Growing up, there was never any doubt in Aaron Helms’ mind over whether he wanted children; even from being a young teen, he bought into the notion of the nuclear family, the mom dad and children and given his Italian heritage, family was drilled into his mind as being important from a very early age too. And perhaps it was simply because his own parents were taken from him when he was young, that losing his own family had reminded him how important that family unit was and losing his grandmother a few short years later only reaffirmed that fact, but the only question in his mind was what kind of father he would be when he had children, not whether he would have them at all. He wondered whether he would grow up to be like his own dad, a strong father who would do anything for his children…he hoped he would at any rate; his dad, constantly tired from busting his backside to bring home the bacon so that his wife didn’t need to work, had never shirked his duty as a father, he had never said he didn’t have the time for Aaron and never ducked out on promises that he’d made. He was the greatest father Aaron could have ever asked for, better even, and if Aaron turned out to be half the father his own father was then he’d be happy… but Aaron also thought that family would only happen when he was ready for it. He imagined being married, settled down in his own home, a proper family if such a word could be used. That was a sign of the times, he had to grudgingly concede; it was the way things were now, one night stands and casual hook-ups, irresponsibly behaviour where preventative measures were concerned. It wasn’t just about children being born out of wedlock, that was the choice of the potential parents and Aaron had no issue with that what so ever, but… well, the fact that the term ‘baby daddy’ had been coined and the amount of cases that had to go to court because someone wasn’t paying for child support, it spoke volumes about the state of the country and that picture hadn’t even remotely resembled the one in his mind.
And yet, when Kathryn and David sat him down to explain what the hell was going on with Scarlett, that was more or less the position he was in…
Okay, so Kathryn had explained that Scarlett had only left him because she wasn’t in her right mind and she panicked, so it wasn’t as if Aaron had intentionally cut and run the minute he discovered he’d got someone pregnant… but the teenager from New Jersey still couldn’t avoid the feeling that he had failed himself, had failed the values his parents had instilled in him. He wanted to emulate the example his father had set him and yet here he was, having only learned he was to be a father the previous day, only nineteen years old, didn’t own his own home and technically speaking, wasn’t even with the mother! He was disappointed in himself basically, and he was ashamed to think what his own parents would say if this had happened to him and they were still alive. That made the whole thing more difficult, because David and Regan had both been fantastically supportive about the whole thing! He wanted Dave to chastise him… not wanted him to, that wasn’t the right way to phrase it, but he expected it and it was a strange feeling not to hear either of his parents giving him hell for being so careless.
Accidents happened, Aaron was well aware of that, but he was normally so careful and his precautions were already on top of what Scarlett had in place… birth control was supposed to ensure pregnancy didn’t happen and Aaron always wore a condom just to be on the safe side, so while he could easily understand why Scarlett would panic like she had, he wished that she had told him the truth because at least that way they could be confused as all fuck together! That was what made it so bad for Aaron; the two of them could have consoled one another, could have relied on one another and been the shoulder to cry on for other and instead they had gone through hell because Scarlett’s gut instinct was to run… that should have set off the alarm bells ringing in a way because if that’s how she handled pressure, what would she be like down the line when they did have a screaming baby who wouldn’t feed or whatever. And he felt guilty for thinking that, but he also knew that if they were going to be parents, it may end up with her doing the majority of the parenting so to speak. It wasn’t that he believed it was the woman’s job or anything like that, far from it in fact; despite having very little time to process the whole thing, he was more than prepared to do his fair share of diaper changes and night feeds and anything else required of him… but he also knew that they’d need money and for that, one of them needed to work! Would he have to give up his career, that was the question that was flashing so brightly in his mind as he sat watching the clock waiting for Kathryn to turn up with Scarlett in tow; he would if he had to, but… well, if they were going to bring a child into the world, they needed as much money as possible and realistically neither of them were going to find a job elsewhere that paid better than what Aaron was making in SCW.
“Hey kiddo, how you feeling?” a voice said out of the silence and Aaron looked up to see Regan walking into the lounge carrying a mug of tea in each hand, one of which was thrust out to him and he took it from her, not really aware of what he was doing. “I nearly brought a couple of beers in but I figured it probably wasn’t a great idea for you to be drinking this early in the day, especially under the circumstances,” she said as she placed her mug down on the side table and settled down into the comfy chair perpendicular to the couch where Aaron had been lost in a world of his own for almost two hours until Regan arrived to break the silence. “We’ve been wondering whether we should come in here and see how you’re doing for probably forty minutes but Dave said we should probably give you some space. But I’m English and in England a cup of tea solves everything so I figured I’d make you one. Drink up while it’s still hot,” she added and Aaron actually managed a smile as he pulled his head out of the clouds and sat up a little straighter in order to take a sip from the drink. He nearly splashed half of it down himself he was so shaky but he managed to take a swig from the mug and whether it was just the fact that the boiling hot drink was scolding his throat the entire way down or whether it actually was doing him some good as it slid down, he actually felt a little more with it as he put the mug down on the table by the side of the couch and let out a sigh.
“Do you think I should change?” Aaron said, not actually sure why that was the first comment to come out of his mouth; he was looking down at his clothes, jeans and a t-shirt and suddenly it didn’t feel right, he should be wearing something more formal, more fitting for the situation. “I should put on a shirt, right? Button up, something smart… I’m gonna change,” he said, starting to push himself up from the couch but Regan sat up a little straighter and held her hands up to slow him down.
“Woah, woah, woah, just calm down okay?” she said soothingly, as Aaron slumped back into his seat and let his head lean back against the couch cushions. “I know you’re stressing over this and I know it’s a lot to take in but stop overthinking everything, alright? Do you really think Scarlett is going to give a damn about what you’re wearing when she gets here? No kiddo, she’s going to be wondering if you’re going to hate her for leaving, whether she’ll burst into tears if you hug her… just take a minute to calm down and you’ll be fine,” she finished as Aaron took a couple of deep breaths and nodded his head.
“I’m scared Regs,” the teenager finally said as he looked at his adoptive mother, worry clearly etched across his face.
“And I get it,” Regan quickly replied, nodding her head. “Anyone in your situation would be scared like you are, but that doesn’t mean you have to lose it, does it?”
“I guess,” Aaron mumbled, his head dropping again as he stared as his feet on the floor in front of him. “I just… I…” he stammered, struggling to get his words out before he finally looked back up at Regan and forced them out. “I feel guilty as hell for saying this Regan, but we’re too young for this…”
Regan sat there quietly as Aaron looked at her pleadingly, clearly hoping that she had the answer that he was unable to find. And she felt for him, she really did; she could only imagine how he felt, having this dropped on him the way it had been, especially in this period of his career, about to end his rookie year with a world title shot in a few days time in Canada… but none of that altered the fact that she also couldn’t help but feel sorry for Scarlett who had probably had an even tougher time dealing with everything going through her mind and she was also mindful of the fact that she had to play the part of concerned parent in this whole mess. “Well,” she said, weighing up her words carefully as she leant forward in her seat and crossed her arms across her knees. “I guess that’s a bridge you’re going to have to cross at some point, but for now you have to figure out what it is you want to do. I’m not one to tell you what to do Aaron, but just remember that you have options that you can both take… and no matter what you do decide, me and Dave will be there to support you as much as we can, so remember that okay?”Aaron took a deep breath and just nodded his head; it wasn’t as if he’d expected Regan to have the answers to the problems or tell him what to do, he wasn’t expecting her to full on fairy god mother it up and wave a magic wand that just fixed everything… he just felt like he needed to be able to say how he was truly feeling without being judged and he knew that saying that to Scarlett wasn’t going to be a good move what so ever. “You’re talking about an abortion, right?” Aaron said, feeling dirty for even saying the word.
Regan’s face remained completely impassive, her poker-face on point as she delicately picked her words in response, knowing how sensitive that particular subject was. “I’m not suggesting anything at all kiddo, I’m just saying that there’s a world of options and today is the day to discuss those,” she said calmly, doing her best to not make it seem like she was telling him to do anything when she knew the whole thing had to be decided by Aaron and Scarlett, not outside forces. “I’m going to go out on a limb and say that I assume you and Scarlett will be getting back together and that she’ll probably be coming home tonight… but there’s a lot to talk about on top of that and it’s going to be a serious conversation for sure, so try not to get carried away before she’s even here, alright? Drink your tea and I’ll fix us all something to eat. Relax, process everything, kay?” she finished as she stood up and Aaron just nodded his head before watching Regan leave the room, pausing only to pat him on the shoulder before she left. It wasn’t as if he needed reminding that this was going to be a tough conversation and that they’d have to talk about a lot of uneasy things, but it had been comforting in a way to know that the people in his life were there to support him rather than tell him what to do and point out how dumb he’d been.
Aaron made a conscious decision to stop watching the clock tick by after Regan left the room; the three sat down to eat lunch – grilled cheese sandwiches, comfort food regardless of your age – and he threw himself into tidying the old guest house for the next couple of hours, more as a distraction than anything, but if Scarlett was coming home, he wanted her to come back to a tidy one, not the mess it had been until he got to work. He cleaned up the trash, hoovered, changed the sheets, did the dishes and even threw in some laundry before it was time to clean himself up before Scarlett and Kath got there. He showered and dressed, wearing a shirt after all, before heading back into the main building just in time for the doorbell to ring. He froze in the kitchen, suddenly unable to move his feet as he heard David 
opening the door to let Kath, little Jason and Scarlett into the house. He had to physically drag his foot from the floor and each step made it feel like his sneakers were packed with lead, heavy weights dragging him down with each step but he made the journey across the kitchen to stand in the doorway of the entrance hall and as the front door came into view, Scarlett looked up to see Aaron and the next thing he knew, her arms were wrapped around him and she was crying into his chest. “I’m so sorry Aaron, I’ve been such a damn fool,” she said through sobs, tears streaming down her face and into the cotton of his shirt and Aaron wrapped his arms tightly around Scarlett, clutching her to his chest like he never wanted to let go ever again. “I shouldn’t have… I should… I’m so sorry,” she repeated, barely managing to talk through the sobs, damn near having a breakdown in his arms but Aaron didn’t need the apology, the fact that she was in his arms, that she was back home and clearly missed him was all that he needed.
“You don’t ever have to apologise babe,” Aaron reassured her, wishing he could hold her tighter still but also feared that it was a bad idea in her condition. “I’m just glad you’re home, I really am… you are home, right? I mean, this isn’t just a visit, you are coming back for good?” he asked, more than a hint of pleading in his voice as he spoke.
Scarlett parted from Aaron’s arms slightly, looking up into his face with tears in her eyes, a meek expression sat on her face. “I didn’t… I didn’t want to just presume that you’d want me back after everything I’ve put you through,” she replied as David, Regan and Kathryn stood awkwardly by the door before David nudged Kath and the trio, along with little Jason, headed outside to give the young parents to be some space.
“Are you fucking kidding?” Aaron said, shocked that Scarlett could think that. “Babe, I’ve been lost since I came home and found that letter… of course I want you to come home!”
Scarlett gave a weak smile as Aaron simply leant forward and kissed her on the forehead before holding her tightly again and she nestled her head in against his chest once again as she replied. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing I’ve got the few things I took with me when I left in a bag in the car then, huh?” she said with a strangled laugh that came out as half a sob with the chuckle and Aaron let out a laugh of his own, any tension that had run through his mind over the last twenty four hours simply vanishing as he led Scarlett into the kitchen.
“You want a drink?” he asked, about to suggest coffee before thinking twice about it. “I guess coffee’s off the menu from now on, huh? I can do tea? Juice? Water?” he said, stammering his way through suggestions because he was still a little unsure how to act around Scarlett but the New Orleans born young woman simply smiled and shrugged.
“I guess so,” she said nervously. “Tea would be good though,” she added as she sat down at the kitchen table and watched at Aaron put the kettle onto the stove and lit the burner beneath it. “So I suppose we have a lot to talk about, huh?” Scarlett said and Aaron nodded solemnly, not really sure how or where to begin. “I just wish I knew how. I mean, I’m on birth control and you always wear a, you know, you always wrap up… how the hell did this happen, Aaron?”
“Dumb luck I guess,” the New Jersey native replied, shrugging.
“It could only happen to us!” Scarlett said, frowning. “What about those skanks who go out and sleep with whoever they want and get away with it?! We take responsibility, make sure we use every precaution, and… well…” she finished, leaving the words hanging in the air as she rubbed her stomach with one hand, all be it somewhat nervously like the idea still hadn’t sunk in yet and Aaron nodded his head emphatically as the kettle began to whistle and he took it off the heat to make Scarlett a drink.
“Here you go,” Aaron said thirty seconds later as he placed the mug down in front of her on the kitchen table and took a seat across from her. “Milk and one sugar, just how you like it…”
“Wonder if that’s how I’ll take it in a few months time,” Scarlett mused as she cradled the mug between her hands, staring down at the golden liquid. “Cravings and stuff; your taste buds are supposed to change pretty drastically, so I’ll hate stuff I used to love and love stuff I once hated… that’s a weird thought,” she went on, though she would be the first to admit that she was talking for the sake of talking in that moment because things were still slightly awkward between the two of them.
“Who knows,” Aaron replied. “I mean, I can’t exactly imagine you suddenly liking the taste of banana, but I couldn’t imagine us being in this situation a few days ago either, so what the fuck do I know?” he went on, smiling weakly again, trying to break the awkward tension some more. “I mean… that’s assuming you want to keep the baby. You do want to keep it, right?”
Scarlett’s eyes widened at the suggestion and panic was written across her face; it was obvious to Aaron in that moment that the thought of not keeping the child hadn’t even crossed her mind. “I mean… you think we should keep it, right?” she asked, nervously, looking a little scared over what the answer would be.
Aaron was equally as nervous as Scarlett was as she asked that question and he turned his attention to his own drink just as a way of delaying the answer; Aaron was entirely pro-choice and it wasn’t his place to say what Scarlett should or shouldn’t do… but as much as he wanted to say that he hadn’t even considered whether an abortion was the answer, he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t considered it. From the moment Regan hinted at the option being available to them, despite his initial reaction of fear over the notion, Aaron had at least wondered whether it was the answer… but the more he thought about it, the more he realised that unless Scarlett wanted to go down that route, he wanted nothing to do with it. “I’ve thought about it…” Aaron finally said, looking back up from his drink. “But I came to the conclusion that unless you were adamant that you wanted to get an abortion, I wouldn’t even want to consider it. But if you do think we should consider it as an option then I’m open to--”
“No!” Scarlett said enthusiastically, her hands instinctively finding their way to her belly as she spoke, not even realising she had done so as she practically hugged the baby through her skin. “I don’t want that, I… I don’t want to even consider that!” she added for emphasis, leaving Aaron under no uncertainty over how she felt on the matter. “I couldn’t go through that, even if we didn’t think we could keep it… I couldn’t kill our unborn child, I’d want to consider adoption first, but…” Scarlett said, pausing before taking a deep breath and soldiering on. “Well, I don’t know about you, but… I want to keep it. I’m scared, I am, but… I think we can give him or her an incredibly loving home, even if… even if we do have to make a load of sacrifices to do so…”
“People are probably going to tell us we’re too young,” Aaron said, trying to make sure they both really did understand what they were thinking about doing; it wasn’t a decision they could make lightly, because this was going to be something that changed their lives entirely and they had to be realistic about their choice, one hundred percent happy with it. “We can’t even legally drink yet, we live in the guest house of someone else’s place and I make decent money but not amazing… there’ll be times where it’s tough for us, so we need to be ready for that.”
Listening to Aaron’s warning, a faint smile spread across her face. “I think we can do it with what you make,” Scarlett said supportively, actually catching Aaron a little by surprise at how sure she sounded in herself. “But… well, I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I don’t thing mom would let us go without either, even if I’m sure my dad will be crazy mad about me getting pregnant so young. And you say that we only live in Dave and Regan’s guest house, but I don’t see that as a bad thing, because it means we can actually save money for when little bubba does come along… we’ve no rent to pay, not utilities, we can buy the cot and stockpile things like diapers and everything else we’d need, we’d just need to cut back a little on the things we normally don’t think twice about…”
“Less eating out, less take out… I can trade the car in for something more economical,” Aaron suggested, actually starting to get excited about the prospect – though he probably wouldn’t feel so excited when he did trade the car in, especially if he went from his Chevrolet to something like a Prius! – of being a parent, about cementing their future… about being a father. “Jesus, we’re really going to do this aren’t we?” he said as he reached out and took Scarlett’s hands in his own, gripping them tightly as she grinned at him.
“Yeah,” she said, nervously but Aaron could see excitement in her face as she nodded. “We really are,” she added, biting her lower lip out of nerves but the look she was giving Aaron was nothing but love. This was it, they really were going to make the huge jump forward together by having this baby; at nineteen and twenty respectively, Aaron and Scarlett were going to become parents, they were going to be starting a family of their very own and while it scared the crap out of Aaron, he was also super excited for the future. It was funny how much he’d gone from one extreme to the other over the course of one day; as he’d woken up that morning he was panicking about the future because of how uncertain it was, how daunting it was… and now that uncertainty and the fear of becoming a father, it was actually filling him with a deep sense of pride. Okay, perhaps they were too young, but they definitely weren’t the first couple that were caught out so young and they wouldn’t be the last… and at the end of the day, age was only a number, the fact they were young didn’t mean they couldn’t be great parents! Aaron had not one father but two to live up to and he had learned from both the men he had called dad in his life… and if he could be half the man either of them was then he would be proud of himself!
“Oh fuck,” a voice said from the doorway that caused both Aaron and Scarlett to jump in their seats as they snapped their heads towards the door that lead off into the hall… only they couldn’t see the hallway because the doorway was filled with the figured of David, Regan and Kathryn, who held Jason in her hands. It was David who had spoken, and he had a look on his face that was haunting, he looked horrified as Regan and Kathryn both glanced in his direction. “I just realised something,” David went on, the trio clearly having heard everything that Scarlett and Aaron had said for the past few minutes. “I’m going to be a grandad… I’m thirty six and I’m going to be a fucking grandad,” he said, terror etched across his face as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger while everybody else burst out laughing at his predicament. David Helms, the thirty six year old man with a nineteen year old son who was about to have a child of his own… the horror of it all! Regan, still laughing at her husband, shook her head before reaching up and kissing David on the cheek and ruffling his hair playfully, which only helped to annoy the elder New Jersey native more as he frowned further, causing creases to appear in the corners of his eyes and on the bridge of his nose.
“Guess I’d better get used to this, huh?” Aaron asked and again, everyone laughed at the joke… but as much as it was supposed to be a joke, there was a truth to it too. This was his future; several years down the line for sure, but his future none the less. David and Kathryn, Regan too, they had been amazing parents to Jason, he’d grown into a great little guy and Aaron loved spending time with the little guy. But it would be his turn soon, it would be him who would be bringing up a little guy or a little girl, trying to be the best parent he could. And looking at everyone in the room, looking around at the faces watching him and Scarlett, he knew they would have the best support structure possible… but he was also confident in himself and Scarlett, that they could do this. It was daunting… but they could do it….
[Rec]
AJ HELMS: “So… Retribution was one hell of a fucking show, huh? Seriously bro, how fucking surprising was this damn show?! It had everything; unpredictable outcomes from matches, big shocks and twists, backstabbing, phenomenal wrestling, two rings… fuck dude, I just don’t even know how to describe how huge a night we had as a company in Texas a week or so ago! And I haven’t even mentioned the finals of Shot of Adrenaline yet, because as much as I’d like to think that it stole the show, I’d be lying to myself as much as I would be each and every one of you guys, because how can anything steal the spotlight from the Tactical Warfare match or that main event?! And that’s where the ‘unpredictable outcomes’ and ‘backstabbing’ parts come into play bro, because who the fuck saw The B&B Experience walking out victorious in San Antonio? I’ll hold my hands up and say I didn’t; as much as I know what Blake Mason and Bree Lancaster are capable of, I was convinced that Kelcey Wallace would get her revenge that night, that Kels and Selena would be too formidable a team for them to lose… but it just goes to show that one mistake can change an entire outcome man, because Selena sure as fuck didn’t mean to hit Kelcey with that kick, but it was a game changer! And what about Dante McCaffrey, huh?! Fuck, it nearly blew my damn mind when I watched him turn on the rest of PUNK HAZARD during the Tactical Warfare match… and you have to wonder if PUNK HAZARD are even going to recover from that, because their entire ethos has been built around how tight they are as a ‘unit’… not a gang folks, let’s be clear on that; wouldn’t want anyone getting their panties in a twist would we? Seriously though, after the shock of Dante stabbing her in the back, it sounds like Alexis is fucking broken and Grundy is already gone after requesting release from his contract… couple that shit with the fact that PUNK HAZARD got their asses whooped by the SCW team? They could be done, bro… and I think SCW will be better for that as a result if they are, but shit, even I felt sorry for Quinne when I saw the look on her face and you know my view on that chick!”
AJ shakes his head sadly before waving a hand in the direction of the camera as if to brush the topic aside.
AJ HELMS: “But even with those events transpiring, we did have the culmination of the Shot of Adrenaline tournament and fuck man, I never in my wildest dreams expected to make it to the actual final that night. I mean, Ace Marshall?! Me, beating him?! This is a guy who has been in the main event picture for months now, a guy who walked back into the company with his reputation pretty much in tatters thanks to his previous runs and a guy who just blew that fucking reputation away by proving he was one of the hardest working dudes in the business! Okay, he pisses people off but fuck man, you can’t say he doesn’t work for it, you know?! And I somehow beat him… we put on a hell of a match and somehow, I hit the New Jersey Neckbreaker and picked up the victory. Yeah, not gonna lie bro, that was a huge fucking victory for me in terms of motivation; sure, I lost in the final when Amy got me again, but just making it to the final, watching some of the names who went out and knowing I got through? Damn dude, I’m fucking proud of what I achieved in this tournament and while I didn’t win the thing, it’s given me that extra kick up the ass I’ve needed to make sure I do everything in my power to try and make this year the year of AJ Helms! I wasn’t ever in Shot of Adrenaline for the gold at the end of the adrenaline-forged rainbow, I was in that thing because I want to prove myself. I want to shock people, I want to prove my doubters wrong, I want to continue to pull off upsets and prove I belong here and despite failing at the final hurdle to a woman who is an exceptional fucking talent, I think I went a long way to doing that! And Amy? I know I said it already on twitter, but congratulations doll, you really kicked ass in this thing too and you deserved to kick mine in the final, regardless of what a psychotic stalker may or may not have said about it on twitter in the days following. You got me Chastaine, two-one to you… but I’ll be ready for the next one!”
AJ smirks a little as he winks into the camera before taking a deep breath to comtinue, his tone a little more sombre.
AJ HELMS: “The downside to me being part of the Shot of Adrenaline tournament though, is that I can’t help thinking that I let my tag partner down somewhat… and no, I don’t mean that I lost and that he must be ashamed of me and shit; I know that’s not the case, he already told me… what I mean is, we’re the fucking tag champs right now, you know? It’s a weird double edged sword because obviously I wanted to do as well as I could once I was included in the Shot of Adrenaline tournament, but at the same time making it to the finals meant that unless SCW allowed me to compete a potential three times at Retribution, there was no way that I could defend the SCW World Tag Team titles with Shaun at that show, and those belts deserve to be defended! And what made that worse was the fact that Shaun then got lumbered with the woman that’s been driving me fucking insane for the last six months as a partner for the night, Lexi Von Aaron. I can only apologise to Shaun for that, he shouldn’t have to get mixed up in this mess that’s been going on for the last few months; I know that SCW front office didn’t take into consideration that we may be tag champs when they decided to include me in Shot of Adrenaline but when we won those belts, on the third time of trying no less, it made things more complicated because I knew that our reign would begin with me having business to take care of elsewhere and that would make things a little difficult for us moving forward… but then again, that’s no different to our opponents tonight when you think of their career over the last couple of years. And I mean no disrespect to either Angelica or Kayla with this because I sure as fuck do respect the legacy that The Sisterhood have built for themselves over the years, but that doesn’t mean I have to ignore large pieces of information or ignore facts when filming this video either!”
AJ HELMS: “You see bro, I may only have a year of experience under my belt at this point, but I’ve been a professional wrestling fan for years, and it’s funny how watching the business from the outside point of view gives you an amazing insight into things when you step into the ring too. I mean, it goes without saying that as fans you never really get the same inclusive view that you get when you’re part of the business, but… well, as a fan who watches as many of the products put out there as possible, you do get to see who works for what company and why, and that’s the key point I’m making here guys, because The Sisterhood can say what they want about how they’ve been forced to wait for their shots, and that they’ve beaten everyone and gotten nothing for it and whatever else they want to say to justify why they should have received this shot a long time ago, but I’m going to flat out say that it doesn’t help their cause when they dash off to another company to chase their tag titles when the SCW one’s don’t fall into their laps. But it goes further than that, because again as much as I respect The Sisterhood, I can’t be the only one who remembers that they actually rage quit being a team when they didn’t win the belts once upon a time? And I’m not one to hold shit like that against someone, we all lose faith at times and we make mistakes… but when you’ve got a team that have literally been complaining for months about not getting a shot, that have consistently told the world that they are the best team in not one but two companies and failed to back it up, a team who split up because they failed to capture the gold, then criticising us because of the name we picked for our team? Fuck my life, is that what things have come to, huh?”
AJ shakes his head, sighing.
AJ HELMS: “Look guys, I know about the Jones family, I know about the legacy and how much they’ve achieved. I even know about how successful Angelica and Kayla have been as a team, how many reigns they’ve had as tag champs in various companies, including this one… but let’s face it guys, these two woman only give a crap about the titles when they remember to! They’re not going to like that; Angelica and Kayla aren’t going to like hearing that and if I only add more fuel to that fire that’s lit under them then so be it, but me and Shaun aren’t the one’s running around multiple companies promoting the opposition! And I get the irony, given my own dad is the GM of one of those places, and I don’t actually remember the last time The Sisterhood actually wrestled for that particular product – probably the last time they tried and failed to beat Angelica’s own daughter for their tag team championships, whenever that was – but you see Kayla spending more time promoting GCW, especially during her World title run a few weeks ago, than you do either of them talking about Supreme Championship Wrestling! Meanwhile, I debuted in this company fifteen months ago, and I have worked for this company and this company alone! I’ve bust my ass every week to be the best I can be in every match, Shaun and me have bust our asses to be the best team we can be and after the third time of trying we finally managed to claim the SCW world tag team championships and then we have to listen to a team tell us they’re going to kick our teeth down our throat?! Fuck that man, fuck that. Shaun would probably tell me to calm down if he were here right now, he’d want me to cut out some of this stuff, but when Kayla herself is complaining that we called them arrogant the last time we faced and then they go on to tell us that we’re not focused?! I don’t know if that’s hypocrisy or just irony but either way I find it fucking hilarious, I really do!”
AJ HELMS: “I’m not going to talk about Retribution, I’m bigger than that and we all know that Lexi had a hand full of tights when she scored that pin, but even if she didn’t, it wasn’t Honour Code that these two ladies faced that night. It had half of Honour Code in the match, but unlike how they thought it was funny to call Shaun and Lexi the team of Honour Code Lite, I can say now that this is going to be a very fucking different match to what they experienced at Retribution. And while I’m confident I can ignore the annoyance that is Lexi Von Aaron during out match, the question I want to ask is whether they can. And don’t even get me started on the whole ‘heart’ or ‘passion’ or ‘drive’ or ‘perseverance’ B.S because last I checked, The Sisterhood didn’t have exclusive rights to point out that they’re determined and stubborn! I sympathise that Kayla had to come back from a broken neck earlier in her career, I even applaud her for competing at the level she currently competes at given the severity of her previous injuries, but I’ve only been doing this for a year and change and I’ve already had my own share of career-threatening injuries to recover from! Shaun actually retired at one point through injury and had to battle back to full fitness in order to reach the point where Honour Code are your SCW world tag team champions!”
AJ turns, running hands through his hair as he attempts to cool down before he goes to far. Eventually, he turns his attention back to the camera to speak for the final time.
AJ HELMS: “Look ladies, I don’t want to distract from what this is really about, I don’t want to let my emotions get the better of me. What this should be about is the champions facing the number one contenders and yes, I can freely admit that you have beaten everybody but us in the lead up to this match, that you deserve to be in the position that you’re in… but at the same time, there’s a reason that we’re where we are right now, and that’s because like you, we chose not to give up either! We beat nearly every damn team in that tag team scramble match, we were in that ring for forty five minutes before Blake and Bree came out as the final team and beat us… and that pissed me off man, it made me angry as all fuck, but it also motivated me. And that resentment towards the B&B Experience, it gave us what we needed to get the job done and win these belts, it gave us the motivation to defend them against Blake and Bree on the first show after and it’s going to continue to motivate me, motivate us in every title defence to come because I look at Shaun and me as a team, I see a Cruze and a Helms and I have to wonder why we can’t go on to become one of the best teams this company has ever seen… and I don’t want to run before we can walk, but we’ve held these belts for almost two months already and while I wouldn’t dream of comparing us to teams like Dark Fantasy or Next Level, Standing Room Only or any of the greats in this division, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have half an eye on trying to break that record held by Dark Fantasy… but that’s by the by in the grand scheme of things because the important thing in this business is to do the job that’s in front of you and that means that tomorrow night, Shaun and me, we have to go out there and face the team of Angelica and Kayla Jones, The Sisterhood. And while I’m not going to threaten to forcibly propel any particular body parts in a specific trajectory, I will say this. Kayla, Angelica… you might win. You might beat us, you might be the better team tomorrow night and if that happens than afterwards you’ll get a congratulations and a hand shake from me and we’ll leave you to celebrate. But remember that there’s a flipside to that; you may lose too. You may go out there and find that Shaun and me have improved since the last time we faced, that we have grown as a team like you claimed to have done. And you can bet your bottom dollar that we are going to throw everything we can at you to retain these titles and when all’s said and done, we’ll see who the best team truly is. This is your chance to shine ladies… but it’s our chance too, and you want what we have and that makes you dangerous, but us? We have what we want and have no intention of giving it up… that makes us just as deadly and I hope you remember that. See you both tomorrow. BANG!”
[/Rec]
