Post by The Ace on Mar 21, 2009 17:32:57 GMT -6
*Another day had passed and Kathleen Conway was still nowhere near being able to face her husband and tell him what she knew he needed to hear and what she needed to tell him. She had reasoned with herself that yesterday was not the right time to tell him that Jason no longer had a place in her heart. She had not told him yesterday because The Ace had spent much of the day working for what she knew was probably his last shot at the nCw World Heavyweight Championship for a long time. She didn't want to distract him from the one thing she knew he craved, possibly even more than her love.
He had been chasing that title for two months straight now and had always come up short. She knew it had weighed on him greatly, almost every night they had spent together after the loss at Crossroads, The Ace had doubted his ability to succeed at the one goal he had been busting his ass for during the past eighteen months.
When the cameras stopped rolling, Kathy saw a side in her husband that nobody else would ever see because The Ace was too proud to let his peers and fans see him as the vunerable, fragile, and insecure Jake Conway. That was the best kept secret in this business built on the male ego, the wives and girlfriends of the superstars saw a side the fans would never see.
Even now as Kathy sat in her hotel room with Solitaire in her lap clutching her beloved Winnie The Pooh bear, Kathy wondered what had become of her own big ol' teddybear. Did the idea of losing for the third time in a match for the most prestigious prize in the business still eat away at him? Was he still so convinced in his heart that he wasn't cut out for this business that he would retire after Sovereign should he lose to Jack Hammond this Sunday?
Of course Kathy knew The Ace would not disappoint his fans by announcing that he had been contemplating retirement since after Crossroads, he was far too proud to let a man like Jack Hammond have the satisfaction of ending his career. So far as the fans and everybody else in nCw knew, Sovereign would be just another world title match, but for The Ace, Kathy knew it would either validate him, and establish his place in the company or it would signal that the time for him to fold his hand and walk away from the game was near.
For most men, the driving force in this business was the dream of becoming the best, to reach the throne at the top of the mountain between Heaven and Hell. But for Jake Conway, the driving force was a nightmare. A darkness he ran from, the darkness that threatened to pull him into the pit of oblivion where men like Hexx and Mimic happily spent most of their careers.
Kathy knew The Ace would never go out like that, this Sunday he would either bask in the golden glow of his victory or retreat on his own terms and not allow his career to become stagnant.
Men like Falcon had always criticised The Ace for not being as great as Steve Awesome, but somewhere along the line, even Steve Awesome had forgotten that The Ace had put his career on hold to mould the young rookie Steve into the bonafide star he was today. Somehow the leader of one of the most popular tag teams in the business became the lackey, from the limelight he had been condemned to the shadow of Steve's ego.
It had irked The Ace ever since Steve had arrived in nCw, that much Kathy knew, and it had really gotten to him when it was Steve who won the title first and never even thanked The Ace for making his journey that much easier by breaking Trent Helms' wrist. Steve was a glory hog with no sense of self sacrifice, and The Ace had learned that the hard way at the second Road To The Gold when it wasn't enough for Steve to pin a worn down Ace, no he had made him tap out.
From that day, he and Kathy had had many conversations about how The Ace would never again go out of his way to help push another friend ahead of himself if all it was bound to end up as was a betrayal and a slap to the face. So now with Kevin Kruger, the Blackjack Express was secondary. Kevin Kruger was on his own, win or lose. The Ace's main priority was his own agenda to become World Champion this Sunday, and deliver his own slap to the faces of the critics who said he could never do it.
Kathy sighed and now turned on the television in her room to see a rerun of Sexy Jason's promo being aired, and to her surprise, for the first time in her life, she actually felt no sympathy for Jason, and being fully aware of the camera's presence, she decided to let him know it...*
Kathy: Jason, you stand there at the grave of our mutual friend and instead of remembering him, you instead choose to berate me, well you might aswell take a piss on his grave if you were going to be that disrespectful. I mean, come on man, it should be obvious now why I left you. You don't have a sense of empathy, you don't know how to handle or express your emotions. Yes I used you, I'll admit it, I used you to fill the void Jake had left in my life, and even when I emotionally invested myself in our relationship, you never could. We never connected, and in your scatterbrain mind, that makes me a slut. Such a big slut that you had to say it so many times, no doubt hoping to get my husband's attention, but instead you got mine...
*Kathy smiles*
Kathy: No, Jason, my husband will be too busy getting ready to main event the Pay Per View this Sunday whilst you struggle with the mid card yet again, and I for one hope Dirty Deal tear you apart, you should be thankful Jason, thankful that my husband has a title to win this Sunday and hence will be too busy to finish what he started last week by running your ass over. I mean sure, we're going through a rough patch right now, but I still believe in my husband even if nobody else does. I believe in him because I love him...
*At that point, young Stacey Kruger enters the room. She takes one look at Sexy Jason talking on the television about Kathy being a slut and grimaces...*
Stacey: Urgh...what ever did you see in him?
Kathy: I don't know, I just don't know...but I suppose it's proof that we all make mistakes in life...
Stacey: So you're over him?
Kathy: Completely...
Stacey: And you love Uncle Jake, and only Uncle Jake?
Kathy: Yes. Unconditionally...
Stacey: Good, now you can tell him...
Kathy: Yes, Yes I can...
*She answered without a second thought because she wanted him back. The scene fades out as the two ladies high five each other*
*The scene cuts to The Ace sat with Matthew Kruger watching Jack Hammond's latest promo in his hotel room a couple of doors down...The Ace notices the camera and gestures to Matthew...*
Matthew: Promo time?
You know it...
Matthew: Go for it...
*The Ace looks into the camera and begins with a smirk on his face...*
So Jack, I see you've decided to take a more serious approach this time, well done...I'm so glad you've finally taken the time to realise just how seriously important the match this Sunday at Sovereign actually is. I'm so glad that you realise its time to grow up and accept the big boy pants if you're going to wear that title belt around your waist. Representing the company is done so much better when you're not such a self deprecating, slightly emo, whiny little bitch, I find. But I suppose you think that this Sunday I will be your bitch, I mean you came into nCw after me and won the race to the top of the mountain before me, so you must be feeling fairly confident right now. Even moreso, you've won at the last two Pay Per Views when nobody expected you to, you retained, so why should I underestimate your resolve this time round?
*The Ace pauses and raises an eyebrow, using the gesture to punctuate the question*
Well, the fact is I don't. I never have, despite what you might personally think or feel on the matter Jack. I respect your charitable intentions, just don't expect the same from me this Sunday. I will be all business, as I hope you will be too. Dreams are as precious as they are fragile, and as you've noted everybody has them, for some men it is indeed a driving force. My motivation however is slightly different, my silver hope as you put it will be plated the purest gold this Sunday. My dream will be realized only when I open your eyes to yours being a nightmare. A nightmare where I am the shadow that stalks you unrelentlessly, Jack...
*The Ace grins, obviously feeling more confident as his moment to finally silence the critics quickly approaches. The fire of their barbs fuelled a new desire in him to prove them wrong...*
You've lived the dream for long enough Jack, my time is now at hand. You've been at the top of your game for a couple of months now, you've experienced the ecstacy of your fantasies, or at least all those that didn't involve Kiera Knightley, but hey that just proves that even the nCw World Heavyweight Champion can't have everything. You've resided in Heaven and looked down upon us from your perch on cloud nine with that shiny golden belt instead of a shiny golden harp. The only way now is down, you have a date with your destiny Jack. You have a date with the devil, this fallen Angel demands that you prove to him by going through Hell this Sunday, why it is that you Jack Hammond deserve your immortality and your place in the Kingdom of Heaven. Now, I'm not God, but I shall judge you this Sunday, and should you fail to justify your stature in this company, I shall claim it for myself...
*The Ace smiles at that thought as he imagines raising the title above his head, standing tall over Jack Hammond. There was only two things missing from that picture to make it perfect - his wife and his daughter. The Ace sighs as he once again turns his thoughts to Jack Hammond...*
Jack, you ask if you should pinch yourself to see if you're still awake every time you hear the adulation of the crowd, well perhaps you should, because if you are asleep, it just means that your prayers were answered when you won the World Championship. The same prayers you made before bed time each night...'Please Lord, make me nCw World Heavyweight Champion before The Ace'. Those same prayers you wasted when instead you should have been praying 'As I lay me down to sleep, I pray The Lord my soul to keep', but as it is that soul now belongs to me, the soul I speak of is of course the ten pounds of gold you wear around your waist every time you come down to the ring wearing your heart on your sleeve. Now, both are mine for the taking at Sovereign. And you are indeed in for a wake up call, because as you well know Jack, I will indeed to anything to ensure that my third time going for that belt really is the charm...
*The Ace grins*
For now I will spare you any more comic book analogies, because like you I want to prove just how seriously I'm taking this match...
Matthew: Awww but Uncle Jake, there's another really cool type of Kryptonite that you haven't mentioned yet...
It's not the pink one is it, I wouldn't want to turn Hammond into a Hammosexual...
Matthew: Nope, its a mutated form of Kryptonite as used by Zo-Mar in the shape of a white card with a symbol on it and it robs Superman of all his powers if he gets too close to it...
Really?
Matthew: Yep...
How perculiarily appropriate. Sorry Hammy, I tried to avoid another Superman analogy, but it seems Batman will have to channel a little of Zo-Mar this Sunday if you get too close to me. We will indeed be fired up and be looking to settle a score but Jack, you have yo realise that I'm prepared to shatter your dreams in order to realise my own at Sovereign, for that is the only way it can be done. This verbal dissection is only the teaser trailer to your physical dissection at Sovereign that I know the Biology graduate in me will enjoy immensely, second only to my sadistic nature between those ropes and after I'm done you will know that that possibility of defeat you prepare for has just become a certainty, that is nonetheless still painful. For it is in the nature of a gambler to assess how much of a probability is actually a certainty, and Jack you already know that I have a handle on those numbers...
*The Ace smirks as he pictures Jack frowning at the math lesson again...*
Lady luck may not be on my side for this match, I have accepted that because of that my chances of victory and defeat are equal, you might even say fair, and the odds are fare enough that I need not go home by throwing a fit, because believe me Jack, with or without my Lady Luck's blessing, I will take a little piece of you that you'll never get back, its just that the piece I take in victory will be a little bigger and more valuable to me than the piece that I will take in defeat. Either way, you can rest easy Jack knowing that I will always be a force within the Resistance, and one way or another I can promise you and all of nCw that I will be instrumental in their downfall, with that title I'd just have a little bit more vindication to my words, that is all. Sometimes Jack, its Hell trying to get to Heaven, and at Sovereign, we will both have to endure the pain of that transcendence...
*Matthew suddenly decides to change The Ace's focus as he too missed having Kathy around and knew that Jake hadn't been the same without her...*
Matthew: Speaking of a lady being by your side, don't you think its about time you sorted things out with Aunt Kathy?
Yes, I suppose it is...
*The Ace sighs*
Matthew: Go to her, tell her how you feel...she may surprise you...
I will...
*The Ace didn't even need to think twice about it as he gets up and walks to the door because he wanted her back...*
*Outside The Ace's room, Kathy stood, ready to knock on the door, but she hesitated, and looked at Stacey who stood by her side...Stacey mouths 'Go On'...*
*The Ace suddenly hesitates on the other side of the door and looks back at Matthew, who mouths 'Go On'....The Ace turns the handle as Kathy is about to knock, but the door opens just before she can. Husband and wife look at each other in slight shock, but they both manage a small smile...*
Kathy: Hi...
Hi...
*There's an awkward silence before Stacey nudges Kathy...both open their mouths to speak and have the same three words on the tips of their respective tongues as they speak...*
Both in unison: I love you...
*The couple laugh*
Both in unison: Really?
*They laugh again*
Kathy: Yes always...
Of course...always...
*The couple embrace each other and they kiss passionately, as if they'd been apart for years, as the Kruger children wink at each other and cheer for the reunion...*
Matthew: Get a room!
Stacey: They have two!
*The couple are oblivious to the kids laughing, and at this point Jessica Kruger comes out of her room carrying Solitaire on her hip...
Jessica: Hey what's all the shouting about?
*Jessica suddenly spots the couple kissing in the doorway*
Jessica: Oh my...
*Jessica turns to Solitaire*
Jessica: Looks like your mama and dada finally patched things up...
*Solitaire giggles with a twinkle in her eyes and claps*
Solitaire: Mamadada...
Jessica: I think we're going to need a hose to break them up again...
*Kathy and The Ace are still lost in their kiss, oblivious to everything else around them, because nothing else mattered to either of them as long as they had each other as the scene fades to black...*
He had been chasing that title for two months straight now and had always come up short. She knew it had weighed on him greatly, almost every night they had spent together after the loss at Crossroads, The Ace had doubted his ability to succeed at the one goal he had been busting his ass for during the past eighteen months.
When the cameras stopped rolling, Kathy saw a side in her husband that nobody else would ever see because The Ace was too proud to let his peers and fans see him as the vunerable, fragile, and insecure Jake Conway. That was the best kept secret in this business built on the male ego, the wives and girlfriends of the superstars saw a side the fans would never see.
Even now as Kathy sat in her hotel room with Solitaire in her lap clutching her beloved Winnie The Pooh bear, Kathy wondered what had become of her own big ol' teddybear. Did the idea of losing for the third time in a match for the most prestigious prize in the business still eat away at him? Was he still so convinced in his heart that he wasn't cut out for this business that he would retire after Sovereign should he lose to Jack Hammond this Sunday?
Of course Kathy knew The Ace would not disappoint his fans by announcing that he had been contemplating retirement since after Crossroads, he was far too proud to let a man like Jack Hammond have the satisfaction of ending his career. So far as the fans and everybody else in nCw knew, Sovereign would be just another world title match, but for The Ace, Kathy knew it would either validate him, and establish his place in the company or it would signal that the time for him to fold his hand and walk away from the game was near.
For most men, the driving force in this business was the dream of becoming the best, to reach the throne at the top of the mountain between Heaven and Hell. But for Jake Conway, the driving force was a nightmare. A darkness he ran from, the darkness that threatened to pull him into the pit of oblivion where men like Hexx and Mimic happily spent most of their careers.
Kathy knew The Ace would never go out like that, this Sunday he would either bask in the golden glow of his victory or retreat on his own terms and not allow his career to become stagnant.
Men like Falcon had always criticised The Ace for not being as great as Steve Awesome, but somewhere along the line, even Steve Awesome had forgotten that The Ace had put his career on hold to mould the young rookie Steve into the bonafide star he was today. Somehow the leader of one of the most popular tag teams in the business became the lackey, from the limelight he had been condemned to the shadow of Steve's ego.
It had irked The Ace ever since Steve had arrived in nCw, that much Kathy knew, and it had really gotten to him when it was Steve who won the title first and never even thanked The Ace for making his journey that much easier by breaking Trent Helms' wrist. Steve was a glory hog with no sense of self sacrifice, and The Ace had learned that the hard way at the second Road To The Gold when it wasn't enough for Steve to pin a worn down Ace, no he had made him tap out.
From that day, he and Kathy had had many conversations about how The Ace would never again go out of his way to help push another friend ahead of himself if all it was bound to end up as was a betrayal and a slap to the face. So now with Kevin Kruger, the Blackjack Express was secondary. Kevin Kruger was on his own, win or lose. The Ace's main priority was his own agenda to become World Champion this Sunday, and deliver his own slap to the faces of the critics who said he could never do it.
Kathy sighed and now turned on the television in her room to see a rerun of Sexy Jason's promo being aired, and to her surprise, for the first time in her life, she actually felt no sympathy for Jason, and being fully aware of the camera's presence, she decided to let him know it...*
Kathy: Jason, you stand there at the grave of our mutual friend and instead of remembering him, you instead choose to berate me, well you might aswell take a piss on his grave if you were going to be that disrespectful. I mean, come on man, it should be obvious now why I left you. You don't have a sense of empathy, you don't know how to handle or express your emotions. Yes I used you, I'll admit it, I used you to fill the void Jake had left in my life, and even when I emotionally invested myself in our relationship, you never could. We never connected, and in your scatterbrain mind, that makes me a slut. Such a big slut that you had to say it so many times, no doubt hoping to get my husband's attention, but instead you got mine...
*Kathy smiles*
Kathy: No, Jason, my husband will be too busy getting ready to main event the Pay Per View this Sunday whilst you struggle with the mid card yet again, and I for one hope Dirty Deal tear you apart, you should be thankful Jason, thankful that my husband has a title to win this Sunday and hence will be too busy to finish what he started last week by running your ass over. I mean sure, we're going through a rough patch right now, but I still believe in my husband even if nobody else does. I believe in him because I love him...
*At that point, young Stacey Kruger enters the room. She takes one look at Sexy Jason talking on the television about Kathy being a slut and grimaces...*
Stacey: Urgh...what ever did you see in him?
Kathy: I don't know, I just don't know...but I suppose it's proof that we all make mistakes in life...
Stacey: So you're over him?
Kathy: Completely...
Stacey: And you love Uncle Jake, and only Uncle Jake?
Kathy: Yes. Unconditionally...
Stacey: Good, now you can tell him...
Kathy: Yes, Yes I can...
*She answered without a second thought because she wanted him back. The scene fades out as the two ladies high five each other*
*The scene cuts to The Ace sat with Matthew Kruger watching Jack Hammond's latest promo in his hotel room a couple of doors down...The Ace notices the camera and gestures to Matthew...*
Matthew: Promo time?
You know it...
Matthew: Go for it...
*The Ace looks into the camera and begins with a smirk on his face...*
So Jack, I see you've decided to take a more serious approach this time, well done...I'm so glad you've finally taken the time to realise just how seriously important the match this Sunday at Sovereign actually is. I'm so glad that you realise its time to grow up and accept the big boy pants if you're going to wear that title belt around your waist. Representing the company is done so much better when you're not such a self deprecating, slightly emo, whiny little bitch, I find. But I suppose you think that this Sunday I will be your bitch, I mean you came into nCw after me and won the race to the top of the mountain before me, so you must be feeling fairly confident right now. Even moreso, you've won at the last two Pay Per Views when nobody expected you to, you retained, so why should I underestimate your resolve this time round?
*The Ace pauses and raises an eyebrow, using the gesture to punctuate the question*
Well, the fact is I don't. I never have, despite what you might personally think or feel on the matter Jack. I respect your charitable intentions, just don't expect the same from me this Sunday. I will be all business, as I hope you will be too. Dreams are as precious as they are fragile, and as you've noted everybody has them, for some men it is indeed a driving force. My motivation however is slightly different, my silver hope as you put it will be plated the purest gold this Sunday. My dream will be realized only when I open your eyes to yours being a nightmare. A nightmare where I am the shadow that stalks you unrelentlessly, Jack...
*The Ace grins, obviously feeling more confident as his moment to finally silence the critics quickly approaches. The fire of their barbs fuelled a new desire in him to prove them wrong...*
You've lived the dream for long enough Jack, my time is now at hand. You've been at the top of your game for a couple of months now, you've experienced the ecstacy of your fantasies, or at least all those that didn't involve Kiera Knightley, but hey that just proves that even the nCw World Heavyweight Champion can't have everything. You've resided in Heaven and looked down upon us from your perch on cloud nine with that shiny golden belt instead of a shiny golden harp. The only way now is down, you have a date with your destiny Jack. You have a date with the devil, this fallen Angel demands that you prove to him by going through Hell this Sunday, why it is that you Jack Hammond deserve your immortality and your place in the Kingdom of Heaven. Now, I'm not God, but I shall judge you this Sunday, and should you fail to justify your stature in this company, I shall claim it for myself...
*The Ace smiles at that thought as he imagines raising the title above his head, standing tall over Jack Hammond. There was only two things missing from that picture to make it perfect - his wife and his daughter. The Ace sighs as he once again turns his thoughts to Jack Hammond...*
Jack, you ask if you should pinch yourself to see if you're still awake every time you hear the adulation of the crowd, well perhaps you should, because if you are asleep, it just means that your prayers were answered when you won the World Championship. The same prayers you made before bed time each night...'Please Lord, make me nCw World Heavyweight Champion before The Ace'. Those same prayers you wasted when instead you should have been praying 'As I lay me down to sleep, I pray The Lord my soul to keep', but as it is that soul now belongs to me, the soul I speak of is of course the ten pounds of gold you wear around your waist every time you come down to the ring wearing your heart on your sleeve. Now, both are mine for the taking at Sovereign. And you are indeed in for a wake up call, because as you well know Jack, I will indeed to anything to ensure that my third time going for that belt really is the charm...
*The Ace grins*
For now I will spare you any more comic book analogies, because like you I want to prove just how seriously I'm taking this match...
Matthew: Awww but Uncle Jake, there's another really cool type of Kryptonite that you haven't mentioned yet...
It's not the pink one is it, I wouldn't want to turn Hammond into a Hammosexual...
Matthew: Nope, its a mutated form of Kryptonite as used by Zo-Mar in the shape of a white card with a symbol on it and it robs Superman of all his powers if he gets too close to it...
Really?
Matthew: Yep...
How perculiarily appropriate. Sorry Hammy, I tried to avoid another Superman analogy, but it seems Batman will have to channel a little of Zo-Mar this Sunday if you get too close to me. We will indeed be fired up and be looking to settle a score but Jack, you have yo realise that I'm prepared to shatter your dreams in order to realise my own at Sovereign, for that is the only way it can be done. This verbal dissection is only the teaser trailer to your physical dissection at Sovereign that I know the Biology graduate in me will enjoy immensely, second only to my sadistic nature between those ropes and after I'm done you will know that that possibility of defeat you prepare for has just become a certainty, that is nonetheless still painful. For it is in the nature of a gambler to assess how much of a probability is actually a certainty, and Jack you already know that I have a handle on those numbers...
*The Ace smirks as he pictures Jack frowning at the math lesson again...*
Lady luck may not be on my side for this match, I have accepted that because of that my chances of victory and defeat are equal, you might even say fair, and the odds are fare enough that I need not go home by throwing a fit, because believe me Jack, with or without my Lady Luck's blessing, I will take a little piece of you that you'll never get back, its just that the piece I take in victory will be a little bigger and more valuable to me than the piece that I will take in defeat. Either way, you can rest easy Jack knowing that I will always be a force within the Resistance, and one way or another I can promise you and all of nCw that I will be instrumental in their downfall, with that title I'd just have a little bit more vindication to my words, that is all. Sometimes Jack, its Hell trying to get to Heaven, and at Sovereign, we will both have to endure the pain of that transcendence...
*Matthew suddenly decides to change The Ace's focus as he too missed having Kathy around and knew that Jake hadn't been the same without her...*
Matthew: Speaking of a lady being by your side, don't you think its about time you sorted things out with Aunt Kathy?
Yes, I suppose it is...
*The Ace sighs*
Matthew: Go to her, tell her how you feel...she may surprise you...
I will...
*The Ace didn't even need to think twice about it as he gets up and walks to the door because he wanted her back...*
*Outside The Ace's room, Kathy stood, ready to knock on the door, but she hesitated, and looked at Stacey who stood by her side...Stacey mouths 'Go On'...*
*The Ace suddenly hesitates on the other side of the door and looks back at Matthew, who mouths 'Go On'....The Ace turns the handle as Kathy is about to knock, but the door opens just before she can. Husband and wife look at each other in slight shock, but they both manage a small smile...*
Kathy: Hi...
Hi...
*There's an awkward silence before Stacey nudges Kathy...both open their mouths to speak and have the same three words on the tips of their respective tongues as they speak...*
Both in unison: I love you...
*The couple laugh*
Both in unison: Really?
*They laugh again*
Kathy: Yes always...
Of course...always...
*The couple embrace each other and they kiss passionately, as if they'd been apart for years, as the Kruger children wink at each other and cheer for the reunion...*
Matthew: Get a room!
Stacey: They have two!
*The couple are oblivious to the kids laughing, and at this point Jessica Kruger comes out of her room carrying Solitaire on her hip...
Jessica: Hey what's all the shouting about?
*Jessica suddenly spots the couple kissing in the doorway*
Jessica: Oh my...
*Jessica turns to Solitaire*
Jessica: Looks like your mama and dada finally patched things up...
*Solitaire giggles with a twinkle in her eyes and claps*
Solitaire: Mamadada...
Jessica: I think we're going to need a hose to break them up again...
*Kathy and The Ace are still lost in their kiss, oblivious to everything else around them, because nothing else mattered to either of them as long as they had each other as the scene fades to black...*