Flames

Join the Club, part 2

Becky's luck when it came to European tours seemed to be hit or miss. She was still hoping for a Dublin-based PLE so most of her Irish family could attend, but at least SmackDown was in Dublin this year. And really, who could argue with a few days in France? She and Seth made sure Roux could come, and seeing Roux spend time with her grandma and uncle now that she was older and could appreciate it more was worth the long flights and all the travel tangles. "Oh, I wish your da could have met her," Annette had said when they were making their goodbyes before heading to France. "Ken would have adored her." Becky wasn't used to wistfulness from her ever-practical mother, so Annette's sigh was a surprise. "He does. I'm sure he's watching over her. You used to run like that, you know, all careless and free, and it always made him smile. I'm sure he's smiling now."

"I hope so." The sentiment should have warmed Becky's heart and it did, but it also haunted her a bit. If only Seth and I had got together sooner. If I'd gotten pregnant sooner. If I'd said FUCK COVID and come back home.

Becky thought she was doing a good job of staying positive, but when Bayley offered to take Roux for a bit on the flight, Seth accepted before Becky could even open her mouth. "It's only for an hour or so," he said, setting his tablet off to the side. "Come here."

It took Becky a moment to figure out how to move the seat arms and move her coffee out of spilling range, but she eventually got herself cuddled up beside him. "Nothing's wrong," she said immediately. "I'm just... thinking."

"Obsessing, more like. Why?" Seth gave her ponytail a gentle tug. "Did something happen back in the UK that I missed? I thought you had a good visit with your family."

"I did. We did," Becky assured him. "I just... Mom said something, and then I got to thinking about how Naomi was supposed to be here but she isn't because she's pregnant—and now that means Stephanie doesn't have a match, which is a shame. If Nikki's return had been timed differently, Stephanie could have said 'Well, there's another champion I could face' and we could have had a match, but—"

"You're rambling." Seth tightened his arms around her to break her out of her spiral. "Yeah, it sucks that Stephanie doesn't have a match, but that's not on you. You two will go at it soon enough, I'm sure. What's this about your mom?"

Becky glanced around, but it was a charter plane for WWE, so everyone around them was either a wrestler, producer, referee, or someone otherwise linked to the company. She still wouldn't say anything too private, but she didn't have to worry about sharing general personal matters and being overheard by people who would leak the news. "She just... she was talking about my da. She doesn't do that a lot. I don't know if she thinks it would upset me or... I don't know But she was saying she wished he could have met Roux and she was getting a bit... spiritual about it. Saying he was watching over her and all that. I don't know." Dropping her voice, she added, "I don't know if that's her way of asking for another grandkid—you know, now before it's too late and she can't meet the next one either?"

"I don't think that's what she meant," Seth said slowly. He and Annette got along well, but he knew not to get too involved when mother and daughter were having a disagreement. "Maybe Roux just reminded her of him in that moment and she wanted to share."

"Maybe." As happy as she was for Naomi, Becky knew her friend's pregnancy announcement was a factor. Charlotte had recently spoken publicly about her desire to have kids, as had Bianca, so it wasn't surprising that Becky's mind kept straying to it, especially with Roux's adamant wish for a little brother. "But I guess... well, it's another thing to consider, isn't it?" Then she laughed. "Think your mother has another infant wardrobe started?" It was something of an in-joke for them, the fact that Holly had been preparing for a grandchild before they had even been together for a full year.