Flames

"One Year Ago", part 1

"Mama won!" Seth spread his arms wide and gave Roux a high five. They had been watching the Women's Last Chance Qualifying Match backstage and even though he knew Becky was slated to win, he was still a bit nervous. They had both been on losing streaks lately, which meant Roux was getting increasingly cranky backstage. They tried explaining to her that they couldn't win all the time, but a win would certainly help matters. Since he seemed destined to stay on his losing streak, that would be up to Becky.

"Yay Mama!" Roux danced happily, though without her beloved light-up boots. She had refused to wear them ever since Naomi left. So far they hadn't been able to arrange a visit with Naomi, but she and Roux had mini dance parties over the phone, and it was one of Seth's favourite things to watch. Her energy seemed endless and her unflagging desire to move reminded him of what his mother must have gone through when he was young.

Watching from the back also reminded him of how many cheers Becky got. Since she was still a heel, WWE tried to drown out a lot of the cheers with piped-in boos for the television shows, but in person and backstage, he could hear the real-time reactions. "Let's go meet her in Gorilla and give her a hug," he said, reaching for her hand. She was growing like a weed, as his mother would say, and she could finally reach up high enough to hold his hand where he didn't have to slouch.

"And coffee?" Roux said, pointing in the general direction of Catering. No two arenas were exactly the same, but she had an uncanny ability to find the snack tables.

"We can take Mama out for coffee after," Seth promised. In truth, he just didn't want to worry about spilling hot coffee in case Roux decided to bolt, but he also knew Becky far preferred cafe coffee and he couldn't blame her. He did too, and now that Cesaro—it would take him a while to think of him as Claudio again—was no longer with WWE, Seth and Becky were trying to find new coffee places on their own.

One of the producers was walking by and laughed. "Starting her on coffee a little early, huh?"

"Between me and Becks," Seth replied, "she doesn't stand a chance." Some women couldn't wait until their pregnancy was done so they could finally have a glass of wine, but for Becky it was coffee. She'd had to limit herself to two cups a day and work around her breastfeeding schedule, but she managed—and Roux had learned the word coffee exceptionally quickly. Thankfully she hadn't been able to grab one of their coffees and spill it on herself, but they both knew they had to be extra careful.

"My coffee?" Roux asked, tugging on his hand. Her version of 'coffee' was essentially milk with some chocolate flavouring, but it was more of a treat than anything.

Seth smiled. "Yes, you can have your coffee later with me and Mama. But then you have to go to bed. Go to bed and sleep," he clarified. After she'd heard several bedtime stories, Roux would often amuse herself with little wrestling matches between her various stuffed animals. So far Awooo was still champion, but Seth figured that her stuffed unicorn E-Day—a gift from Big E, naturally—was going to win the title soon.

"Coffee!" Roux proclaimed the word as if she had just discovered something miraculous. Her pace picked up until Seth actually had to hurry to keep up with her, and they rounded the final corner just as Becky came backstage. "Mama coffee!"

"I have coffee?" Becky asked, crouching down so Roux could run over and hug her. "Where? I don't see any coffee." She slid her bulky futuristic sunglasses onto the top of Roux's head like a crown before she straightened up. Roux often helped her and Seth pick out some of their more outlandish gear just by virtue of her giggles: the more it amused her, the more inclined they were to wear it. Troi, their stylist, joked that he was having to look harder and harder to find items and outfits to outdo what they had already worn.