Flames

Night of Champions, part 2

"I'M NOT TIRED!" Roux's eyes were red from her rubbing them so hard and she could barely walk in a straight line, but she fought every attempt her parents made to pick her up.

"Jet leg," Becky whispered, stroking her daughter's curls before gently holding Roux's hands away from her face. "Her sleeping schedule is messed up."

Seth nodded. When Roux had been a baby, the time differences hadn't been as bad because she slept more; it had been her feedings that were the problem. Now that she was older, she was more determined to be part of the action—and that meant fighting sleep every step of the way. "I've got her," he said, leaning in to kiss Becky's cheek. Then he paused and kissed her lips instead. "You still haven't washed your face."

"I DON'T WANNA WASH MY FACE!" Roux bawled, wrapping her arms around Seth's leg and wiping her face on his pants.

"Not you, sweetheart. I was talking to Mama." Kissing the top of Becky's head, he added, "Go on. I'll get her settled. I know you want to watch Sami and Kev."

Becky paused. Normally any mention of Sami and Kevin would make Roux calm down instantly, but she was still crying. "But... you want to watch them too," she protested. "Maybe we can get her to calm down a bit. Trish said she'd watch her...."

But Seth just shook his head. "It's okay. I want to watch, but they'll understand. They're my friends, but to you, they're like brothers. Really. Go watch. If I can get her settled enough that I think she'll behave for Trish," he added, "I'll come find you, okay?"

"Okay." Becky crouched down by Roux and kissed her cheek, wiping away some tears. Leaving her in a such a state was always a struggle, but Seth was good at calming her down too. "Love you, Roux."

"I LOVE YOU TOO!"

It was tinged with enough frustration that Becky fought not to laugh as she stood and kissed Seth goodbye. After watching her husband and daughter leave, she wandered until she found one of the production monitors in a quieter spot backstage and she settled in. For years, Sami had never gone to events in Saudi Arabia because of his Syrian heritage, and Kevin had refused out of solidarity with his best friend. She wasn't entirely clear on how the situation had changed, but she was overjoyed that he was finally able to go safely. Listening to him talk about being able to go to Mecca had left her in tears yesterday night at dinner, so she wasn't surprised when she started crying as soon as Kevin and Sami walked out to the ring.

"This counts as washing my face, right?" she laughed as a producer walked by.

The producer chuckled and pulled a tissue out of his suit jacket. "Wasn't your match the second one of the night?"

"Yeah. Been busy." Becky dabbed at her face gingerly, not wanting to smear her make-up too much.

"Yeah, I heard Roux. Poor kiddo. Hope she gets a good sleep tonight." The producer patted her on the shoulder. "Stay as long as you like."

"Thanks." As the producer left, Becky almost called out and asked where she could get some water, but it didn't take long for her gaze to be riveted to the screen again. Just as Lacey and Natalya had made history with their match, Sami was doing something special too. She could only understand a few words of his speech, but that didn't stop her tears from flowing at all. Just seeing him out there in his thobe, addressing the crowd in Arabic, was enough to make her smile almost painfully wide. He and Kevin were slated to win the match, she knew, but for Sami, just being there was the true success.

She was so engrossed in the match that when she felt a hand on her shoulder, she nearly jumped out of her seat. Seth was quick enough to grab her, though, and he pressed a damp cloth into her hand. "I figured you still hadn't washed your face," he murmured, kissing the top of her head. "And no, tears don't count."

"Otherwise our girl would have the cleanest face in all the land tonight, right?" Becky gave him a quick kiss before she started to wipe her face. "Did she finally settle down?"

Seth hemmed and hawed before answering, pulling over another chair so he could sit beside her. "She still wasn't happy, but Trish came prepared with a new story book, so she was distracted enough that I could leave. And they have the match on too," he added, "so Roux can't complain about not seeing her uncles win."

"Renee was right: Trish is the baby whisperer." Becky finished wiping her cheeks and set the cloth aside. "I know I need to get rid of the eyeshadow," she explained, "but I need a mirror for that or I'm going to look like one of Malakai's mist victims."

"Can't have that." Seth held out his hand for the cloth. "I can try, if you want."

But Becky shook her head. "Let's watch the match. I can clean up after."

Seth ruffled her already messy hair. "After we congratulate Kevin and Sami and then chat for a bit, you mean. I know how you work." Then he tugged on her arm. "Sit, at least?"

Becky was too excited to stay still and she worried that she'd end up chopping Seth in the chest, but she settled beside him as best she could, fists clenched and flailing. "This is the best," she beamed, resting her head on Seth's shoulder. "I'm so happy for them. This must be like a dream for Sami."

"And Kevin. They deserve this so much." Seth avoided most of Becky's enthusiastic flailing and when the match ended with their friends victorious, he quickly moved out of the way so she could hop to her feet and do a little happy dance in front of the screen. "Claudio needs to figure out how to put all that in a coffee blend," he teased as he set the chairs aside and grabbed Becky's hand. "Come on. Let's go congratulate them and then get you cleaned up. We still have to rescue Trish, remember?"

Becky laughed, resting her head on his chest. "She'll be fine. She has two kids. She knows what she's doing." But she squeezed Seth's hand and let him lead the way to Gorilla so they could be among the first to greet their friends after their victory. All this success—for Sami, for Kevin, for her—might have been coming later than they had hoped, but she was determined to enjoy every single second of it.