TAoMFatAiLB :: Ch. II - Because of Me

[Stormm]

The Allure of Moving Forward and the Agony in Looking Back
Chapter II
Because of Me

On the far corner of the Michaels Manor estate, just kissing the property line, rests a small family of trees in the middle of an endless Kansas plain.

For years, local youth had used the valley as an escape from reality where the seven trees, dubbed The Siblings, were collectively the heart of it all. The bark of all seven trees had been modified into canvases of carved initials; while the branches became a permanent home to dozens, if not hundreds, of shoes all laced together.

The Siblings knew no bias and, in a fragile society of teenage angst, they had a way of bringing people together rather than tearing them apart. This had been occurring long before Justin purchased the property back from the bank a little over a decade ago.

Even those that had come of age over the years continued to visit that spot, that seemingly infinite stretch of grassland between the two tree lines. They returned in search of answers, peace, friendship, love or just to be with the whispers in the Midwest air.

Like many finding love before them, Justin and Lindsay shared their first romantic encounter amongst the trees in that grove. Their initials adorned the Elder Tree, the towering one in the middle; and, in the tallest branches, their shoes had dangled for years.

It was a location that he frequented often on his daily run, but it had been nearly three years since that route had taken him into the meadow, past the trees, and back home again. Not since "that" night.

Three years had come and gone since the night the valley was lit ablaze. Three years of healing for The Siblings, and many more to come before they were fully recovered. All of the shoes that were dangling from the branches had burned away, and most of the initials that had been carved into the bark were scorched off.

For the first time in three years Justin was looking up at them and fighting back the anger that practically had him in tears. His hand placed firmly on the Elder Tree where he and his wife's initials were carved nearly eighteen years in the past; all that was left of them were the "J" and "L" respectively.

He was short of breath and his cerise skin was accompanied by a torrent of perspiration and melting precipitation as the first snow in Kansas was happening unseasonably early that year. It had been long enough since Justin visited them.

The anger and sadness he knew that would surface as he looked at that spot for the first time subsided as new signs of life amongst The Siblings were evident. Time continued to mend the trees, and the scarce patches of grass around the family had actually prospered since the fire. Justin could only hope the trees would do the same in time. But the most comforting was the presence of new carvings in the bark and shoes in the branches. While those might not have been the best for the recovering trees, seeing the tragic event not hinder those that held that spot so dear caused any ill feelings Justin had to be replaced by an overwhelming sense of pride.

“I’m sorry.” He said to himself, or perhaps to the trees as he sat down onto the cold, moist ground at the base of the Elder Tree. Emitting a melancholy cry as he leaned back onto the trunk of the tree, he echoed his previous sentiment with less disdain and more assertion. “I’m sorry!”

There was no real reason to apologize to anyone or anything, but the act did make the Force of Nature feel better. Despite the evil that Damian Sorrow brought to the world, and the torment that he injected into Justin’s life and those around him, he was never at fault but carried the responsibility with him anyway.

His successes and failures in the past were all accompanied by the asterisk that was “the good doctor”, and Justin was still fighting with the fact that those were all on his shoulders now, or so he thought. He always had a hard time letting anyone else help him, with anything. He’d been married for five years and continually ignored one of his greatest resources when it came to his personal issues, his wife. He was getting better about it, but not nearly as quickly as Lindsay had hoped.

The only situations that Justin adapted to quickly were the ones inside of the squared circle, so it made sense why Stormm would return to the Pure Class Wrestling arena after nearly two years. Despite the legal battle and hostility between Justin and front office, an unlikely mediator in his brother-in-law would help broker the return of the Force of Nature to the place where wrestling used to have class.

While it had been several years since Justin and Johnny had quelled most hard feelings between the two, for the sake of the family, their notorious return would present a whole new set of issues for Justin. He continued to juggle life as a husband, father, and business owner without the nuisance of Dr. Sorrow one step ahead of him the whole time, but now he was adding professional wrestler back to the list.

His plate may have been full, but it was better than the alternative in having nothing, which really would send the man into a whirlwind as Justin had always been one to keep busy. It was a trait that most people around him either respected or despised. Lindsay, on the other hand, could always find a way see it in both lights.

“I just needed to think.” Crossing his arms to keep warm in the brisk, overcast, autumn air, he continued to think aloud. Wrestling again was just what the Force of Nature needed, but it also brought back a lot of anxiety for him. The last month had been a roller coaster of emotions for Justin and company, but with an abundance of problems waiting just outside of his locker room door, he needed to find a way to limit those waiting for him at home too.

The last month had been exceptionally busy as he prepared to focus on two things: Family and Wrestling.

Brian McCallister had finally been promoted to President of Havoc Entertainment, and the “interim” tag removed from the title. Justin remained the CEO, but effectively passed the day-to-day off to his best friend and business partner to alleviate any worries about the business.

For Trauma Two Twenty, Lindsay and the twins accompanied Justin to Greenville for the first time, to see how the family could handle the travel, and it seemed to go well. They have since filled their condo in the city back up, and the young family will be splitting their time between Greenville and Kansas City. As long as the kids can continue to handle the jet setting lifestyle, that will cut down on the time Justin has to spend away from his family.

The only thing left in question was his health. Two leg surgeries in the past and a repaired collar bone before his absence two years ago had slowed him down some. Was his body ready to compete on that level again without failing him once more? That very question was why he had been pushing himself so hard the last couple of months.

Justin had never stopped working out, even while not actively competing, but since the end of the Summer, had spent twice as much time there to prepare himself for his return, and there would be very few times in history where he felt as good as he did, physically, right then and there. He had just turned thirty-nine, and was arguably in better shape then than he was when he was twenty-two, and just getting his start in the business.

He had done a good job to set himself up for success in his return, despite not thinking it would ever happen up until the beginning of September, so he could start to set his sights on the one thing that has eluded him for over six years, the PCW World Championship.

“All of this is because of me.” He spoke softly as fluffy snowflakes continued to fall to the ground around him and melt on impact. “But, that’s how it should always be.” It was an idea that scared him at first as his attention turned from the past to the future, knowing that his career rest solely on his shoulders now, whether his newfound partner in crime, Johnny Vivacious, was at his side or not. But in reality, Dr. Sorrow didn’t make him a better superstar in the past, it hindered him.

Knowing the only things standing between him and the World title were Kyle Shane, Jason Willard, and himself was a relief. In the past, there was always something else in the back of his mind during every match, and he still managed the success that he had then, so the sky was the limit now that he could clear his mind and just step into the ring, simply, as one of the best technical wrestlers Pure Class Wrestling has ever had.

Willard, the man others call Seromine, was the reason he had to step away from wrestling early last year. His return from the broken collarbone, suffered at the hands of Grimm, was premature, and the number one contender match for the International title had aggravated the injury. That alone was enough to give cause for Stormm’s return, to retaliate against a man he’d been wanting to meet face-to-face with in the ring for a decade. The fact that Willard’s sick alter ego was also the current World Champion would make that match a dream “two birds with one stone” match.

There was little left to leave in the ring after entering the Deadly Rumble, but two on one odds rarely work in the lone wolf’s favor, and he was unable to secure that World title contender spot for winning the Rumble. It was one of the only things Stormm had left to really accomplish in PCW, and by getting eliminated by the tandem of Seromine and Gabriel secured his fate in fighting another day for his shot.

Thus, his and Kyle Shane’s fates became intertwined as Pure Class suits determined that the two of them should duke it out for the respective title shots that were supposed to have been awarded in the Rumble. A match that became their first meeting inside of the squared circle, but would not be their last.

Justin had gotten the upperhand on Kyle, eliminating him from the Deadly Rumble match, but a one on one with the man who was over a decade his junior would most certainly prove much more difficult than eliminating him in the rumble match was. The thing was, Kyle Shane reminded the Force of Nature a lot of himself from days long past. Besides a slight size dominance to Stormm, and the obvious speed advantage to the Catalyst, there wasn’t a lot else that separated the two in or out of the ring.

It was going to come down to who honestly wanted it more. Who needed it more. Justin had nothing left to prove to anyone but himself, and a second World title reign would certainly do that. Kyle Shane had nothing left to do but win that World title to be on the same level as the Force of Nature when it came to accomplishments in Pure Class Wrestling. Stormm would do everything he could to delay that for another day with a victory over him at Trauma Two Twenty-One.

Gone were the days of letting anything get in his way without doing what he could to fight through it.

“Because of me!” Pushing himself up off the ground, Justin began the half mile run back through trees and grassland back to his house with the purpose of showing his wife one thing… confidence!