Unfinished Business: Part 5

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Off Camera

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It wasn’t that long ago when, at Apocalypse, Angelica and Kayla Jones, The Sisterhood, once again failed to cash in an opportunity to turn their luck around. Individually Amy Chastaine and Kennedy Street are excellent competitors, but they had never teamed together until they faced off against the former two time SCW World Tag Team Champions.  Kayla Jones had thought that this would be a cakewalk for them and that this big win would give them the momentum they needed to get back into the title picture.

Unfortunately it turned out to be yet another loss in a string of disappointing losses for The Sisterhood.  Their frustration has continued to build up to a boiling point.  The frustration has built up to a point of no return.  Angelica and Kayla know that a win is needed and soon.  They need to turn their luck around.  They just are not sure what to do and how to do it.

Under Attack is looming just around the corner and The Sisterhood feel slighted in a way.  They haven’t been on the last few Breakdowns and assumed they wouldn’t be at Under Attack either but, in a way, they feel as if they are being used as filler in this upcoming five on five tag team match.  They are partnered with Dante McAffery, Autumn Valentine, and Edward Adams to face Kennedy Street, Thirteen, Katelyn Buehler, and a team the Jones women are quite familiar with, The Resurgence (Jake Starr and Tommy Valentine).

The Sisterhood really have no qualms or beef here with anyone in this match.  But they’re competitors and they’ll do what they have to do to win or, at the very least, carry their load.  Winning would be the best, though.  Winning here would be big for Angelica and Kayla, when they haven’t won in a long time.

Winning when one has been on a losing streak is quite difficult.  It requires Angelica and Kayla to find out what the problem is, why they haven’t been clicking lately, and correct the issue.  Thus far they haven’t been able to do that.

Perhaps now they are about to…

It’s bitter, cold, and dark outside in a gloomy, creepy cemetery on the outskirts of Boston, Massachusetts.  Inside this cemetery are trees, some are alive and well, but most of them are dying.  The grass is also dying, as indicated by its brownish color.  Lightning can be seen flashing in the background the wind can be heard howling off in the distance.  Leaves are blown about and while most of the headstones in the cemetery are upright and stable, others look as if they could topple over any moment, they look in total disarray.  Not a person, squirrel or even bird can be seen.  Its eerily quiet and empty, just completely empty.  Off to one side a new looking headstone stands out. Even the ground in front of the stone is fresh dirt.  The smell of moss and decaying leaves permeates the air.  Off in the distance is a marble stately mausoleum, which is in direct contrast to the rest of the cemetery, which is in clear disarray and has been neglected.

Standing directly in front of the entrance to this magnificent mausoleum is the red headed Bostonian known as Angelica Jones, along with Kayla Jones, and Kayla’s foster brother Oliver Hardy Jr.  Angelica is wearing a long flowing black maxi skirt, black high heeled pumps underneath, a white silk blouse, and a matching floral print black blazer.  Her long red hair hangs unrestrained to shoulder length.  Oliver is also dressed rather nicely, or in a respectful manner as you might say; respectful of the dead.

Kayla, normally, would be dressed appropriately enough as well.  She almost always is wearing nice clothing but on this case, on this evening, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.  She just doesn’t feel comfortable enough to be in a nice skirt and blouse or a nice dress like her sister.  Instead, Kayla is wearing denim jeans, black flats, and a red long sleeve shirt.  Kayla does not look like her normal self.  In fact, Kayla hasn’t felt like herself at all as of late and that is part of the reason why this trio of individuals have gathered here today at this mausoleum.

It all began when relatives of the late Oliver Hardy Sr., Kayla’s foster father, requested the ashes of their dead relative.  Those close to Kayla know all about the torment she endured while under the care of Oliver Hardy.  She was regularly beaten and abused, in every way imaginable, including physical, mental, emotional, and even sexual abuse.  Kayla used her modeling career and later on her wrestling career to get away from Oliver’s control.

She thought that was the end of the nightmare but then he returned, he continued to stalk her in an attempt to regain some control over her.  When he died during his attempt, Kayla thought that the nightmare was finally over but then his relatives came, requesting the ashes, and Kayla was informed that they could not get the ashes because Oliver had legally made her an heir to his estate.

Her brother Oliver Hardy Jr., her sister Angelica, no one quite understands what happened, let alone why it happened, but something about that action, something being made an heir to his estate, this renewal of the nightmare, caused Kayla to snap.  Both Angelica and Oliver Hardy Jr. recognize this and now they are here, in this lowly cemetery on the outskirts of Boston, Massachusetts, hoping to put an end to it once and for all.

And how, exactly will this help?  Well, this just so happens to be the familial mausoleum of The Hardy clan.  Kayla does not wish to come here but she is being made to come here against her will because her family, those who truly do love her, know that she needs help.

But it doesn’t mean Kayla has to like it…

“I still don’t understand why we’re here.” Kayla growls.

“It’s because you need help, sis.”

“Fine, then get me help!” Kayla says, snapping back at her older sister with venom dripping from every word. “But get me a shrink, get me a doctor, do anything but bring me here!”

“I know it must be hard, sis,” Angelica sighs deeply “I can’t even imagine how difficult this must be for you…”

“No, you can’t.” Kayla snaps back at her.

“…but Kay, this is for your own good.”

“No, Angelica, just no.” Kayla remarks, shaking her head. “You have no idea what is for my own good.”

Kayla spins around suddenly and points a finger in Oliver’s face. “And you…you of all people should know how difficult this is…you of all people should know how tough this is for me…and yet you still made me come out here…”

“Please try to understand that we are only trying to help.” Oliver places both of his hands on Kayla’s shoulders, providing her some gentle yet firm comfort. “Angelica is right, we only want what is best for you.”

“And you think this is what’s best?” Kayla pulls away from Oliver’s grip. “You’re both nuts.”

“You need to deal with your issues, Kay.”

“I DON’T HAVE ANY ISSUES!”

With that shout, Kayla turns and storms away in a fit, stopping at a nearby tree.  Oliver considers going after her but is stopped by Angelica.  Instead it is the older sister rather than the foster brother who goes after Kayla.  Angelica approaches Kayla with some caution, knowing that now, in the state of mind she is in, it is not a good time to startle her.

“Kayla, I’m sorry if we upset you, but…”

“What’s wrong with me?” Kayla asks as she turns to face Angelica.  Tears are rolling down her cheek as she begins to cry. “I snapped at you and Oliver and, hell, I damn near assaulted you in a parking lot.”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“What’s wrong with me?” Kayla asks a second time.

“I honestly don’t know.” Angelica says, shaking her head. “But that’s why we’re here.  That’s why Oliver and I brought you here.  We want to help you and he thinks that this place will help you cope with whatever issues you have.”

“How the hell could he know what issues I have when even I don’t know what issues I have?!” Kayla snaps back.

“I don’t know,” Angelica says shrugging her shoulders “but Oliver cares about you, and from what I know about the Hardy family, I think he knows a bit about this whole situation; at least he would know more than me.  So I trust him.”

There is a pause as Kayla takes time to consider her sister’s words.   Finally Kayla forces a smile onto her face and she nods her head.

“Well, I guess if you trust him to handle this situation, then maybe we can give it a shot.”

“That’s the spirit.” Angelica says patting Kayla on the back. “We can work it out.  Together.”

“We HAVE to work this out.” Kayla remarks gravely. “We can’t afford to wait any longer.  We have to appear at Under Attack.”

“Right, I know all about that five on five tag team match, but that’s not as important as you.  Your mental and emotional well-being is much more important than winning that match.”

“Wrong!” Kayla says sharply, shaking her head. “We’ve been losing far too long and hell, we’ve been off television for far too long.  We need a win.  Nothing else will do!  Who knows what happens if this losing streak of ours keeps up?”

“I get it, I truly do, and yes, that’s partially why we’re here, to try and fix you, but I just…” Angelica’s voice trails off as she takes a moment and sighs “…I just don’t want to rush it and then screw it all up; screw you up. You know?”

“I get that and I appreciate the concern but I’m sure I’ll be fine.” Kayla smiles warmly. “Like you said, I trust you both.  I trust my family.”

“Great,” Angelica says as she grins from ear to ear “then let’s go see Oliver.  Let’s see if Oliver has a solution for you, then you can focus on Under Attack.”

Kayla nods as she turns around leads the way back over to her foster brother.  Angelica follows ever so closely behind.  Kayla approaches her foster brother and embraces him a tight hug.

“I’m sorry, Oliver.” Kayla remarks quietly through the tears. “I kinda lost it back there.”

“I understand, Kay.  And I’m sorry that this is so tough, but trust me when I say that this is for the best.”

“It’s hard but…” Kayla’s voice trails off and she sighs, nodding her head “…yeah, I trust you.”

“Good.” Oliver says with a warm, sympathetic smile. “So, do you want to get started?”

“Yeah, why not?” Kayla says, shrugging.

“Great.” He turns to face the mausoleum.  “Now of course this is my family’s mausoleum.  Generations of Hardy men, women, and children can be found here.”

“Seriously?” Angelica pipes in, somewhat surprised. “I didn’t think your family was wealthy enough to afford this…no offense, Oliver.”

“None taken.  But your sister probably told you about how well connected my father was, but the truth is that it wasn’t just him.  All Hardy men were quite well connected through lawyers, politicians, and businessmen.  If you had the last name Hardy, you always got what you wanted.”

“Seriously?” Angelica asks, to which both Oliver and Kayla nod in response.  Angelica’s eyes then grow wide with shock.

“Kayla, you were…”

“Yeah, when we found each other after being separated for so many years, I was going by the name Kayla Hardy.  That’s because the Hardy name gave me advantages that the Jones name at the time didn’t.”

Tears once again flow down Kayla’s cheek.  “Dad…Oliver Sr. told me that I only made it in the modeling business because I was a ‘nice piece of ass’ but I knew better.  I made it in modeling only because of the Hardy name.   Same with wrestling.  I got hired so quickly out of wrestling school because of the Hardy name.  I didn’t earn a damn thing on my own merit.”

“You’re wrong, Kay.” Angelica says as she embraces Kayla in a tight hug. “You’re dead wrong.  Everything you have achieved up until this point, you achieved it because you earned it.  Especially in the wrestling business.  You and I TOGETHER made the Jones Wrestling Family a respected and feared family in this business.  You and I together have been two time SCW World Tag Team Champions.”

Angelica smiles warmly. “And damn it, Kay, you and I can get to the top again.  I just know it.”

“I guess…” Kayla’s voice trails off as she tries to find her voice through the tears and crying “…I guess  it’s part of why I haven’t been myself lately, you know?  The Hardy family resurfacing, me finding out I’m a Hardy family heir, all of that happened right at the same time as we were on our losing streak and I guess I began to put two and two together and I got four…I came to the conclusion that this losing streak was all my fault…because I never earned anything in the first place.”

“For starters, you added two and two and you ended up with five.” Angelica says with a knowing smirk. “Secondly, this losing streak we’ve been on, it’s both of our fault.  We’re both at fault here.  We win as a team and we lose as a team.  Together we made it to the top.  It’ll take a team effort to get back to the top.  Understand, sis?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Kayla says, nodding her head.

“But that’s not the end of her dilemma.” Oliver remarks, pointing towards the entrance to the mausoleum.  “We need to go inside.”

Oliver doesn’t even bother to ask the Jones women if they really want to go.  He just begins walking towards the doors.  Kayla looks reluctant, so Angelica grasps her sister’s hand and squeezes it tightly.  The two women then walk hand in hand towards the mausoleum.  Oliver is inside first and then Angelica and Kayla follow him.  Inside of the mausoleum is full of marble and granite.  It’s exquisite, definitely befitting a family with connections.  Even Angelica and Kayla, who are rather well off themselves, are impressed and, in a sense, have an idea what paupers must feel like.

“In here rests the previous generations of my family…” Oliver says quietly.

“What are we doing in here, Oliver?” Kayla asks.

“Look over there.” Oliver says, pointing towards the front.  There are three markers.  The trio make their way over and Oliver points to the one on the far left. “This is my great grandfather, Samuel Oliver Hardy.”

He points to the marker in the center. “And this is my grandfather, Samuel Oliver Hardy Jr.”

“So the third one…” Kayla’s voice trails off, waiting for Oliver to finish her sentence, which he does as he begins nodding his head.

“That’s right, Kay, the third one is supposed to be for my father; Oliver Hardy Sr.” He turns to face Kayla. “That is, it will be if you agree to give the ashes to the family.”

“I don’t…” Kayla just shakes her head “…I can’t.”

“Yes you can.” Oliver remarks. “I’ve already signed them over.  Now you have to sign.  As an heir you MUST sign.”

“That’s why I refuse to sign!” Kayla shouts angrily. “If I sign I let him win!  If I sign, I’m admitting that yes, I am an heir to his sick and twisted family and I refuse to give that monster the satisfaction.”

“Kayla,” Angelica remarks quietly “he’s dead.  He won’t get any satisfaction.”

“I don’t care, Angel,” Kayla remarks, shaking her head “even in death I refuse to give him the satisfaction.  Let him rot in hell for what he did to me!”

“Not all of his family are bad, Kay.” Oliver Jr. remarks, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Not all of us are like him.  Yes, the Hardy family is very well connected, and quite often gets what it wants, but some of us use that influence to do good in the community.  The people asking for the ashes, they’re some of the good guys.  They do good things for their communities.  They’re not self-aggrandizing sexual monsters like my father.”

He motions to the marker left for Oliver Hardy Sr. “All they want right now is for him to be where he rightfully belongs, with the rest of the family.”

“Kayla, turn and look at me.” That’s Angelica’s voice.  Kayla turns to face her older sister. “Do you remember how I would steal your clothes?”

“Yes…” Kayla answers, frowning.

“I remember too.  I remember how you would freak out and throw a major tantrum.  Mom had to restrain you; but Kayla, do you remember what mom would always tell you?”

“Why bring her up, Angel?” Tears once more fill Kayla’s eyes. “Damn you!  Why bring her up?!”

“I know, it’s hard for me to talk about her.” Angelica says, tears forming in her own eyes. “But please, tell me…what did she tell you when you after I stole your clothes and you threw your tantrums?”

“She told me…” Kayla wipes some tears from her eyes “…she told me that the best form of revenge against an enemy is to forgive your enemy.”

“I’m not saying forget what happened, but you’ve held onto this grudge for too long.  Forgive them, Kayla…I mean, they didn’t even do anything to you.  It was Oliver Hardy Sr. who did those things to you.  Not his family.   You need to drop it so you can move on, so WE can move on.”

There is a tense moment as Kayla faces Angelica.  Then she turns to face Oliver and looks into his pleading eyes.  Finally she turns back to Angelica again and sighs, nodding her head.

“You’re right, sis.  You’re absolutely right.  I’ve been letting these personal issues of mine, issues that I’ve been holding onto for decades, cloud not only my judgment but my focus.  You can say we win as a team and lose as a team all you want, Angel, but this losing streak is on me.  I know I’m the reason we’ve been losing and it’s because I can’t get my head straight.  It’s time I get my head on straight.”

Kayla turns to face Oliver. “I’ll sign those papers and let them have the ashes, but…”

“Yes?”

“…I want to speak to them in person.  I have something to say to them and when I say my piece, then I’ll sign the damn document and hand over the ashes myself.”

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On Camera

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Dante sure has a funny way of making us feel welcome.  He isn’t sure why he’s teaming with the likes of Edward Adams, Autumn Valentine, and us, The Sisterhood?

Edward Adams I get…Autumn Valentine I don’t understand.  She’s been dominant in Supreme Championship.  Seriously, she and Gable beat us for the SCW World Tag Team Championship. And we consider ourselves among the greatest tag teams in the world; and that, my friends is a nice segue to us…

…what’s the problem, Dante?  You prefer your network of pals and amigos to two time SCW World Tag Team Champions?  Two proven leaders?  Two proven warriors?

But you know what, I get that too.  I mean, we haven’t exactly been in tip top shape lately.  We may be former two-time SCW World Tag Team Champions but we haven’t been performing like that great team of old.  We’ve been performing under par.  We’ve been lackluster at best.  The Sisterhood has not been the spectacular force it once was.

To put it bluntly, we’ve been stale.

We needed a fire lit under our ass and you know, maybe we’ve had that fire lit?  We lost to Amy Chastaine and Kennedy Street at Apocalypse and as much as Kayla and I both respect them as athletes, I have to admit, the loss crushed us.  No disrespect intended to either of them, but that was a winnable match and not only did we squander the opportunity to get back to our winning ways, we were made fools of by two people who had never before been a tag team.

And then to have you say you don’t even know why we’re teamed with you?  Well it got us to thinking; why ARE we working with you?  Why ARE we helping you?  I mean, if I’m perfectly honest with you, Dante, looking at the two teams, I like the other side a hell of a lot better than the people on my side.

Kennedy earned our respect at Apocalypse.

Katelyn Buehler and I have thrown down before in GCW, so she definitely has earned my respect.

I may not particularly like The Resurgence but I RESPECT The Resurgence.

The only one out of that group I’m not familiar with is Thirteen. That’s it.  So out of that entire group, I like or at least respect most of them.  On my team, I respect Autumn Valentine.

Yeah, that’s about it.

So I get it, Dante.  I really do.  Why are you teamed with us…with any of us?  Why are you teamed with Autumn, Edward, or The Sisterhood?  You need us, Dante.  You need us a hell of a lot more than Adams, Autumn, or The Sisterhood needs you, because if all of us opted to walk out on your ass, it’d just be you against all five of them.

Speaking just for myself, I don’t want to help you win, Dante.  I’d just assume plant your damn head through the canvas with a Hot Shot and call it a day.  Quite frankly, I just don’t like how you operate.  But lucky for you, that’s NOT how Kayla and I operate.

You can count on us to do our job at Under Attack, but it isn’t because we like you or want to help you.  It’s because we are consummate professionals and we respect this business too damn much to play some childish games like that.

That’s your operation, not ours.

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On Camera

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We have been frustrated lately because we can’t seem to buy a win lately.  I’ll be completely up front and honest about it, we haven’t been ourselves lately.  We’ve been terrible.  But damn it, it is time that Angelica and I turned things around in a big way and there’s no better time to start than the present.

That’s why you can count on us, Dante.  You can count on us to do our part because even in the midst of a really nasty losing streak, The Sisterhood will always respect this business.  It is a great and proud business that, as cheesy as it may sound, has truly saved the lives of many individuals; myself and Angelica included.

Yeah, I can be a bitch at times.  But I have always and will always fight for his business.  I have always and will always respect this business.

Dante, I question just how much you respect this business considering it seems like you’re willing to form yet another gang to do your bidding and give you what you want; taking the cheap and easy way to glory.

That’s not who I am.  I’ve had to fight and claw for everything I’ve achieved and earned in this industry.  So no, Dante, I do not like you.  Neither does Angelica.  We’re just as confused as you are as to why we were chosen to be on this team.  But what we have no question about is our role as members of this team.

We are competitors and we will do what we have to do in order to win.  And The Sisterhood’s losing streak ends now.

Kennedy, Buehler, we respect you…Thirteen, don’t know you…Valentine and Starr, sorry but unlike Angelica, to hell with you…and at Under Attack, we’re going to kick your teeth right down your throat!