Flames

On the Line, part 2

"It's like No Mercy all over again," Becky said, sharing a quiet moment with Lyra Valkyria in the women's locker room. "Seth couldn't be there for that and now he's en route to Germany. Sometimes it feels like I saw him more when I was on maternity leave."

Lyra patted her shoulder. "He's with you in spirit. Same with Roux."

The way she said Roux's name made Becky grin. She was so used to hearing it with an American accent that to hear it in a voice more like her own was a delight. "Speaking of, she sends Auntie Lyra a big hug." Becky leaned over and embraced her. "I'm glad it's going to be you. I can't wait to see how you run with this."

"How I soar," Lyra corrected with a grin. "Who would have imagined it? Two Irish women fighting for a title in the main event! God, this would have been unheard ot even a few years ago."

Becky nodded in agreement. "And now fans are clamouring for it. Just imagine what it's going to be like for the next group of girls and the ones after them. Main events and movie deals and top merch sales and no one's going to bat an eye."

"Thank you." Lyra hugged her again, staying close for a long moment. "This means the world to me. I hope you know that."

"Likewise." Becky let the hug linger for a moment more before tugging on Lyra's sleek braid. "All right. Enough lovey-dovey. Let's go kick some ass."

Lyra hopped to her feet. "What a dream!" She did a little happy dance, shaking out her arms. "See you out there, Becks."

"You bet." After Lyra had left the locker room, Becky took her phone out for one last check. Seth was en route to Germany for WWE's autumn tour there and had been sending pictures of the most random things. The last picture seemed to be of a pretzel and someone's fingers darting in to take it. On my way to the ring, she texted. Don't divorce me when I lose the belt, okay? Then she tucked her phone away and got ready to head out.

Her title reign was going to be a short one, but Becky was at peace with it. She'd been able to have great matches, spotlight underutilized women, and showcase the NXT Women's Championship on RAW as well. Like many of the women, she was hoping a mid-card title would be introduced for the roster and she hoped her run would illustrate the value of that. "And hopefully before I retire too," she said to herself, standing up and doing some last-minute stretches.

There was a quick knock on the locker room door. "Becky? You're up next!"

"Thanks!" Becky took a deep breath, rolled her neck from side to side, and prepared herself to lose. IT was part of the business, she knew, and she was more than happy to put over deserving wrestlers like Lyra; she would have lost the belt back to Tiffany as well, if that had been the plan. But her perfectionist streak would always leave her wondering if she could have done more with her reign. There would always be more to do, but so much of it was out of her hands. It was frustrating, because she knew things were improving—and hopefully with Hunter at the helm, they would continue to—but the pace itself was frustrating. So many women had stop-and-start pushes, like Xia Li. "She's next on the list," Becky told herself as she headed out.

The Performance Center was a much smaller venue than she was used to as of late, but the energy it could contain seemed boundless. Any of the main roster wrestlers who had come back always talked about how much they loved the vibe; she remembered Finn specifically wanted to go back and he'd had an incredible run. Part of her wondered what Seth would do with the chance. He'd love the chance to work with Nathan Frazer, at the very least. As she strode to the stage, she was showered with all sorts of well-wishes, some she felt too old to translate. Then she stepped out onto the ramp, and the language suddenly made sense: the small but loud crowd, the bright lights, the ring. The last of her nerves ebbed away as she climbed the steps and took a deep breath.