Flames

Process of Elimination (Chamber), part 1

 For the most part, Seth was glad to finally have a partner who was in the wrestling business. He had resisted it for a while, but with Becky it was different. It had always been different with her, even when they were just friends, even when she rejected his initial advances—even when he proposed. Working together made things even better. When it was just the two of them, travelling together was almost like a vacation: they would make a point to seek out neat cafes in foreign cities and try new cuisines. Once Roux was born, being able to take their daughter on the road with them meant they wouldn't have to miss much of her early years.

The only real downside was when one of them was having great momentum and the other.... Seth wasn't even sure how to describe the storyline Becky was mired in. She was happy to elevate other women with Intercontinental Title matches and he knew she didn't mind losing to AJ Lee, but AJ's limited availability before WrestleMania was making it difficult to nurture the feud. He had just made a dramatic return at Elimination Chamber, and she had just lost her title. "Best of times, worst of times?" he murmured, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders as she sat beside him on their bed.

Becky shook her head. "No. I'm glad she got the title. She deserved more with her initial run, and I know she'll have good matches." She sighed as she cuddled closer, barely flinching when a horn blared outside their tour bus. "I just wish we could do... more. I know we're capable of so much more, but we're not being given the time." She pulled one of her many blankets up over her lap and grumbled. "And Liv and Stephanie aren't going to get their main event, even though they make the same fuckin' statement at Royal Rumble every bloody year...."

"Rhea's going to have a struggle with Jade too," Seth predicted, staying as still as possible while Becky got comfortable. She clearly needed to vent and it was better for her to do it now and get it out of her system so she could have a decent rest. "I wonder what the plans would have been if Bianca was ready to go." He knew it was a risk to bring up one of Becky's favourite opponents—and one of Roux's favourite locker-room aunties—when she had been gone for so long.

"Or if Naomi was here—" Becky stopped herself quickly. "I just hate that it feels like things are going backwards for the women. Hardly any screen time. Rarely in the main event. At some point, Bayley and Charlotte and I will retire, and who's going to hold people accountable then? We all want to leave the women's division better than it was when we came up, but we need to have enough women who are going to stand up for it when we're gone."

"There are other ways you can contribute. You know you're always welcome to teach at Black & Brave," Seth pointed out. "If that was something you really wanted to do, we could start a California branch. I'm sure Bayley would be on board." Becky grumbled but didn't move, which let Seth know she was genuinely irked, but not currently fired up enough to get on the phone with someone about it. It felt like a conversation they had been dipping in and out of for weeks now, but he could hardly blame her. His legacy was secure, and he didn't have to worry about how men's wrestling would fare without him. For Becky—for any of the women—it was a very different story.

"If there aren't strong women's divisions to go to," Becky replied, "all the training in the world isn't going to help. Look at Giulia. Has she even been on a PLE yet since she left NXT? There are so many women who are so good...."

Seth kissed the top of her head. "Becks, you can't save the division all on your own. You know that. But look how happy people are that AJ is back. People have been chanting her name for years. That means something too, right? Not everyone gets that."

"I know. And I keep hoping things will get better after WrestleMania, but...." Becky stopped herself and gave a self-deprecating chuckle. "Sorry. One-track mind, right? Okay. No more complaining for the rest of the night, I promise. What coffees did you bring to try?"