The Fight For Nora

Tomorrow’s the day. The most important day in my life. The day I get Nora back. 

And I can’t focus on it because Nate Colton’s stupid face won’t leave my brain. 

This shouldn’t be a problem for me. I been able to separate my work from my other stuff — the gym, MESSIAH, gettin Nora back — and it probly caused me more harm than good for my career. It’s also kept me focused on the goal of Nora above everythin else. 

But tonight I can’t do that. And I think I know why. Because if tomorrow goes the way I want it to, Nora will be back in my life for good, and we can get back to bein the only thing I’ve wanted since I fucked this up in the first place. 

It’s not just Nora. Ever since Melissa and I split, I been lookin for somethin else. Part of it may be why I took Nora for granted. But now that I finally stopped bein dumb about Julie, and she’s gotten past everything, Nora can complete the picture. 

We can be a family.

And that’s why I can’t stop thinkin bout Nate. Cause when it comes to family, ain’t nobody fits that word more than him.

_______

Paxton closed the cover on his journal and sat up on his hotel bed. After a few minutes he shook his head and walked to the door, then started walking down the hall.

Shweta booked a hotel in Moab, Utah, about a hundred miles from the compound where Nora was held. He traced his fingers along the wallpaper of the hotel until it ended in a door frame. Sighing, he knocked on the door.

It didn’t take more than ten seconds before the door opened and Julie’s smiling face peered up at him. “Come in,” she said, grabbing his hand.

“Seems like ya were expectin’ me,” Paxton said through a grin as she led him to the bed.

“Obviously you weren’t going to be able to sleep tonight. I’d be surprised if you hadn’t come.” The newly minted couple stared at each other for a few moments, sharing smiles and soft sighs.

Finally, Julie spoke. “So what’s on your mind? Besides the obvious, I mean.”

“Jenny Colton.”

Julie raised her eyebrows. “Why?”

“Well, I been thinkin’ a lot ‘bout my past with Nate, leadin’ up to this match.  An’ she’s a big part of it. I tried t’hurt her. An’ t’be honest, I think Nate would’ve let a lot of our stuff slide if it weren’t for her.”

“Sounds like you’re blaming her.”

“Opposite, actually.” Paxton stretched across the bed. “There’s somethin’ ‘bout the power of a woman you’re related to t’drive ya in the right direction. I still think I’m that monster that everyone was afraid of, even as guys like Nate an’ Jared let me off the hook. But Jenny never let me off. Maybe she was right.”

“Maybe so, and maybe I like kissing monsters.” Julie leaned in and kissed Paxton, then slowly drew back, smiling. “But that same power of a woman is what’s got you so dedicated to your daughter. And for all the closeness that Jenny and Nate share, it’s not like it is between a father and daughter. That’s something people can’t know until they have a kid of their own.”

Paxton laughed. “An’ how do ya know? Ya ain’t got kids. 'Less you’re hidin’ one from me.”

“I don’t,” she said, giggling back, “but working with sick children and their families for so long gave me an inside look at it. I can see it on parents’ faces. It’s why I’m still here. And it’s how I know you’re not all monster.”

“Jus’ part monster.”

“Like forty-three percent.” She grinned and kissed him again. “Do you feel better?”

“A little. But there’s more to Nate Colton than jus’ his sister.”

Julie nodded as Paxton stood up. “And I’m guessing you have more people to talk to?”

“Yep.” He bent down and gave Julie a hug, then walked towards the door. “See ya later, monster lover.”

“Bye Pax,” Julie said, letting his fingers slip through hers as he opened the door and walked out.

The next hotel room of their party members was towards the end of the hall. Paxton exhaled as he approached the door, then rapped on it.

“Coming,” a gruff voice answered. Within a minute the door opened and the shockingly balding head of Foster Nackedy poked out. “What?”

Paxton stared at his former mentor’s scalp. “Is…is that what the helmet’s been hidin’?”

Foster grunted and opened the door. “Never actually got a concussion from Nova.” Paxton followed Foster inside as the NWC champion flopped on the bed. “Just your average 40s mid-life crisis.”

“Ain’t never seen a mid-life crisis involve a concussion helmet,” Paxton mused, sitting on the chair by the desk. “Don’t most people buy sports cars?”

“Too broke for that,” Foster said, rolling onto his back. “Can’t sleep? Too excited about tomorrow?”

“Too distracted by Colossus,” Paxton muttered. “Can’t really get my head around Nate and what makes him so dangerous.”

“Good teaching, mostly.” Foster propped himself up on his elbows. “Anybody who comes out of the Colton school is set up for success because they spend a few hours a day with Jake. Imagine what it’s like growing up every day with him.”

“Prob’ly filled with rules.”

“Rules, lessons, morals, good examples. Sounds disgusting.”

Paxton chuckled. “I dunno, comin’ from my background, ya might argue I needed somethin’ like that.”

“I mean, yeah, you’re a walking billboard for daddy issues.” Foster ducked out of the way of the tv remote that Paxton launched at his forehead. “But it isn’t just setting curfew and teaching how to execute a hammer lock. Jake’s value is in the intangibles.”

“Like what?”

“Belief, mostly. In his rules, in his leadership. In his kids. It’s the reason he’s never gotten too pissed off, even as people have tried to destroy his family.”

“Feels hard to do,” Paxton said, then cocked his head at Foster’s expression. “What?”

“You don’t think you’re doing the same thing right now?”

“How?”

Foster sits up and gestures around the hotel room. “Where are we right now? What are we about to do? When Melissa took Nora away from you, it was understood that your own daughter was afraid of you and didn’t want you back. And did that stop you?” Paxton shook his head. “Because you know that no matter what she may have felt, you trust in her and in your determination. You know how this ends even if no one else believes. You believe.”

Paxton looked down at the multicolored carpet. “Yeah. I do.”

“Belief is a funny thing. It can’t throw a punch, can’t put someone in a sleeper hold. But it can summon strength you didn’t know you had. Nate’s family has belief in him. He has belief in himself. But you’ve got it in yourself. And…we’ve got it for you too.”

Paxton fought to suppress a grin. “Foster, it kinda sounded like ya might care ‘bout me a little bit.”

Foster frowned. “Another side effect of this stupid mid-life crisis. Now get out of here, I got to sleep and you should too.”

The former Gray’s Academy head trainer steered Paxton towards the door and shut it as soon as he crossed the threshold. Grinning, Paxton started his way to the next hotel room. By the time he made it to the door, his grin was gone. He knocked on the door and waited patiently for several minutes until the door opened.

He stared down at the man in the wheelchair whose vestigial leg blocked the door from closing. “Figured Shway would get the door for ya.”

Jonathan Rhine scowled at Paxton. “I wouldn’t let her.” After a few tense moments of staring, Rhine nods his head. “Get in.”

Paxton walked in and took in the hotel room, which was larger and more grand than the others he had frequented. “Perks of screwin’ the captain of the operation, huh?”

“It’s handicap accessible, you moron.” Rhine wheeled himself into the corner and faced his former friend. “Let me guess. You’re struggling to sleep, but not about tomorrow. You’re focused on Colton.”

Paxton raised his eyebrows. “Well ain’t ya jus’ a mind reader.”

“Being split between real life drama and in-ring conflict was part of the job. Honestly I can’t remember any successful wrestlers who weren’t that way.”

“Interestin’, I guess. But yeah, somethin’ ‘bout this match is stickin’ with me. Last year at Colossus I faced Rich Patterson. Stuck in PRIME long enough for me t’knock him out of it. Remember what me an’ him fought over?”

Rhine shot Paxton a stare. For as much pain as it caused him to watch the sport he could no longer participate in, Paxton knew he couldn’t stop watching. “He called you a bad person and it made you mad.”

“Bit more nuance in there, mixed in with a little hot sauce. But yeah, he came at me without bein’ affected by any of it. He didn’t know ya. Never entered the Belmont. An’ yet he was takin’ up the flag for an army he didn’t know.”

“What’s this got to do with Colton?”

“This whole fuckin’ thing started with Sammy Broadway waterboardin’ me with the past an’ gettin’ his revenge. It was between me an’ the music freak. But then Nate started beatin’ the ‘Paxton’s a shithead’ drum, takin’ up the cause against me.”

Jonathan nodded. “And you’re saying he’s like Rich in that he wasn’t affected by it? So his cause is hollow?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

Jonathan stared at Paxton long enough for the Bayou Butcher to break eye contact. When he looked back up, he saw The New Life wheel closer to him. “Let’s set aside the fact that you tried to hurt his sister. That you had a lights out match with one of his friends. That you could’ve killed the brother of a man whose kids call him Uncle Nate. Let’s just pretend none of those have anything to do with him.” Jonathan wheeled up to Paxton so his wheel hit Paxton’s boot.

“Paxton, your entire time in PRIME — from when you came in with me, to when you ended my career, to this match at Colossus — you’ve been a focal point of the company. Your cause, your daughter, made you a person everyone wanted to help. Your vile acts made you a person everyone wanted to hurt. And your involvement with MESSIAH, an organization that destroys lives, made you a problem for everyone. Nate calls himself the New Diamond of PRIME. And you? You’re a threat to the company itself. So yes, Nate Colton has a cause behind his war. And as long as everything works out tomorrow and we save Nora, I hope he’s successful in ridding the fed of you for good.”

Paxton stared into the eyes of the man he paralyzed, then grinned. “Ya know, the others I talked to gave me some encouragin’ words, but I guess I ain’t earned that from you yet.”

“Not now. Not ever.”

“Fair enough,” Paxton said, standing up. He walked over to the closed door at the back of the room and softly tapped on it. “See ya in the mornin’, Shway. Make sure this one gets plenty a’rest. Somebody needs to stay in the van an’ wait for us.” Not sparing Jon another look, he left the room and began the walk back to his room.

As he neared it, he saw a thin figure leaning against the doorframe. “Sage,” Paxton said with a smile. “I jus’ talked to a buncha people, even kissed one of ‘em, an’ yet you’re the person I wanted t’see most tonight.”  Pontiff’s smile–magazine quality, million dollars, even with all of his hermit beard and considerable dreadlocks–seems to light up the hallway.  He absently mouths a sucker–THC enhanced, no doubt, as he embraces his tag team partner.

“Nerves?”

“I’ll say. An’ ya know better than most. That Colton packs a damn punch. I wish I could get my mind off the match and focus on tomorrow. Hell, tomorrow is life an’ death, an’ Nate ain’t gonna kill me. Why can’t I focus?” “Future tripping, man.  You’re thinking about all the possibilities of a time that hasn’t happened yet.  They're all around your head like mayflies, you catch one and you notice five more.”  The Bodhisattva shrugs.  “Besides, mean punch or not, you’re spiritually sound and facing someone who is a graveyard of spiritual rot in the shape of a man.  You’ll be fine.”

Crunch followed Punch into the hotel room and they both sat on the bed. “Ya know, I always felt like Nate somehow broke through your whole ‘live-an’-let-live philosophy. Why do ya hate the guy so much?”  Sage looks to the ceiling, gathering his thoughts.

“There’s honesty to most everyone I’ve met.  Even fuckin’ pigs and fascists are at least being honest about their intentions, honest about their hatred, honest about their motivations.  But I look at that dude and I realize that what I’m seeing–what we’re all seeing–is just a construct.  Not a mask.  We all wear masks.  But he is from crown to toes…just nothing.  He’s gelatinous, man.  Takes the shape of whatever benefits him at that moment.  I’ve got no stomach for it.  Frankly, I wouldn’t be mad if you shelved him.”  He winces at this, his eyes casting to the floor.  “That’s not very kind of me.  But kindness is reserved for human beings, not bad impressions of human beings.”

Paxton looks down at the bed, chewing on Sage’s words. “Yeah, I get it. There’s somethin’ ‘bout him that’s so…establishment. He’s a good person because one day two hundred years ago someone said that’s what good people look like. Meanwhile I’m ‘bout t’risk everythin’ for my daughter, an’ some people will only ever see me as evil. Still,” he continued, looking at his fingernails, “sometimes I feel like I ain’t genuine neither.”  There would be a moment of quiet, but Sage immediately, instantly breaks out in a laugh at this, Causing Pax to side eye him.

“Pax, dude, let me be clear here: you’re the most authentic motherfucker I know.  You don’t like someone, you say so.  You wanna beat the shit out of them, you do it.  You know how rare that is in today’s world of half-truths and legerdemain?  Don’t let up here–” Pontiff taps his friend on the temple.  “--Fuck up what you know is right here.”  To emphasize, he jabs the gator in his sternum.  “Let Paxton Ray be Paxton Ray.  Everything else, these fucks who have your girl, a sycophant like Nate Colton…they’ll all just fall around you.  Your aim is true, brother.”

Paxton stared at Sage for a long time before standing up. “Stand up.”

“Sure, b–” Sage’s response was interrupted by the larger man pulling him into a long, tight hug. He finally lets go, but keeps Sage’s shoulders under his own long arm. “What was that for?”

“For makin’ me realize somethin’ ‘bout Nate that’s been botherin’ me. An’ for finally givin’ me a chance to get my mind off him.”  Pontiff smiles, warm and genuine, and pulls him in for another, patting his friend on the back with strong claps.

“Literally anywhere.  Any time.  Any place.  You know I’ll be there, ride or die.”

“I do know that. You’re here tonight, so I know. An’ I appreciate it more than ya know.” Paxton began to walk towards the door. “I guess it’s time to put the diamond out my head an’ try t’get ready for tomorrow.”

The Bayou Butcher ushered his tag partner out of the room, then sat down on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. After a moment, he grabbed the journal from the bedside table and began writing again.

_______

It’s kinda funny that we’re here, less than a day away from bringing Nora home, but all I can think of is Nate Colton.

And after talkin to everyone tonight, I realize the real reason. 

At the last show I told Nate that he was a lot like me. I’ve said it a few times. And each time I said it as a shot, as somethin negative. But I realize now that I’m half right and half wrong. 

He ain’t like me. I’m like him. 

Not in that fake way that Sage described. But the strength in conviction. The tendency to focus only on what I think is right. And more than anythin else, the family. For Nate it’s his blood, but for me it’s the group of people I collected over the past couple years. Some love me, some hate me, some tolerate me, but they’re all here with me on the eve of the most important night of my life. At one point my only family was a woman who hated my guts now and a girl I thought was gonna die before she turned eight. 

But tomorrow I’m gettin Nora back and I’m addin her back to my family. And then that family is marchin into LA to take down another family man. 

Now it’s time to finally get some sleep.

_______

The team woke up before 4am, getting in the van and driving out towards the point on the map where Nora was located. By the time they arrived, a sliver of sun was starting to pierce the night sky. The crew – Paxton, Shweta, Foster, Julie, and Sage – made their way through a lush forest as Jonathan waited in the van.

“The other teams are coming from different directions,” Shweta said as they made the drive. “We don’t want to use violence. That doesn’t mean we won’t.”

Paxton kept his eyes peeled for people in the forest, but all he heard was the sound their shoes made as they trampled leaves and branches. Paxton felt his heart race as the trees slowly gave way to a clearing.

It looked exactly like the one they found in Wales. And like the second time he visited it, Paxton was alarmed to see no guards at the gate. Shweta beckoned for the group to advance, and they slowly made their way through the crude opening.

“Everyone hold,” Shweta whispered into a walkie-talkie. They looked to the left and Julie had to hold back a gasp — three children were huddled into a small stone room, sleeping in a pile together.

“Is it…” Julie whispered, but was cut off.

“No, Miss Dunn, Nora is not among those children. We keep her separated.” They turned to see the large figure of Julian Bathory filling another stone doorway. “Come. We’ve been expecting you.”

Paxton looked at Shweta, who nodded. This was part of the plan. The group followed Bathory into a room that was lit by a single candle.

“Now, I expect you planned this takeover to be done peacefully. And believe me, we want the same thing. So if you are indeed here with good intentions, I trust you will let the people on the other end of that walkie-talkie know that they will not be needed.”

Shweta relayed the orders and The Carpathian Devil gestured for them to sit. “Paxton. We obviously have had our history, and you’ve been mostly beneficial for MESSIAH. There have been some bumps, but we have handled them. And so I find you here as a member of good standing, which means I am willing to negotiate. You want your daughter back?”

“Fuckin’ duh, ya loquacious lizard man.”

Bathory turned to Foster. “And you would like your ex-wife safely returned?”

“She’s here?” Foster fought to suppress his emotions and failed. “Absolutely.”

“Very well. Let us negotiate. But before we do, I see that you have five people in your little family here. So it is only right that I have my own family present.” Bathory clapped his hands and Paxton felt something in the small of his back. He looked up to see Wilhelm von Krauser holding a knife to him.

“Hello, Bayou trash.”

Dmitri Gouskos slithered in and got behind Foster and Sage as Bertrand Ward waddled through the opening and bound to Bathory’s side. “Good morning Mister Nackedy. Your head looks extra shiny.”

Julian did a mock count of the people in the room then clicked his tongue. “Ah, that is four loyal members of MESSIAH and five of you. We are unequal.” Raising his voice slightly, he looked towards the door. “You may come in now.”

A smaller figure strode past Paxton, and even in the low light of the candle he immediately made her out. “Ya gotta be fuckin’ kiddin’ me,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Hello Paxton,” said Melissa Matthews, his ex-wife. “Forever the Crown.”

“Forever the Crown,” boomed Bathory with a smile. “And now that we are five on five, let the final fight for Nora begin.”