1. Becky

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"I can't believe I'm saying this," Becky began, scuffing an old blood stain on the floor with her toe, "but I'm actually going to miss this place."

Sasha came up and hugged her from behind. In a way, this was full circle for the two of them—and Bayley too—as well as the start of another loop. The three women had met on the Circuit and had fierce rivalries—and iconic matches that were still studied by young competitors to this day—before going their own separate ways. Jobs aboard Zampata, Roman Reigns' ship, had brought them all into each other's orbit again, but she couldn't see any of them giving up the Circuit forever. "You don't have to. We can all still wrestle. You know there's no way in hell Dean's giving this up." Sasha pointed across the fight pit to where Dean and Seth were sparring in the practice ring. Zampata had just been given the all-clear to take to the skies, thanks in no small part of Bayley's skill and perseverance, but Roman had decided to give everyone one last night on the planet to wear off some energy. Their first job was taking them to a planet that would take several days to reach, so the captain had hoped that wearing themselves out beforehand might help.

It was very much the logic of a man with small children and Sasha didn't think it was going to help, but she hadn't interjected. As a wrestler, Roman had been very stubborn, so she couldn't imagine he would be much different as a captain.

"I know. But it won't be the same. It won't be my goal anymore. It won't be my life." Sighing, Becky turned and rested her head on Sasha's shoulder. "I know that's probably a good thing. I mean, look at Dean. The Circuit's messed him up."

Sasha followed Becky's gaze, but it wasn't Dean she was looking at. She was watching Seth stretch out his shoulders and tie his hair up in a bun. "I'm pretty sure Dean was messed up long before he ever stepped into a ring." Taking Becky by the elbow, she led her to the ticket booth, which was quiet and empty now. As former Federation stars, Roman and Seth and Dean had been able to negotiate for private access to practice before the event. Roman and Bayley, being the two most personable of the crew, were busy negotiating fees with the promoters, and Dean had been too riled up to sit still, so Seth had volunteered to spar with him. That left Becky and Sasha, neither of whom wanted to waste too much energy before the fights: Becky had suffered a serious neck injury years ago, one that took her off the Circuit for almost seven years, and Sasha had racked up a number of injuries herself. "It doesn't hurt to be part-time, Becky. Most of the wrestlers on the Circuit are now. There are more options than ever, which is great, but it's also diluting the market. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. That means we can still work the Circuit while looking ahead. You knew you weren't going to wrestle forever. What else did you want to do? What else calls to you?"

Becky chuckled softly. "I keep forgetting that you get psychology training in the Valet package. And no," she said quickly, "that's not on my agenda. I'd be lousy at it."

"You don't give yourself enough credit," Sasha countered, kissing her cheek. Privately, she agreed: Becky's personality was a little too mercurial to be good at certain aspects of Valet life, but Becky was also determined. If she set a goal, she worked to achieve it. "But no, I don't imagine that's your path."

"I don't know. It would have to be something with travelling," Becky said slowly, hopping up on the ticket taker's stool. It wobbled under her weight and she quickly got back to her feet instead. "Teaching, maybe? There must be something else I'm good at. Something my mother won't mind telling her friends over tea."

Sasha raised an eyebrow. She could certainly sympathize with that. Her mother hadn't been thrilled when she told her she was going to wrestle; when she announced her intentions to become a Valet, her mother didn't speak to her for days. But while both paths were to satisfy her own desires, they were also to help her family, and once her mother saw her flourishing in both realms, she finally relented. "Well, I imagine anything is a step up from mercenary, but your mom will be happy if you're safe and happy, right?"

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