Uncoded copy of RP added below. View the original at the link above - Vortex
OFF CAMERA Family Values. Sixx’s Apartment - Las Vegas, Nevada.
The soft but high pitched laughter of a toddler filled the rooms of the apartment above Anderson’s Gym, as Lea, her three year old chubby cheeks ruddy and round, threw her head back in hysterical laughter. Her unco-ordinated little fingers reached and grabbed for the puppet that sat on the hand of Noah Nakamura.
Dressed in a pair of sweats and an Andersons Fighting Systems shirt, he lay on his back, shaking the puppet on his right hand whilst creating a variety of ridiculous commands for Lea to copy, each word her spoke was in a squeaky little voice to match the squirrel puppet he had selected.
Lea practically danced on the spot where she sat, excitement and joy causing her whole body to wriggle and move along with the squirrel who was now trying to pull a plastic acorn from a hole just a little too small.
I couldn't help but feel the smile run across my face as I watched them quietly from the kitchen, my body running almost on auto-pilot fixing lunch as I watched the pair of them play together. Just three months ago I would have imagined such a scene near impossible. My sister had still been around to care for her daughter, I was still doing whatever I felt necessary to provide for them both.
No, for my entire life I had never imagined that this could be so real. That I would stand in a kitchen fixing sandwiches for my… own little family. Just the thought of it caused my heart to swell in my chest, pound in my ears and feel so unbelievably complete. If I had ever for a moment had a doubt over my choices, my mistakes, all of it. They were all absolved right here in this moment.
Her laughter again pulled me from my reverie and I saw him, glance over to me. A genuine smile on his face, followed by laughter of his own as Lea launched forward and dived for him, he caught her easily, no hesitation, no pause. She giggled wildly once more, kicking short little legs in the air as he held her up above him.
Fly… She begged him, she wanted to fly. And he obliged, unquestioningly. As he rose to his feet and began to zoom her around the small lounge room like an aeroplane, she thrust out her arms and kicked her legs once more as a perfect team they performed little stunts, a flip over his arm, a loop-de-loop midair. The smiles on their faces matched only by my own.
As they continued to play in this vein I returned my attention to lunch, spreading mayo on the sandwiches, my mind drifted over the past ten week. What had come and gone, what I had thought I understood… The pain that had come with the realization, the truth behind the forced smiles and passing kisses like ships in the night. I had played the part well, but it had never been like this, not with Chris, in fact never before at all.
And it was then, in that quiet moment at my kitchen bench, that I tried to pinpoint the exact moment I had fallen so incredibly, madly, head over heels in love with this man. It wasn't that loud love that announces itself like kicking down a door. No, it was quiet and honest, it had trickled in with all the things he did, for me and for Lea. It had grown in the place of hurt left by so many betrayals before it.
I realized that I could not, in fact, remember when exactly it was I had fallen in love with Noah - it felt almost as though it had always been there, a sleeper agent in my heart, awoken when I looked into his eyes, a sleeping bear stirred only when he spoke my name… When he held my hand… At the touch of his lips.
It did not really matter so much, of course, when exactly the moment was. No; what mattered was that I knew now, as I perhaps had always known, that I loved him. That there had never been anything like it before and I would never feel anything like it again.
My eyes glanced back over to the giggling pair that had turned my lounge into a relative pigsty. Again I felt the swell of my heart in my chest as I watched them together, cuddled up on the couch now, Lea’s plump arms draped either side of her as she lay atop him, her cheek pressed to his chest and her thickly lashed little eyes fluttering closed.
I walked over to them both, already snoring and dreaming between the pair. I couldn't help but smile and run a hand through her thick ringlets with a kiss to the top of her head, my very presence causing Noah’s eyes to half open, a content smile on his lips as he raised his hand from her back to hold mine. I leaned in close and kissed him once on his lips…
Those soft and gentle lips. Lips that had smiled just for me, lips that had brought smiles to my own. The very lips that said my name in such a way it made me feel as though no person had ever truly said it before. “Sixx…” those very lips murmured as my heart skipped a beat at the sound of it.
I grabbed a blanket from behind the sofa and lay it over them both as his arms wrapped around Lea. I stepped back to look down at them both, the sandwiches forgotten as I watched them both sleep. I had not expected it, my life in America had started out so differently and yet as I stood here and watched them both, I finally felt like this was it, my little family and I, finally… I was home.
ON CAMERA
April Sixx sits on the floor of her apartment, to the left of her is a small pile of differently shaped, brightly coloured wooden bricks. Dressed in a pair of black drainpipe jeans and a red plaid shirt open over a plain black tee. Her red hair twisted into a knot atop her head and a smile on her lips as she looks up at the camera.
“It took me a little while, to find somewhere that I could consider home. I did not have the starts in life that many have had, this much is true. Being born in the Ukraine and being raised in what you would most certainly call a different culture has taught me a great many things, one of these, is respect. I do not, under any circumstances, believe it is ever excusable or acceptable to toss out words at people, insults and lies, disrespect and dishonor.
There is enough cruelness in this world, that we as colleagues do not need to be adding to it, once we step into that ring, it is true that we become opponents, we both want to win. To succeed. We will both want to walk away with our heads held high and a victory to our name. But, it is almost as important that we remain true to ourselves. I will never be the girl who will sit here before you and talk of how I will do anything to achieve the win.
Those that do..? I consider them to be weak. I sat at Chris Nights side and watched him lose a match he should have won, because another chose to cheat… Her own disrespect whittled away at what could have been a truly great fight and in turn, left behind a man I can tell you I do not recognize.”
Sixx sighs and shakes her head appearing almost sad at her words.
“Now, you are perhaps wondering how this is relevant to you; Victoria and our match in Victory. Well, to put it simply, you seem confused, lost, you seem as though you yourself are unsure of who exactly it is you are. On the one hand, you appear to be a genuine and sweet person with no ill will or hard feelings toward anyone.”
Sixx picks up a purple cube and places it between herself and the camera.
“But you also appear to be a shy and even nervous person; I for one, can understand this all too well. I am not one to advertise myself or my life… I find my limits pushed quite often by something as simple as a sweet tweet from an admirer, much like the tweets you made to me yourself. Do not misunderstand me, they were well intended and kind; but yet, I find myself questioning, where is this nervous and retiring girl we have seen before?
Personality number two.”
Sixx picks up a green rectangular block and places it on top of the cube.
“And then, there is the mean girl with a serious expression we saw in your last promo. A complete affront to the person you represent yourself to be away from the camera… and yes, I understand the concept of playing a character, but the problem comes when the character you decide to portray, is so very different from who you are inside. So, in this instance we have;
Personality number three…”
Sixx picks up a yellow triangle and lies it flat to balance it on the small stack.
“And the difficulties that come with balancing who you are and who you think you should be…Falsities, however light and small, carry a burden all their own.”
Sixx places another cube, red this time on the stack, she then picks up and second and places it on top to signify how heavy faking yourself can weigh. The five coloured blocks continue to balance, though somewhat precariously now.
“We all have things that weigh on us, the more we add, the harder it becomes to move forward… Forever stuck in a moment or two as though they hold value. For you, Victoria, that moment was your debut. You did not fight for what you wanted, you did not request that you be given a fair shot to sell your wares. No, you simply accepted what was handed to you… quiet…
Voiceless.”
Sixx picks up another rectangular block and the tower begins to lean slightly but doesn't fall, she arches her fingers over her chin as she watches it carefully for a moment before looking back up at the camera.
“It's so much pressure, isn't it..? To finally have your dream realized and live in constant fear that you will fail, that you will fall. And so you press harder, put more time in at the gym, become so tunnel focused that all other things fall to the wayside, you become that person, the one who doesn't see loved ones for days, friendships suffer, you become insular…
Alone.”
She takes another block and balances it, the tower begins to look close to toppling as Sixx smiles at the camera, a genuine and warm smile on her lips.
“We both have had successful debuts in Victory fed, though mine perhaps a little more impressive since I did not accept a tag match, I was not interested in lumbering myself with a partner my first shot out, many mistake my kind demeanor and disinterest in muck slinging as weakness; but it is quite the opposite in fact.
Whilst I will not scream in my opponent's face, I have learned the loudest voices often have the least to say, I will not accept anything less than perfection in a professional capacity.
So yes, we both have a Victory, as it were… But whereas you were aided to yours by another, mine is something I can claim to be entirely my own. I do believe, that is another thing stacked against you, is it not?”
As Sixx places the final block on the tower, the whole thing tumbles down and she throws her hands to her cheeks in a shocked way.
“Oh goodness, it does appear that was one too many blocks to stay standing. There is no shame in loss when you enter into defeat with dignity and class, I pray this will be true for you Victoria, because when we step into that ring, I will not accept a loss, I will not give up my will not tap out, I will not stay down.
There can be only one winner and, this time, it will not be you.”
OFF CAMERA Like a Fairytale FAW Arena - Las Vegas, Nevada.
It had been an incredible night, sitting there in the front row as I watched him flip and fly through the air. My nerves almost defeating me as he had dived from the ladder, but the rush from the crowd; their excitement and cheers for the man I loved in the middle of the ring pulled me through. It was clear to me in that moment that the world saw what I did, a good man. A dedicated and honest man, one who had put his body on the line tonight for their entertainment, one who would do anything for them. As he ascended the ladder and pulled the Championship to his chest, we all knew, every single one of us, he would be the man to represent the people in this company. He was beloved, cheered and adored… There is nothing as sweet as seeing someone for whom you are so in love, realize his dream right before your eyes.
The joy had been momentarily ended, I felt my feet hit the ground hard as I ran through the backstage area. I had only been able to glimpse it on the monitor, the attack that had followed Noah’s victory had brought a hush across the crowd. The feed cut out as he had lain on the floor, I felt the bile rise in my throats as I ran through corridor after corridor, wishing against hope that he was okay. It was only when I heard his soft voice carry down the hall that I slowed. I stopped. Leaning against the wall I took a deep breath and wiped the tears from my cheeks.
Now was not the time to speak of such things… What Chris had done here to ignite was nothing short of villainous and knowing that his part in the attack made my blood boil as I took a moment to try and calm myself. Spite and jealousy had driven a man who once claimed he would give me the world to inflict pain on the man who had in fact, given me all that Chris could not. But I refused to allow it to dampen my spirits; despite the attack tonight was one of Victory and our time would be spent celebrating, as it should be.
I pushed open the locker room door and saw him before he saw me, I took a moment to simply watch him as he shook the hands of his peers, receiving pats on the back and congratulations from them. His Championship belt rest on his shoulder and a grin on his face told me my feelings were correct. There was nothing that could take away from his moment, after all of his hard work, after the struggles we had faced and despite previous disappointments, he stood tall now surrounded by his colleagues, a champion among men.
It was then that he spotted me and his eyes appeared to light up as they fell on me. I smiled and he made his way to me, wrapping his arms around my waist he lifted me into the air, spinning me on the spot and most uncharacteristically kissed me right there as the spectators whooped and hollered. I felt the red heat hit my cheeks as I blushed, laughing through it. Noah set me back down on the ground, his own face flushed and exuberant as his eyes met mine.
I felt pride replace my embarrassment as I stood there in his embrace, my hand touching his cheek, his arms locked around my waist as he chanced a second kiss; celebrations casting aside our usual shy and private natures as he swept me right up with him in his moment. I placed a hand on his Championship belt and grinned, shaking my head slightly almost in disbelief. This was it, the happy little ending to our recent fairytale.
The feeling in the locker room was one of excitement and jubilation as his victory was celebrated by all of us, but to me there was no one in room but he and I. My eyes saw only him and his eyes, in return, saw only me. He finally broke his embrace only to stroke the hair from my face, his touch to gentle, so sweet. He smiled again, leaning down to address me and me alone as his lips all I brushed my ear. His voice soft and low, almost like a whisper as he pulled me close to him.
As he spoke, that familiar swell hit my heart. It felt as though this were a dream, were it not for his eyes now pouring so deeply into mine, were it not for his hand on the small of my back pulling me closer and closer to him, I perhaps would have thought that I imagined the words that travelled from his lips to my ears. But there was no doubt, as he spoke allowed the thing I had been unable to speak first.
