Flames

Uncaged, part 1

"Does this mean no more book club?" Liv was pouting and she slumped to the locker room bench so heavily she almost fell off. Once she righted herself, she watched Becky lace up her boots. "Becks?"

Becky didn't answer right away. Technically her contract expired in a few days, but this would be her last official match. Her contract status was somewhat common knowledge online now, so many fans were speculating that if she didn't win, it was a clear sign that she was gone. Others insisted that it was all part of the story line; after all, Seth had just recently re-signed, so why would she leave the company her husband had just committed to? "We can still do book club," she replied. "Bianca would be mad if I left after she just joined. I can always chime in on the group chat or something."

"Group chat?" Liv scooted closer, resting her head on Becky's shoulder. "It's not going to be the same without you here."

"You just mean you'll miss goofing around with Roux," Becky replied with a chuckle. Ever since Seth was out recovering from surgery and rehabbing his injury, Roux had mostly been staying at home with him. It was a good way to give her a taste of stable home life—except it would also give her the expectation of a parent being there too. She and Seth had discussed an on-off schedule—one of them wrestling for a few months while the other was home with their daughter, then switching—but that would put a lot of strain on their relationship. "Don't worry. She misses you too. She loves the bracelets you made her, by the way. Doesn't want to take them off at bath time. We had to fib a bit," Becky admitted, "and say that water would make the magic fade faster."

Liv nodded morosely. "I think that's a fair lie. But... Becky?" She turned to face Becky fully and grabbed her hands, holding her gaze. "You're not mad, are you? At me or...."

Becky shook her head. "No. No, Liv, you're fine." She leaned forward to hug her friend. Whatever reservations or frustrations she had, Liv played no part in them. "And the story—I mean, I get it. I know where they're going with it." She didn't particularly like it, but that was hardly Liv's fault. "I'm just tired and... I don't know. I guess with Roux being so close to school age now, I'm wondering if this isn't a sign to just start making changes now, you know? Seth and I need to talk about it more." They talked about it nearly every day and Seth almost always said the same thing—that it was ultimately her decision to make and he would support her no matter what—but Becky was still wracked with uncertainty.

"Noooo." Liv wrapped her arms around Becky and squeezed until Becky groaned. "You have to come back. You need your own revenge tour. I need a match where you teach me a lesson and get your belt back. There's still so much we can do."

"I know you and Rhea have some play-fighting thing going on," Becky teased, "but I can't do that high stack like she does. If I get to beat you, it's probably going to be a roll-up or an arm bar."

"I can work with that!" To Becky's surprise, Liv was crying. "I just don't want you to go! You've done so much for me—for all the girls here. If you hadn't spoken up for me and made sure I had that first title match against you, who knows where I'd be?"

You would have found a way, Becky thought, just like I did. But she took a deep breath and ruffled Liv's hair. "You don't give yourself enough credit. The fans were already behind you. You would have found a path. Maybe it would have taken longer. Maybe it would have looked different. But you would have got here." Then she laughed. "I have to say, though, if I was trying to seduce a member of The Judgment Day, Dominik would be the last one I'd pick."

That made Liv laugh a bit, at least. "Well, Finn wouldn't count for you—been there, done that. Or at least I hope you did that. And JD must be like a brother to you...."

"Stop right there. I'm not seducing anyone in The Judgment Day. I'm not seducing anyone. Except maybe my husband tomorrow," Becky allowed, "since it's his birthday."