelica in MWA, and lasted just over a year before they had their breakup.  This is part of the reason why Marie is so grateful to have Arthur Pond by her side.  Arthur has, thus far, provided Marie’s son Sean Connor Jones with the father figure that Marie never truly had.

Few people outside of the inner circle of the Jones wrestling family and their closest friends know about Marie’s true, biological father; a man known as Sean Williams.

Sean Williams was Angelica’s first true love and perhaps, were it not for conniving and trickery on the part of a rival female, Angelica and Sean would’ve been together forever.  But like all of her other relationships, this one as well as destined to tear apart, but not before Angelica gave Sean two daughters…

…Marie Annabelle Jones and Kimberly Francis Williams…

Kimberly Williams and Marie Jones are twins and are also an example of the nature versus nurture debate.  Whereas Marie was brought up in a stable, loving environment, Kimberly ended up being raised by that same sociopathic rival who wanted to destroy Angelica in the first place.  Now Kimberly and Marie couldn’t be more different in terms of personality, and yet they shared the same lineage, the same bond, they were both the children of Sean Williams and Angelica Jones.

And they both despise their dead father, despite the fact that Kimberly still holds onto her paternal name.

Kimberly realizes that she needs help, she wants to be normal and have a normal relationship with her mother and maternal family, and to do that she has been willing to commit herself to a mental institution with the hopes of getting the help she needs.

Marie, for her part, seems to be the only one in the Jones family willing to give Kimberly a chance.  Marie feels as if she is the only one willing to offer whatever assistance she can to help Kimberly get the help she needs in order to fix whatever mental issues she may have and become a part of the Jones family.

What Marie forgot about is the fact that she and Kimberly do have another family to answer to…

The Williams family is all but gone.  Sean Williams had two siblings, a brother and a sister.  Sean himself was murdered by a bullet through the head from Angelica Jones.  The brother, a man named Daryl Williams, died many years later after attempting to kidnap and rape Marie.  At that point, Marie had made it a point to never again have anything to do with her paternal family…

…that was until she received a call from her paternal aunt, Carolyn Williams.

Marie Jones is unsure as to whether or not this is a good idea or not, but nevertheless she finds herself in a booth at a small café at Boston, Massachusetts.  She has a half drunk cup of coffee in front of her.  Marie is waiting on someone to arrive and that person is late…

The dinging of the bell hanging on the door signals that someone is entering.  The Phoenix turns her head upward and looks towards the door.  A brown haired woman wearing an ankle length floral print dress with one quarter sleeves enters and heads towards Marie.  She sits down at Marie’s booth.  She smiles and greets her with a pleasant voice…

“Good morning, Marie.”

“Good morning Aunt Carolyn.”

This is Carolyn Williams, the last remaining blood connection she has to her biological father outside of Kimberly.  Carolyn has so many things she wants to say to Marie and Marie, feeling rather uncomfortable about this whole situation, just wants to get it over with.  Carolyn cannot get any words out before the waitress approaches to take Carolyn’s drink order.

“What can I get you to drink, sweetie?”

“Small French Vanilla, please.”

“Will do.”

The waitress walks away to fill the order.  Carolyn then turns to face her niece.

“I am so glad you agreed to meet with me, Marie.”

“You’re late.”

Carolyn sighs.

“I know, but I ran into some heavy traffic on the way over here, not to mention the wreck I encountered along the way.”

She chuckles.

“I’m lucky I made it at all.”

“You’re lucky this meeting is taking place at all, Aunt Carolyn.  Just saying.”

Carolyn arches a brow but cannot respond.  The waitress returns with a cup of French Vanilla.  She places it down on the table in front of Carolyn.

“Here’s your French Vanilla.  May I get you anything else?”

“Huh?  Oh, no, I’m fine.  Thanks.”

The waitress turns and walks away.  Carolyn turns to face Marie.

“Are you ok, Marie?”

Marie rolls her eyes.

“Can we just forget I said anything and move on to what you want?  Why did you call and arrange this meeting?”

Carolyn shakes her head.

“Marie, I just…I just…”

Jones rolls her eyes.

“Carolyn, I tried to give your family, the Williams family, a chance, I really did.  I even took my father’s last name for a couple years.  I called myself Marie Williams in honor of my father.  But then my own uncle, YOUR brother, kidnapped me and raped me.”

She shakes her head, painful tears form in her eyes.

“I swore I would never have anything to do with the Williams family again.  I’m finding it very hard to be here right now, Aunt Carolyn.  It’s very painful and bringing back painful memories.  So yes, you are very lucky that I am here right now.”

“Marie, I…”

Carolyn bows her head in shame.

“…I’m sorry.  Maybe I shouldn’t have come…”

Carolyn starts to get up but Marie holds out her hand to stop her.

“Carolyn, wait…”

Carolyn turns and face Marie.

“Marie?”

“Sit back down, please.”

Carolyn sits down.  Marie takes a deep breath and sighs.

“I’m sorry, Carolyn, but understand that this is difficult for me.”

“I do understand how difficult this must be for you but try to understand also how difficult this has been for me, to go so long carrying the family name.”

She laughs lightly.

“I never married, you know?  My brothers are both dead.  And you won’t associate with me.  I have no one.  I had hoped that I would at least have Kimberly, but the fact that she has never contacted me makes me fear that she, too has her issues with our family.”

“Issues?”

Marie chuckles as she takes another sip of her coffee.

“Saying that she ‘has issues’ is putting it mildly.  Kimberly hates our father.  Furthermore, she has snapped.  So much so that she…”

Marie shakes her head.

“…forget it.”

“What?  What is it?”

Carolyn sighs.

“I shouldn’t have said anything, but…Kimberly has been institutionalized.”

Carolyn raises her eyes wide in surprise.

“She what?!”

“Yes, she checked herself into a mental institution.”

“Why?  What on earth would motivate her to do such a thing?!”

“She knows she has mental issues, Carolyn; issues that date all the way back to when she was raised by Emma.  Kimberly was further disturbed by the fact that our mom, Angelica, and our aunt Kayla will not accept her as a legitimate member of the Jones family.”

Carolyn shakes her head.

“That’s horrible.  Terrible of them!

“Can you blame them?  Kimberly had tried before to destroy the Jones family.   Kim realizes that she has mental issues and wants to fix herself.  She wants normalcy and acceptance and is willing to have herself committed in order to get that professional help.  I, for one, am proud of her.”

Carolyn sighs.  Tears are now forming in her eyes.

“My poor Kim, poor Marie…I’ve missed so much…”

Marie narrows her eyes as she studies Carolyn intensely.

“Carolyn, what is it that you really want?”

“Marie, I…I’m just…”

She sighs as she tries to force the difficult words out.

“…I’m just lonely.  I have no significant other, my brothers are both dead.  You, your sister, and I, we are the last of the Williams family and I need you.  I need that connection to Sean and Daryl.  I need company.”

Carolyn reaches out and takes Marie by her hands.

“Please give me a chance.”

Marie sighs.

“I can appreciate what you’re trying to do, Carolyn.  And you know, maybe I can give you a chance.  After all you aren’t responsible for what my uncle did to me.  But Kimberly is a different matter altogether.”

“Surely you can convince her to talk to me!”

Marie shakes her head.

“I can’t make any promises.   Kim is still a wild card.  I cannot predict her.”

“I have a right to see her!  She is my niece!”

“Yes, but there’s nothing I can do if she does not WANT to see you.”

Carolyn wipes the tears from her eyes.

“Marie, please, can you at least talk to her for me?  Tell her I want to see her.”

“I can try, but I will not make any promises.  Kimberly will ultimately do whatever Kimberly wants to do.  I cannot control her.”

“All I ask for is a chance, that’s all.”

Marie is still not sure about whether or not this is the right move to make.  Arthur and Kayla both told her she needs to focus on herself more often, that she has helped others so much that she neglects herself.  And truth be told, Marie is nervous about her upcoming match against Tyler Tucker for the United States Championship.  This is her second shot at that title in a short period of time.  Rarely does something like this happen but the luck of Fatal Fortunes smiled upon her and now she has that opportunity to make things happen in a big way.

She wants to focus on becoming United States Champion and Kayla and Arthur would suggest that she focus on that goal, but Marie cannot help but feel a sense pity upon Carolyn, pity that she is truly alone.  It’s not her fault Sean was killed or Daryl did what he did.  Should she be isolated and ostracized by the only two connections Carolyn has left to her brothers?  The only true family she has left?

“I’ll try, but Carolyn, you have to give me time.  Yes, Kimberly is going to be a hard nut to crack, but I also have a lot going on in my life right now and I’m very busy.  I’m still a wrestler, you know?  I’m competing for the United States Championship.”

“Are you still wrestling with GDW?”

Marie shakes her head.

“GDW has been long gone.  I’m wrestling with a company known as Supreme Championship Wrestling now.”

“Wow, how time flies.  Well I’m sure you’ll win your match, Marie.  You always were a good wrestler.”

“I’m glad you’re confident, but that’s not the only thing.  I’m married….I have a son….”

“A son?”

Marie nods her head.

“Yes, his name is Sean.”

Carolyn’s eyes light up at the mention of the name.

“Such a great name.  Is it safe to assume your husband is the father?”

Marie frowns.  She turns away her gaze from Carolyn’s.

“Don’t ask that question, Aunt Carolyn.  Please.  I don’t want to be reminded of…of…”

“…of what?”

Marie turns and stares daggers through Carolyn.  It is then that Carolyn gets it and gasps.

“My God!  You don’t mean…?”

Marie nods her head.

“Yes, when your brother raped me I conceived.  And that’s part of why I couldn’t…why I just couldn’t stay around…that’s why I had to leave and break contact…”

Tears well up in Marie’s eyes.

“…I knew my son would be a constant reminder, and dealing with him would be mental anguish enough, having you in my life as another constant reminder would’ve been impossible.  At least I thought it was impossible.  Maybe I was just too weak…?”

Carolyn shakes her head.

“No, you are absolutely not weak!”

Carolyn squeezes Marie’s hands tightly.

“You are strong, Marie.  Very strong.  Carrying that child to term and raising him, despite the memories he carries with him by his mere presence showed strength on your part.  And our family line lives in through your son, who I’m sure is a great boy.  I’m sure you’re proud of him and have done a great job raising him.”

Marie shrugs her shoulders.

“I’ve done the best I could…but I did have help from my mom, Aunt Kayla, my sisters, and now Arthur…Arthur loves Sean and has been a big help.”

“I’d love to help you raise Sean, that is, if you’d let me.”

Marie smiles warmly.

“I’d like that.”

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On Camera

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My career can be compared to a roller coaster ride, not just in the sense of having my ups and my downs.  God knows I’ve had my highest of highs, winning the UWA World Championship at Olympus and thus completing my own redemption journey, and I’ve also experienced the lowest of lows, having lost the UWA World Championship just a little over a month later and then not even being booked on any show at all for months on end.  My career has been a roller coaster ride in the sense that there have been an insane number of twists and turns from being adored and respected to being hated and vilified by the fans and my peers alike.

I’ve played by the rules and, at times, I’ve been among the dirtier players in this game.  But one game I will never play again is the blame game.  The mistakes I’ve made that burned bridges both in UWA and here in SCW, it’s all on me.  The mistakes I made that cost me a friend and agent in Tabitha Silverstone, it’s all on me.

Since returning to Supreme Championship Wrestling, all I want is another chance; a chance to prove that I can earn my keep, that I can make my way here in SCW without taking shortcuts or using cheap tricks.  And by God, I will make believers out of each and every one of my critics.  I will earn the respect of my peers.  I will rebuild the bridges I burned.

Ok, so Selena Frost may have the market cornered on the whole “believers” thing, but I’ll pay her the copyright fee next time I see her.

One person who believes in me is Adam Chase.  A member of the famous Chase Wrestling family, he himself is wrestling royalty.  He managed Vanilla Skyy to two world championships, one of which she won against me.  Adam and I have known one another for quite awhile.

Adam believed in me enough to take a chance on me.  I admit, it was a risky move on his part to a chance on someone who has had such an up and down career, but he did take a risk and thus far I made sure he didn’t regret it.

Fatal Fortunes smiled down upon me and I am now the number one contender to the SCW United States Championship after defeating Craig Thomas and Shane Lawson.

I’m no stranger to the United States Championship.  Right before I left I had an epic encounter with Amy Chastaine for the United States title and even though it was a loss, I still look back at that match was one of the best matches I’ve ever had, not because of my performance but because of what Amy Chastaine said to me after it was over.

She told me I had what it took to get the job done, she told me I could do it on my own without any of the cheap tricks I used to pull.  I should’ve felt proud of myself.  It was a compliment.  She was telling me how good I was; but I didn’t feel pride.  I felt shame.  I was ashamed because she was right, I am good enough to get the job done on my own, I could legitimately live up to the name Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling but instead I took the cheap and easy way out.

When I started in this sport, I told myself I would be better than my mother.  I would not take any of the shortcuts she took during her career.  But after speaking with Amy, I realized grimly that I had become my mother and not in a good way.

I was ashamed, but beyond that she reminded me of what I wanted to do in this sport from day one; yes, I did want to be a star, yes I did want to be great, but I wanted to do it the right way.  Amy Chastaine reminded me of that and she’s part of the reason I’m motivated, motivated now more than ever, to win this United States Championship and to win it the right way.

And it hasn’t gone beneath my notice that I left in the United States title picture and I’m returning right back into the United States title hunt.  That’s damn lucky on my part, I’m damn fortunate to have this great opportunity.  Most don’t get this opportunity once, let alone twice, and whether you want to credit my talent or the luck of Fatal Fortunes, the fact is that I do have this opportunity and I will not let this one go by.

I overcome many obstacles to get where I am today.  I overcame a slow, downward spiral that began with Amy Chastaine and ended with Syren, I overcame my own self-destructive burning of bridges both here and in UWA, I didn’t let any of that stop me.  I did some introspection, I corrected myself, and I persevered.

I overcame Craig Thomas, I overcame Shane Lawson, and now there is but one last hurdle, one final obstacle to overcome, and his name is Tyler Tucker, and he is the SCW United States Champion.

I think it’s appropriate that to become United States Champion, to win my first piece of gold here in SCW, I will have to go through Tyler Tucker, a member of Adrenaline Rush, who has had many a classic battle in the past with The Sisterhood.

You do remember The Sisterhood, right Tyler?  Angelica Jones is my mother and Kayla Jones is my aunt.

It is ironic, indeed, that you have had such classic run-ins with the Jones family and here, coming up at Supreme Saturday: Just Desserts, you will have to defend your United States Championship against a member of the Jones family.

You just can’t get rid of us, Tucker.  We’re like cockroaches, we pop up everywhere.  Some would say we resemble them, but that’s another story for another time.

It may be ironic and it may be appropriate, but that’s where it ends, because understand that I am absolutely nothing like my mom or my aunt.  I have carved out an entirely different path for myself, different from the rest of the Jones family.  In fact, I would dare say that I am nothing like anything else you have faced before.

I have been on the big stage before, Tyler.  I’ve had the spotlight shining down upon me and I have loved every second of it.  It’s like a drug addiction, I have to have it again and you’re my ticket to getting back.  Granted, you’ve been in the spotlight now for a while yourself, having been the United States Champion, but are you prepared for the gut wrenching feeling of losing it all?  Are you prepared for losing that spotlight?  Are you prepared for the impending drug addiction?

You’ve had your fix, Tyler, and now it’s my turn to get my fix, and I’ll be damned if you’re going to stop me.

I’ve stood toe to toe with former world champions and took them to their limit.  I even defeated former world champion Rachel Foxx.  In fact, who knows, had I not left all too early, I might’ve been the one in your position right now carrying that championship?

But I don’t deal in “what if” scenarios.  What’s done is done, the past is the past and you can’t change it.  I am focusing on one thing and that is the present.  Right now YOU are the present.  YOU currently are the United States Champion and my task is to take you down.

And YOUR present, Tyler, is The Phoenix.  And you know what they say about The Phoenix; a Phoenix cannot be stopped, not really.  You can’t even truly kill it…at least, not permanently…the Phoenix will keep getting back up again and again continuing to fight endlessly, relentlessly, without any cease, without giving up, without quitting…

…I am The Phoenix that you will have to deal with on Supreme Saturday.  And you can’t kill me, you can’t stop me, and you can’t even slow me down.  I’ve been on a roll since my return to SCW, taking out Shane Lawson and your own tag team partner Craig Thomas…

…now I’m ready to roll through you.   Now I have no delusions about this being an easy task.  It will not be easy by any stretch of the imagination.  I know this because my mom and my aunt already told me all about you and Craig.  They told me how tough both of you are, and if I didn’t have their own experiential knowledge to go by, all I have to do is recognize the fact that you beat Amy Chastaine to become United States Champion.

The same Amy Chastaine who, herself, is a former world champion in SCW.

Anything can happen at any time here in SCW.  Would anyone have expected Tyler Tucker of Adrenaline Rush to become United States Champion?  Maybe not.  But that’s why I’m taking you deadly serious.  I am not taking this for granted.  This match, as far as I’m concerned, is my toughest test in recent months…

…but make no mistake about it, Tyler, I will pass the test!

This test, this challenge, it is very important for me, Tyler.  It is far more important for me than it is for you, because this is the next step on my road to redemption, my quest to not only prove that I can get the job done without any cheap tricks or shortcuts but also to earn the moniker of Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling, a moniker that was conferred upon me long ago.

I need this win, Tyler.  I need it more than you can ever possibly imagine.  So prepare for hell to rain down upon you on Supreme Saturday.  Both you and I will be engulfed in the flames of war but only one of us will emerge victorious as the United States Champion…

…and that person will be The Phoenix, who yet again rises from the flame, only this time with her first taste of SCW gold.

Supreme Saturday is aptly named “Just Desserts” because on this night I will be judged and I will get my “just desserts.”  That’s why I’m so anxious.  I’ll admit it, I am anxious, but anxious in a good way because I know I need this as part of my redemption.  So this Saturday, either my Just Desserts will be claiming the United States Championship…

…or coming up just short, and having to once again go back to the drawing board.  But I’m fired up, Tyler, I am fired up and I am ready for my day of judgment, I am ready for my just desserts, and I am ready to become SCW United States Champion.