The last couple of weeks had been emotionally draining and especially trying for Aaron Helms. It wasn’t simply because he was a new father who had had to learn quickly just how exhausting it was to have a newborn child in the house, in fact if anything the fact that Elysia was now home had made that side of things entirely worth it for the twenty year old and his twenty one year old girlfriend Scarlett. Yes, it was draining for the pair of them and Aaron wasn’t exactly sure he even remembered what sleep was anymore… but to be able to hold her in his arms, to feed his daughter or play with her, to just watch her sleeping, it made the whole thing mean something and he wouldn’t change that for the world, not even for a bank balance as large as the President’s! But with how fatigued he was just from his home life, the thing that Aaron had struggled with most was realizing just how tiring his professional life was too. He knew how tiring wrestling was in general, obviously; he had been doing it for almost two years now and if you hadn’t noticed how tiring your profession was by that point, you probably never would. But home life had always been about relaxing, it was about time away from what was tiring and Aaron was now struggling because of that. It was ironic, that the hustle and bustle of travelling was kind of his relaxation time now… time spent sat on a plane or in the back of a cab, even a night’s sleep in whatever hotel he was in before the next show the following day. Those things which had once been a nuisance, they were now times that he had to cherish and he struggled to adjust to that.

There was also the fact that his work life had impacted greatly on his private life, given that he still hadn’t managed to show a certain Bostonian ass-hat – one not known as Matty Stone that is – how it was a mistake to play around with his life. He hadn’t factored into things, just how horrible some people could be, and when he’d found out that Blake Mason was responsible for him being torn away from his newborn child the same day that they had brought her home from the hospital, he swore that he would teach the arrogant pretentious douche bag a thing or two about why it was a bad idea to play around with people’s lives! He still hadn’t done that. Oh sure, he had been one of the lumberjacks for that tag match the very same night that he discovered Blake was responsible for that phone call that dragged him to Toronto, and he had even managed to catch Blake blindsided four days earlier and get some good shots in before security managed to get between them… but that wasn’t enough. Aaron wasn’t happy with a couple of good right hands, he didn’t even draw blood for christ’s sake. And he had a suspicion that even bleeding Blake out wouldn’t teach the lesson he wanted to impart on the older, far more arrogant co-worker. Aaron wanted him in the ring. And he wanted him there in something that mattered. And that was something he would have an opportunity for at the upcoming pay per view, but that still felt like too far away, even if in reality it was one week to the day…

Aaron had felt a modicum of guilt, the way he had jumped the barriers and attacked Blake the way he had, though. Not for doing it. No, he would do it again every single time if he had the opportunity to, and he wasn’t worried about what the fans thought either, he knew they’d understand his frustration and why it was the right thing to do once they found out why he had resorted to Blake’s level in order to hammer home his point. No, Aaron felt guilty because his chance for revenge had come at the expense of Amy Chastaine, someone he respected greatly, because he had attacked Blake Mason from behind just as she was making her way down to the ring in order to confront him for what he had done to her recently, the truth coming out that he was responsible for her being sent to rehab by the Supreme Championship Wrestling board of directors. And Amy hadn’t been best pleased about him interfering like that either, not until she had found out why he had done it at any rate. But what was done was done, he couldn’t deny that. And in a strange way, it had led to an enormous opportunity for both him and Amy anyway, because the pair had been added to the chamber match at Under Attack, granting them both a shot at getting their hands on Blake inside of a structure impossible to escape from, but also a shot at the SCW World Heavyweight Championship. Aaron wasn’t sure which of those facts was more important than the other…

With the shows for that week now over, Aaron was already showered dressed and had his bags packed ready for the short flight from Utah back to LAX where he was only a short drive away from being able to kiss his girlfriend and child and not worry about going anywhere for a few days. Scarlett had called him just as he’d finished zipping up his bag, which he dropped on top of his case by the door and took a final look around the room to make sure he had everything packed as he slid his finger across the screen to answer the call. Checking the clock, he knew he had a good twenty minutes before he was due to meet Regan and Jason in the lobby of the hotel so they could travel together back to Ogden where they’d catch their flight home. Tommy had driven back to Ogden the previous night instead so it was literally just the three of them on this journey and Jason had a rental booked for ten thirty, but Aaron had been up and awake since a little after seven. Even when he was on the road, his sleep pattern was still set to the routine he had at home. Deciding to grab a coffee from the hotel bar downstairs, Aaron threw his bag over his shoulder – while holding his phone to his ear with his other hand to continue his conversation with Scarlett – and grabbed his case before exiting his room, happy that all his belongings were indeed packed in his bags. The elevator arrived with a ding and the doors opened to reveal an elderly couple who shuffled sideways to let him in and he thanked them with a smile before settling against the wall. As the car reached the ground floor, Aaron motioned for the couple of go ahead and he smiled as they thanked him before he followed suit and stepped out into the lobby, which was surprisingly busy considering the time on a Sunday morning. “Yeah, I was going a little stir-crazy in the room so I figured I’d grab a coffee and wait down here for them,” Aaron explained as the elevator doors slid shut behind him and he started to walk towards the bar. “I know babe, and I can’t wait to see you two either,” he replied when Scarlett told him his girls were looking forward to him coming home; his face had split into a huge grin at the mention of him coming home, this was the best feeling of the week, when he knew he was only a journey away from getting back to his family and he wanted to see them more than anything in the world… but the smile quickly slipped from his face as he happened to catch movement by the doors to the street outside from the corner of his eye and when he looked over, his jaw clenched tightly at the sight of the two people that he had been kept away from all week. “Listen Scar, I’m gonna call you back in a few minutes, okay?” he said through clenched teeth, not even waiting for her to answer as he ended the call and slid his phone into his pocket.

Aaron hadn’t even realized what he was doing until he was half way across the lobby. His bags were cast aside in the same unconscious decision to head in the direction of the man who had been the target of his contempt since the first show after Rise to Greatness and by the time he realized what he was doing, Aaron had already shoved Blake in the back, stumbling forward a little under the blow but not actually falling. Bree, who had been sat on a chair talking to her dog, looked up and scowled as she realized who had approached and Blake used the frame of the large glass picture windows to steady himself before turning around. “Ugh,” he said as he turned around to see who was responsible for his sudden stumble toward the windows and realized just who had shoved him. He started to speak, though he wasn’t really talking to anyway, more speaking to himself as he sighed heavily. “I must have done something terrible  in a past life to have to deal with this sort of thing on a regular basis,” he muttered in complete and total frustration. He wasn’t angry, at least he didn’t appear so; that was the thing about Blake Mason, he seemed to take everything on the chin in a very methodical way instead of letting emotions get the better of him and when he looked Aaron in the eyes, there wasn’t a hint of anger on his face, he simply seemed inconvenienced, as if the whole thing was a trivial nuisance… which only served to annoy Aaron even more! “What do you want AJ?” Blake asked, his voice dripping with contempt, but also boredom, as if he expected this to be a big waste of his time and wanted the thing to be over as quickly as possible. Aaron couldn’t believe that reaction, he couldn’t believe how Blake could even ask what he wanted, and the fact that he was blaming actions of a past life on why people hounded him now was just laughable to the twenty year old New Jersey native, his anger levels already rising above and beyond what they had been when he spotted Blake across the lobby from him.

“In a past life?!” Aaron asked, absolutely disgusted with Blake’s attitude. “Are you fucking shitting me?! How about all the countless things you’ve done in this one, Blake?!” he spat back at the Bostonian, ignoring Bree who rolled her eyes, deciding that she’d simply ignore Aaron instead of rising from her seat to address him. He obviously wasn’t worth her time or effort and she went back to fussing her stupid little dog.

Aaron ignored her too, it wasn’t really her he wanted to talk to anyway, it was the jackass in front of him and he glared at Blake as the older man responded. “Forgive me for not indulging your fantasies about the wrongs I’m supposed to have committed AJ, but I have neither the time or the inclination for this conversation,” he informed Aaron with all the interest that someone would normally afford to something which lived in the sewer. “We’re waiting on our car to be brought around and then we have a plane to catch so if you’ll excuse us…”

Trying to turn his attention away from the incensed New Jersey native, Blake went to grab the handle of his roller-case as he clearly intended to put an end to the conversation before it could get going. And Bree, noticing the movement, started to gather her own purse and her dog’s bag too, but Aaron instinctively kicked out a foot, sending the case rolling a foot or so away from Blake’s outstretched hand as he invaded the Bostonian’s personal space. “You can’t ignore me today Blake, not like you’ve managed since Vegas!” Aaron said scornfully, accusatorily even. Aaron knew that a large part of the reason that he had been unable to get anywhere near to Blake at the house shows was down to Mr. D arranged for security to keep them apart, but Blake had done a great job of hiding behind his own security too, or at least the security that had been hired to protect Bree anyway, and Aaron actually laughed at that fact, though it was more of a scoff if anything.

Only a sigh gave away the fact that Blake was growing irritated by the conversation as he took a step back from Aaron, not in intimidation but because he simply didn’t enjoy being that close to the twenty year old, before he simply shook his head in contempt. “I haven’t been avoiding you at all AJ,” he sat flatly, almost monotonously as if he found the whole conversation wearisome. “Drachewych has been keeping us apart all week, not me… he knows what would happen if you tried what you did in Vegas for a second time and clearly wanted to go above and beyond to protect you, just as you’ve been protected since the day you stepped foot in the company… the son of David Helms requires special attention, after all…”

“Bullshit!” Aaron spat back at him, his anger flaring again; he hated people suggesting that he had received preferential treatment because of who his parents were, though deep down he wondered if he hated it that so much because it was bullshit, or whether he hated it because there was a modicum of truth to the suggestion...

With a sigh, Blake turned his attention away from Aaron once again, showing just how little Aaron’s complaints matter to him as he looked through the picture window for a sign of their car and Bree, now standing with her dog’s carry bag now on the seat she had just vacated, followed suit.“Maybe you should call Stephen and see what the delay is, Babe?” She suggested to Blake, the pair of them with their backs to the twenty year old, as if he wasn’t even there. “The sooner they get here, the sooner we can leave. The lobby has taken a slight turn towards the… unclassy…”

“Oh stick it up your ass, Bree!” Aaron shouted a little louder than he’d intended and a couple of other hotel guests that had just walked into the lobby looked up in surprise before quickly looking away again.

Bree turned and looked at Aaron in disgust, clearly offended at the suggestion of anything being inserted into that particular orifice but it was Blake who actually rounded on Aaron on the defensive before Bree could even put a sentence together. “Don’t,” he started, his words more of a hiss. “Ever address her like that again, do you hear me?” he barked, practically an order as he looked at Aaron with cold in his eyes, an icy chill running through the words. Clearly he was aiming for intimidation, and Aaron had to give him points for trying… it was going to take more than that for him to hit that particular nail on the head though, with everything that was running through Aaron’s mind in that moment in time.

“Aww, did I touch a nerve Blake?” the youngest of the three asked sarcastically, actually laughing a little at the prospect and Blake’s face, while it had shown anger briefly the moment before, was back to the same level of neutrality, his voice sounding almost bored again as he replied.

“I’m simply giving you fair warning that I’m not going to tolerate you saying things about my girlfriend, boy,” he said, cool and collected and putting as much emphasis on the ‘boy’ remark as he could to add insult to injury. “We both know that she is far better than you and Scarlett will ever be, so how about you show some respect…”

Aaron couldn’t help actually laughing at the remarks, not just because he found the notion of respect funny, but that it was amusing to see Blake standing up for Bree that way. “That’s real rich Blake…” he said with a scoff, a humorless little laugh that clearly irritated Blake.  “Tell me bro, how many other women have you had to defend the honor of because they’ve spent more than sixty seconds around you and picked up a bed reputation because of it?”

“Ugh,” Bree said, turning away from the two men and walking back to the seating where she sat back down next to her dog, talking to herself rather than Blake or Aaron as she continued. “I hate it when we end up staying in the same hotel as the rest of the roster…”

Looking at Bree in disbelief, Aaron chose not to even go there and turned back to Blake and the whole point he’d marched over the lobby in the first place. “Did you actually think I’d just let it go after what you did to me, huh?” the twenty year old asked, resentment for Blake literally dripping off of every syllable. “You dragged me away from my daughter you arrogant fucking prick! We had just brought her home and you trolled me for nothing but your own amusement!”

“So what if I did?” Blake asked, a complete lack of any care whatsoever. “AJ, you need to realize a few things that daddy clearly hasn’t taught you yet… and they let this man actually train people, what an insane world we live in. Listen, you need to realize that life just isn’t fair and nice guys finish last! Look at me for example…” he added, pointing at himself for emphasis as if he actually needed to point out what he meant. “I’m not one to pander to people and yet I’m rich, I have a beautiful girlfriend that you could only dream of being with and next Sunday, I’m going to become the World Heavyweight champion. You on the other hand, had to be adopted before you saw anyone other than Washington Jefferson or Lincoln in your wallet… you even ended up knocking up that girl of yours at nineteen! What makes you think I should even give a damn about anything you have to say?”

His anger rising, Aaron stepped forward and got right into Blake’s face. “You think any of that shit matters, Blake?” he asked, grabbing the front of Blake’s shirt and scrunching his fist, so that the whole think tautened on Blake’s body. He briefly tried to struggle free but Aaron’s grip was tight and Blake worried about the shirt ripping. “See this?” Aaron asked, shaking his hand for emphasis. “Your shirt probably costs more than everything I’m wearing right now, but if I pulled any harder it would rip just as easily as if you bought it from Wallmart! Money didn’t stop me from punching you on Wednesday and it isn’t stopping me from giving you crap right now, is it?! As for you walking out of that thing next week as the champ, if you think I’m going to let--”

Clenching his teeth, Blake half-shoved Aaron away and half pulled himself free of Aaron’s grasp, and there was a brief sound of stitching straining under the tension before Blake was free. A smirk spread across Blake’s face as Aaron glared at him; he was on the edge of laughing and that only served to annoy Aaron even more! “Let me? Let me?” he asked, heavy emphasis on the word ‘let’ as he let out a big single laugh. “AJ, you have no more say over what happens next week than we have say over whether the sun rises in the morning! Say whatever you want, but the result is academic… now I’m going to ask you one more time to leave us the hell alone!”

“Or what, Blake?” Aaron asked, his whole body poised for a fight now. Adrenaline was flowing and he actually wanted this to go the distance, because here there was nobody to pull him away or get between them! “What you going to do if I don’t, huh?!” he asked, prodding Blake in the chest for emphasis.

It clearly wasn’t working. Nothing Aaron was saying was cracking Blake’s calm and collected exterior and that only served to anger Aaron even further. “Nothing,” Blake casually said with a shrug. “I don’t intend to embarrass myself in public like you clearly have no problem doing...” he said, turning to look at Bree, shaking his head sadly. “Some people clearly have no shame what so ever…”

“Or class…” Bree added helpfully with a smile that made Aaron want to kiss her teeth out right there and then.

Aaron’s teeth ground together in anger as he turned back to Blake and prodded him in the chest again. “Do you even hear yourself, Blake?!” he asked, his anger boiling over as Blake rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Do you have any idea how fucking pathetic you sound, talking about people having no shame when you don’t even know the meaning of the word?!” he said, no doubt about the validity of the point. Blake couldn’t be capable of feeling shame, he couldn’t, not when he had done some of the things he was guilty of! “You Blake, you… the man who paid to have a dead man’s twitter account hacked… the man who attacked a sixteen year old boy on live television… who bought the rights to the Rise to Greatness pre-show just--”

“Bree-show…” Bree added helpfully again, getting a smirk as she saw a spasm of annoyance flicker across Aaron’s face but he ignored her point and went on as if she hadn’t even said anything.

“--just so you could play at being at being a booking god!” he spat at Blake, prodding him for emphasis, every other word. “You, the guy who was behind those photos of Amy being delivered to the board when you know full well that she hadn’t touched a drop in weeks after that night! You’re the asshole who paid someone in the office to drag me all the way from California the same day we brought Elysia home from the hospital! And you want to talk to me about people not knowing the meaning of the word shame?! I don’t know how you fucking dare!” he yelled, his anger now completely in control, he wasn’t thinking straight at all, he wanted Blake to show some sign of being ashamed of the things he had done… and there was more chance of Trump suddenly realizing what a megalomaniac he was than that happening!

And the smile on Blake’s face only added to Aaron’s annoyance, the grin which sat there made it seem like Aaron was listing off Blake’s greatest achievements rather than his worst crimes! “And you listing the things I’ve done recently is supposed to… what?” Blake asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly. “Was it supposed to make me feel some sense of discomfort? Humiliation? Amy needed help, I don’t think that is up for debate. Our actions, no matter what you think, they ensured she got the help she needed. Rehab has clearly done her good.” He said, as if he was actually proud of what he did, as if he’d helped, and Aaron couldn’t help but scoff. “And the Bree-show? It was a resounding success AJ; the numbers were higher than any pre-show that came before it, the reviews came out more than favorable. I did what was good for business, because I love this company…”

“The only thing you love is yourself, Blake!” Aaron fired back at him angrily and Blake shrugged.

“And what about you?” Blake asked, frowning. “What makes you think that you’re so important in the grand scheme of things, hmm?” he asks and for the first time since Aaron approached him, it was actually starting to sound like Blake was growing tired of the conversation, a little frustrated at the direction it was going. “Yes, I paid to hack Orlando’s twitter account. So what? My actions there, in a roundabout fashion, exposed your tag partner as the woman-abusing asshole that he is and I’d like to think that I did the world a service with that! And yes, I attacked Owen too…” he said with a shrug, as if it was of no concern to him. “I was provoked. He should have known better… what happened that night was a lesson for him, a lesson over what happens when a child tried to play a man’s game…”

Aaron couldn’t believe the words that were coming from Blake’s mouth, he was disgusted in the attitude that the Bostonian was taking, though he probably shouldn’t have been surprised to hear it. That was the kind of person that Blake Mason was, he didn’t care about how much damage his actions did or how much hurt came as a result of the things he said. Aaron would have pitied him if he didn’t detest him so much! “Fuck you Mason!” he yelled, missing the fact that the doors to the elevator had opened again for his adoptive mother Regan and his uncle Jason to step out into the lobby; in his haste to confront Blake, he’d not only forgotten about the fact that he was supposed to be getting coffee but that he was supposed to be waiting down there for the two of them and he had no idea that they had finally arrived as he shoved Black back heavily and Blake stumbled a little. “You really think that you’re above everyone don’t you? That you’re oh so better than everybody else in the world!”

If Aaron hadn’t been as angry as he was, he probably would have taken note of the fact that Blake hadn’t reacted angrily whatsoever as Aaron shoved him, that he wasn’t reacting angrily at all but actually smiling… but his judgement was clouded, his attention was derailed by the hatred he felt for Blake. “I am above you, I know that much,” Blake said cheerfully with a smile, walking back to Aaron so that they were face to face. “Look at you… standing there all upset because you feel I’ve wronged you in some airheaded way… like your opinion actually matters to me. You live in a guesthouse AJ, I live in a mansion in the Hamptons! I come from noble stock, your parents were… well, I have no idea what they were, but I know you needed to be adopted before you managed to make anything of yourself. And you know what, it’s sad AJ, it really is… twenty years old, no home of your own, relying on the help and generosity of others to set you up in life and all with a newborn to provide for too because you’re too dumb to figure out how a condom works!”

The two men were already standing closely but as the red haze descended again, Aaron squared even further up to Blake to the point that they were nose to nose. “Don’t talk about my family Blake, don’t you dare talk about family to me…”

“And why not?” Blake asked with another scoff. “Is it because you don’t really remember how it feels to have one, while mine thrives in every aspect of the word? Is it because you only have one thanks to a piece of paper signed out of guilt, after the adoption agency made a mistake with your date of birth and daddy Helms didn’t have the heart to send you back? Or is it because you know that you’ll never be able to provide the sort of life that that bastard daughter of yours--”

The rest of whatever Blake was planning to say was lost, unheard; before he could move out of the way, before he even knew it was coming, Aaron’s fist connected with Blake’s jaw and he stumbled back, clattering against the comfortable chairs behind him and Bree shrieked, pulling her dog’s bag out of the way as Aaron tried to step forward to go for Blake again. He stood over Blake who started to get up from the chair and reared his arm back to throw another punch but before he could swing, arms enclosed around him, actually lifting him from his feet as someone dragged him back.“Okay, that’ll do kid,” Aaron’s uncle, Jason Helms said as he struggled to hold Aaron back and Aaron finally realized that Jason and Regan had both shown up, ready to head off on the road. Regan stood over Blake, offering him a hand to help him up as she looked at Aaron in annoyance, but that only served to anger the twenty year old even more than he already was and Jason clearly picked up on that, because even he found himself a little annoyed by the picture in front of him. Tightening his grip on Aaron, he started to steer him in the direction of the big double entrance doors as he turned to Regan and frowned at her. “You might want to reconsider the caliber of people you start to associate yourself with Regan… I mean, weren’t you the one who was talking about how important family is supposed to be to you not so long ago?” he said to the Hellcat and her first twisted into an angry sneer but Jason didn’t give it a second thought as he turned and dragged Aaron, practically kicking and screaming, towards the doors.

Aaron didn’t want to leave, he was fighting against Jason, but whether it was sheer strength or sheer determination on Jason’s part, for whatever reason Aaron couldn’t break out of Jason’s grip and all Aaron could do was glare at Blake, who held his jaw in his hand. Aaron could say Regan saying something to Blake and Bree nodding, and another wave of rage passed through the New Jerseyite’s head, he almost missed what Blake was shouting at him, because he was struggling to get back across the room. “I HOPE IT WAS WORTH IT, AJ!” Blake shouted, a smirk spreading across his face despite the pain in his jaw from the punch. “I HOPE YOU GOT EVERYTHING YOU WANTED FROM THAT!” he continued to shout before Jason dragged him outside.

They were well away from the doors before Jason dared let Aaron go, and even then the elder of the two New Jersey natives was on edge, making sure his back was facing the doors of the hotel in case Aaron made a break for it. “What the fuck was that about kid?!” Jason asked as Aaron looked over his shoulder at the doors, clearly considering making a break for it. “I asked you a fucking question asshole, the least you can do is answer me… hey!” he yelled, trying to get Aaron’s attention before finally deciding enough was enough and this time it was Aaron’s turn to stumble back as Jason actually slapped him across the face. Aaron clutched his face and turned to look at Jason, which seemed to be the reaction Jason wanted, even if Aaron was looking at him like he wanted to punch him instead now… but bay steps. “There we go, atta boy!” Jason said, smirking. “Now seriously, what the fuck was that about, huh? You’re fighting in public now?!”

Aaron didn’t answer at first, he still looked like he wanted to punch his uncle and was trying to figure out if that would be a step too far before he eventually sighed and pulled his cigarettes from the inside pocket of his jeans and slid one from the packet before lighting it. He wasn’t supposed to be smoking really, he definitely didn’t smoke around the house, but when on the road… it helped with the stress, that was his excuse and he was sticking with it. “He fucking deserved it,” Aaron managed weakly before taking another drag on his cigarette, exhaling into the air above him.

“I’m not going to deny it, the guys a douche bag…” Jason said with a shake of his head, giving no arguments what so ever. “But he’s always been a douche bag kid, that hasn’t changed overnight… you hitting people in public though, that’s not exactly you, kid…”

“Yeah well… he’s extra douche-y today I guess…” Aaron said defensively, as if he had to justify the fact that he had acted out of character despite feeling like he had every reason to do what he’d done. Blake Mason had screwed with him in a way that was just way beyond what he’d come to expect from the wrestling business…

“Or you woke up on the wrong side of the bed and started acting out of character…” Jason told him flatly, giving his nephew a knowing look…

Surprisingly though, considering how much of a jackass Jason Helms was known for being, he didn’t see it unkindly and Aaron was a little put out by that. “Any more crap you want to throw at me? I mean, you’re the one who’s got to sign for the rental so I can’t exactly go anywhere if you just stand there continuing to throw it at me…” he asked, trying his best to sound more annoyed than he now was; he was on a comedown from the adrenaline that had been flowing through his system during the argument but now Jason had dragged him outside, now he had a cigarette to calm his nerves… it was just an act now and he knew it.

Jason rolled his eyes and sighed. “Lay off with the hard-ass act alright kid?” he said, figuring a little tough love was what was required now, just to get rid of the last of the attitude. “I’m not your dad and I don’t mind giving you another slap to knock some sense into you if that’s what I’ve got to do…” he said, showing Aaron his hand for good measure, though he was smirking when he did it.

Aaron glared at his uncle for a moment, but then his shoulders sagged and the last of the fight went out from him and he sat down on the wall that ran alongside the steps to the hotel’s front entrance. He flicked away his cigarette, which had smouldered it’s self out with him hardly inhaling any of it. Pulling the twenty deck out again, he lit up another and exhaled before turning back to his uncle. “Sorry…” Aaron said with a sigh, his shoulders rounding as he slumped forward to rest his arms on his knees. “It’s just… it’s that asshole in there, he’s got me worked up and I’m not really myself right now…” he admitted before taking another drag on his cigarette, making sure to actually smoke the thing this time.

“Yeah, no shit!” Jason said with a laugh, slipping his hands into his pockets. “I mean, don’t take this the wrong way or anything kid, but you’re not exactly the beating people up type… outside of a ring anyway, but even then your game is about being quick more than anything.”

“Yeah, thanks for that,” Aaron said, rolling his eyes before taking another drag on his cigarette. “And, not that I don’t appreciate the effort you’re going to, but do you think we can dispense of the ridicule for a while?” he asked sarcastically, thoroughly expecting Jason to keep up with the jackass routine but to his surprise, Jason actually chuckled before shrugging.

“Fair enough,” he said before walking over to where Aaron sat, sitting down next to him as Aaron took another drag on his cigarette, slightly in shock. “But listen, seriously kid, that isn’t you in there… you know that as well as I do, right?”

Sighing, Aaron nodded his head. “I know, I know… but, I just… ugh,” he finished lamely before taking another drag on his ciagarette, trying to figure out what he wanted to say. “I guess it’s him, that asshole in there… he pisses me off Jase, thinking he can get away with all of the crap he does without having to deal with any of the consequences… and aside from everything else, it felt good socking him one just now, it really fucking did!” he said with a bit of a smirk, and Jason clapped him on the shoulder supportively.

“Atta boy… we’ll make a real Helms out of you yet,” he said with a grin and Aaron looked a little unsure before he finally chuckled a little. “And I get it, believe me… you think I wouldn’t like to just punch Raab in the face like that for offending me with his dumb ass stupidity all the time?” he joked before spotting the expression on Aaron’s face and he held his hand up defensively, cutting Aaron off before he could say anything. “Alright, don’t bother, I know I’m a jackass, blah blah blah…” he admitted before waving the predictable protests away. “Difference is, I am an asshole and I admit that… but you’re not and that’s kind of the point I’m trying to make. I get that you want to let that anger out and everything, I do… but if you let him change who you are, then he’s kind of won, you know?” he went on and Aaron looked at Jason in quite the state of shock, more than a little taken aback that Jason could actually be this caring. Jason didn’t miss the look of shock on the twenty year old’s face. “What, you think because I’m an asshole, I can’t give good advice? Jesus, you’re bumming me out right now kid, you really are… look, what I’m saying is that people like you because you’re this standup guy, right? And they hate Blake because he’s a massive douche bag who does all this shit that they don’t approve of… so if it was me, then yeah I’d be going all out to break the bastard’s nose, but you and me?” he said, pausing two gesture at the pair of them. “Well, do you want people thinking about you that way? Be the moral kid people know you as and do it the right way when you get him in that chamber, alright? Don’t stoop to his level because he’s giving you trouble… be better than he is and prove those idiots that watch the shows have good reason to put their faith in you. Now… do I have to slap you a couple more times to make sure you’ve calmed the fuck down or am I safe to go and grab the rental so we can get out of here?”

“No… no, I’m good…” Aaron said with a sigh, dropping his cigarette on the floor to grind under his foot and laughing a little. He wasn’t sure if it was just because the adrenaline had left his system now or whether Jason had actually helped but he did feel slightly better, even if he still wanted to end Blake’s hopes of happiness and maybe still break his nose if he got the opportunity.  “Go… go grab the car, I’ll wait out here… I can grab my stuff when the coast is clear or whatever…” he said with a wave of his hand and Jason nodded before turning to heading in the direction of the parking garage. “And Jase?” he suddenly shouted and Jason stopped to looked back over his shoulder. “Thanks man… I appreciate it…”

“Oh fuck you, don’t even start with the bonding bullshit… save it for my brother, he’s the one who enjoys that crap not me” Jason replied with a wink before turning to continue on his way. And Aaron laughed, he actually laughed… he was still tired, and he was still angry too, but now that he’d calmed down, now that he didn’t have the douche bag in front of him… he could actually see the funny side of what just happened at least. And he knew it would be much better in a few hours, when he walked through those doors at home to his beautiful girls… this whole morning would be nothing but a bad memory, and sure Blake would probably be salty about the whole thing, he’d probably want to get some shots of his own in at some point, but Aaron would deal with that when it happened. Hell, he wasn’t even remotely finished with Blake himself anyway… and maybe they’d get that out in the chamber, or maybe it would be dealt with at a later date, but either way it would sort it’s self out eventually. For now, he was going to just calm down and when Under Attack rolled around he’d throw his frustrations into that chamber match and see what happened inside of that demonic structure. It wouldn’t be easy, it sure as hell was going to involve a hell of a lot of pain… but if things went his way, it would be worth it because that chamber match could possibly end with the biggest victory of his professional wrestling career. It may not too, but that was something he’d wait and see about… for now, he wanted to just concentrate on getting home. He’s deal with everything else when it happened. For now, it was all about Scarlett and Elysia. Which reminded him that he was supposed to call Scarlett back and he quickly pulled his phone out to do just that…