All Good Things...

[Cordy]

"In our family portrait we look pretty happy

We look pretty normal, let's go back to that"

-----

All Good Things……

“She left him.”

The voice sounded so foreign and withdrawn that for a split second she could have sworn that it was one other than her own. Fragility, weakness, uncertainty — those were all of the things that she’d heard in her words, yet the profoundness of the feelings that overwhelmed her at the moment failed to make any of it any less surreal. She lowered her head, ashamed because she could feel the cluster of emotions rising — so many that she’d tried to hide from the moment she’d found out; many that she’d tried to keep at bay, ferocious clawing and relentlessly pounding on the wall of resolve she’d tried to keep constructed. But the comfort she felt around Gavin made it easier for the walls to crumble, and in the midst of her sniffles and the fighting back of the tears that threatened to flow, she could feel his arm drape around her shoulders, pulling her closer towards him, towards safety and sanctuary, a temporary reprieve from all the troubles that plagued her.

“Wait, what?” Gavin James asked, making sure that he’d heard her correctly. He honestly had no clue what Cordelia had meant nor the context behind the words she’d spoken, but whatever it was had to have been something that’d been plaguing her mind greatly.

She’d been relatively quiet all night. He’d tried his best to keep the mood light like it usually was whenever they hung out, but it all seemed to be in vain. She seemed distant, her mind and thoughts elsewhere although she tried to be as attentive as she possibly could be, mustering a faint laugh and a weak smile whenever it seemed appropriate.

He hadn’t taken it personally however. He’d simply suggested that they go for a drive; out of her house and away from her sister. A drive that had led them to the bleachers of their old high school; a place they often went at night when they were younger to just sit and talk. It was a beautiful summer night in Long Island anyway, not too hot with just the right amount of breeze. The air would do her some good he figured, and besides, maybe she’d be more willing to open up if it were just them. Over the years he’d learned how Cordelia tended to be whenever she was going through something; a beautiful smile made of porcelain. Easily broken when challenged, but that was the benefit of her charm -- no one ever challenged her smile. Most were just glad to see it.

Even if it was nothing more than a mask.

But Gavin had always let it be known that with him her true face could be shown and she’d never have to worry when she was in his presence. There was no need in wasting the effort to keep up a facade that he could always see through. And now he could see the spidering in the porcelain mask.

She sniffled again, took a quick breath and then straightened up, regaining her composure. A quick swipe of her hand erased any traces of any tear that had the nerve to make an appearance. She wasn’t going to cry. Not in front of him, not right then, no matter how badly she may have wanted to. That activity could be delayed until she was in the comfort of her own bed, with no one to bear witness but the Lord above.

“Mommy. She left my dad.”

She saw the wave of surprise pass over his face; the dropping of his jaw, and the hint of surprise shimmering in his eyes -- a reaction she’d imagined was very similar to the one she had when Alyssa had delivered the news to her. She couldn’t help but to think back to the breakfast they’d had at the Floridian in celebration of her mother’s birthday… the cryptic manner in which her mother spoke and the apology that she’d offered. After the many years of being walked on, Cordelia was proud to know that her mother was ready to stand up for herself. But somehow this wasn’t at all what she’d expected. Maybe she should have, but it just didn’t seem right.

In her eyes they’d always been the perfect reflection of love; everything that a couple should be. Granted she didn’t always agree with the manner in which they handled things, especially in the recent years when it pertained to she and Alyssa — but one thing Cordelia never questioned was the love that her parents had for one another. But now it seemingly wasn’t enough and that realization painted such a vivid and horrid picture of what she considered love to be. What good was it if it never seemed to last?

Her parents had always given her hope; something to strive for other than the stupid relationship goal memes that were always on the timeline. Love was far more than booty rubs and sharing pizza, or any of the other things that twitter marginalized it as -- at least that was what she’d always wanted to believe. For so long, her parent’s relationship symbolized everything she perceived the perfect love to be, but what did it say that not even that could last?

Gavin was absolutely floored by the revelation. He’d known Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson for years and they’d always seemed like a happy couple; but Gavin knew better than to think that everything was what it seemed. Maybe the Porcelain Effect wasn’t just something that Cordelia had perfected, but something she’d learned from her parents.

He quickly shook the thought from his head — she’d probably kill him if she knew it had crossed his mind, but he couldn’t help but to wonder just how accurate it had been. “That’s wild.” He offered sympathetically, not even knowing what to say or what words to offer in consolation. “Ms. Celia really left? I didn’t even know that they were having problems.” He admitted, his eyes apologetic as they set on her. “Do you think it’s going to be a permanent thing or…” his voice trailed off. He feared continuing on with his thought as to avoid igniting any sense of false hope for something that might never be.

Couples fought, everyone knew that and maybe things weren’t really as bad as they seemed, or at least that was what Gavin was hoping. Cordelia nodded her head, remembering the adamance in her mother’s tone at the diner.

“She’s been unhappy for a long long time.” She admitted sourly, with a sigh. “I guess she just finally got the nerve to leave.” They always said to be careful about what you wished for — how was Cordy supposed to know that her wish would have this result? “And of course Alyssa believes that she’s to blame.” Cordelia added with a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head, recalling the conversation she’d had with her younger sister. She’d taken the news quite hard, for Alyssa wholeheartedly believed that things would have been alright had she not have gotten pregnant. It was a thought that Cordelia had wanted her sister to get rid of immediately.

“It’s not her fault.” Gavin interjected.

“Of course I tried to tell her that Gav. But you know how Lys can be — she’s hardheaded. She doesn’t listen.”

“Yeah, and I wonder where she gets that from.” He replied with a nudge. It was indeed a Stevenson family trait.

“Cindy. Definitely, Cindy.” Cordy replied, the first traces of a smile all night finding their way to her face as she mentions her notoriously hard headed former tag partner Cindy Parker aka Cynderblock for that very reason, who Alyssa absolutely adored.

Gavin noticed the smile and couldn’t help but to feel that it was a step in the right direction. There was a lingering moment of silence as the two sat quietly in thought.

“I never would have thought that things would end up like this.” Cordelia said, finally breaking the silence. Her voice was low and airy; laden with sadness. She’d grown up under the ideal that family was everything; an ideal that had been tested and eventually shredded over the course of the past few years.

The united family front that she’d been raised in was now decimated; nothing more than a memory triggered by the portrait above her fireplace back at home. How many times had she stared at it, secretly wishing that things could go back to the way that they used to be? Now it was all but certain that they never would.

And there was something in that finality that killed off a little piece of her inside.

A sudden chill sprang up her spine as she pulled her knees towards her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

“Most people don’t.” Gavin replied. He definitely had a valid point there. “I don’t think people plan for their marriages to fail, Cordy.”

“Yeah.” She scoffed, quickly pondering over all the marriages she’d seen come and go over the years firsthand. Kerry and Sher. Star and T. And now her mom and dad. All couples that she legit thought would last forever. “They just do.”

… eventually come... to an end.

-----

You’ve been quiet. Too quiet. Got me a little bit worried. Just a tad bit. I already know what it is since I’m hitting you up on here, but still. You know I worry. Hit me up and let me know you’re ok. K?

Cordy read the text message from her friend and manager Sher Windsor and let out a sigh. She made a mental note to give Sher a call later. No need to have the poor woman worrying herself sick, because Cordy knew that was exactly what Sher would do if she continued to hear nothing back from her. Lord knows the woman had enough on her plate without having to add babysitting Cordelia Stevenson to her list of priorities. For fuck’s sake, she had just taken it off.

The thought caused Cordelia to smile as she set her phone back down and continued her run on the treadmill. She knew that it wouldn’t be going off any time soon, unless it was one of the very select few who had the number to her burner phone. She’d taken a mental break from everything: people, places and things. She’d kept a relatively low profile for the most part, occasionally checking in on twitter to see what was going on and to exchange pleasantries to keep some sort of normal contact with the world, but even that had been infrequent. She’d needed a distraction from life, and although the pointless bickering on twitter tended to prove quite amusing, especially when someone like Zero began one of their idiotic rants, she’d opted for something more beneficial in the long run.

Old habits died hard. And it was damn near effortless for Cordy to fall back into her old routine.

The gym once again became her sanctuary. With the big triple threat tag team title match coming up at Above and Beyond, the last thing Cordelia needed to be was distracted. Distractions led to losses, such as the one she and Dan had suffered the last time they’d been in action, in Tucson, at the hands of The Usual Suspects. As shady as the ending was, Cordelia knew that was part of the game.

Not everyone played fair, nor should they be expected to when they constantly showed their hand. The Usual Suspects and Anthony Rother simply did what they’d done all along. Cordelia couldn't really cry foul about that. She wasn’t going to place blame. She and Dan should have just known better. They should have been more aware.

Now they just had to make sure that nothing similar happened in Anaheim.

The decision to flee the madness in New York for even just a short while had been the right one. It made her angry being there — and she hated feeling that way. Not that it had really subsided, but at least now she could deal with it in relative solitude without fear of taking it out on someone close to her.

She’d gotten far too snappy and easily annoyed, and it had become more and more evident in the days before she’d ultimately decided that enough was enough and removed herself the equation. The last thing she needed on her conscience was bluntly saying the wrong thing to the wrong person and making anything awkward with someone close to her.

Like she’d done with Gavin.

She hadn’t meant to snap on him the way that she had — deep down she knew that he was only trying to look out for her. He knew that she was going through a rough patch. Ever since that night on the bleachers he’d constantly checked in, constantly felt the need to be…. there, and strangely enough it had irritated Cordelia to no end. She hated feeling as if she were being coddled. Anyone that knew her knew that she preferred to work through things on her own. She appreciated the gestures and support, but sometimes she simply needed space. Gavin had become smothering in his attempts to be that proverbial shoulder to lean on and admittedly she’d let him know the wrong way. That was going to be something she’d have to smooth over sooner than later, but until then? She was going to enjoy her time in the Dominican Republic.

Sheree’s villa in Puerta Plata had alway been a favorite place of hers to run. However, Cordelia hated that it was always tied in to such bad memories. She remembered the first time she’d been there back in 2013… after Cindy had gone out on national television and called her out; accused her of being a backstabber for returning the tag team titles that Cindy stole back to Team DLC.

The decision had been a win-win in Cordelia’s mind. She was able to right a wrong and was also able to pick up the reward money that had been offered by Xavier Michaels. He’d practically put a bounty out on Cindy’s head. Instead of waiting for someone to attack Cindy and capitalize, Cordelia took matters into her own hands and handled the situation the best way she thought possible.

In all honesty, it was a move done to protect Cindy, but her best friend didn’t see it that way initially. She’d seen the move as betrayal and fueled by greed and the want for money -- money that Cordelia used to buy Cindy a brand new Mercedes to replace the one that her rival Zack Jones had destroyed. The public berating from her best friend was probably the most hurtful thing that Cordelia had ever had to endure and she wanted nothing more than to get away. Sheree had suggested the villa; suggested that Cordelia leave everything behind and just go.

It ended up being a place she visited often.

There was just something so soothing about the atmosphere, and it was definitely what she’d needed at that point in her life. And it was definitely what she needed now. A change in scenery. A change in pace. A moment away from it all. It was easier to focus here; easier to avert her attention to where it needed to be with she and Dan’s first title defense looming ever so closely. Cordelia knew that if she and Dan had any chance of retaining at Above and Beyond, they both needed to have their heads in the game. The competition was just far too steep for anything else, and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that RubyWay and The Next Level were both going to be on their A games.

She needed to make sure that she was on hers.

She owed it to Dan, but more importantly she owed it to herself.

Mentally, she felt as if she were on the right track. She was doing the best that she could to get her attention prioritized. Why worry about the things that she couldn’t necessarily change, right? The collapse of her parent’s marriage was something that she could not change no matter how much she may have wanted to. And besides, the loss to The Usual Suspects was just an extra incentive to get her mind right and to get it into gear.

Physically she knew that she was there. She knew that she was primed and ready to go. But then again, that was never an issue. Cordelia made sure that she always kept herself in the best physical shape possible.

As the treadmill slowed and she hit the cool down portion of her workout, Cordelia actually felt herself smile as she recited Biggie’s verse to “Victory” as it blared through her headphones. For the first time in quite a few weeks, she could honestly say that she felt ok.

That was until the cell phone vibrated again. This time it was her sister and the message wasn’t simply one to check in on her.

Cheyenne called. She was crying and said she needed your help. It sounds serious.

And just like that, the little peace she’d found was gone.

-----

It was bound to happen, wasn’t it?

All the momentum that Dan and I had going -- that wave of success that we found ourselves riding on ever since coming together to form Status Quo — it was bound to come to a screeching halt at one point or another, correct?

You know what they say, nothing lasts forecast.

What begins must eventually come to an end, and after what happened in Tucson a month back -- so many are ready to drive that proverbial nail into our coffins and declare us dead.

The Usual Suspects and Anthony Rother took what many perceived to be an unstoppable force and they mortalized us. They did what no other team in this company had been able to do. They surpassed the Status Quo. We’re not going to mention the questionable method in which it was done, just acknowledge that it was.

And now I can feel the shift. The glaring curiosity that you greet us with, wondering if we’re coming down off of our high. So many of you are ready to see the crowns passed; under full belief that Dan and I are incapable of holding down the throne or better yet this tag division any further.

Tucson left an inkling of doubt.

Anaheim will erase every trace of it.

My entire time in this company has been defined by the chase. It was never really a question as to whether or not Cordelia Stevenson would one day become a champion in this company, it was always more a matter of when. When would I finally win the big one? When would I finally overcome the final hump; that last proverbial hurdle keeping me from laying claim to championship gold. Admittedly, it came in the form that most least expected and with someone that no one expected. Together, Dan and I were able to accomplish what neither of us were able to do on our own in this company.

We overcame that final obstacle.

And now we’re here.

This wasn’t something that happened overnight. This was the culmination of our years long journeys; of the constant battles we’ve had to endure just to have our names mentioned amongst this company’s greats. These tag team titles are the testament of our endurance, of our unwillingness to lay down and die no matter how many times that seemed to be the easier choice. How many times had we seen rock bottom before we eventually broke through to the light?

And now you’re saying that you want to take that away from us.

And now you’re all telling me that you’re ready to rain on the parade that we’ve worked so damn hard to finally have.

I just hope you realize and understand why it has to be off with your fucking heads.

It’s nothing personal against any of you to be honest. We’ve all crossed paths before, and you’re all a-ok in my book. Well, except for Hardaway. But you all seem to be pretty decent individuals; all talented to a certain extent because let’s face it — if you weren’t, you wouldn’t be here.

But we all know the rules along the Frontier; it’s either kill or be killed. I know that Dan and I are looking like a full course meal to the starved… but please understand the dangers you’ve subjected yourselves to by setting foot onto our terrain and looking to take what we’ve got.

We’ve got no choice but to make examples out of you -- to leave your bones scattered around as a warning to any lingering predators stupid enough to even remotely consider following in your footsteps. We have to let them know that their fate will be no different than that of RubyWay and The Next Level.

Two takes of the same damn tiresome story, it’s only fitting you both meet the same end as well.

But I can’t forget that Dan and I aren’t the only ones with something to lose in this match. Not only do we have the opportunity to retain our FGA World tag team championships, but we also get the distinct honor and pleasure of being known as the last ever WLW Tag Team Champions.

You know those belts…

The same ones that RubyWay had to go through fifteen other teams for. *in my Ruby voice*

That was their buy-in.

Something to add to the pot because lord knows they didn’t deserve to sit at this table with The Next Level and us. Not yet anyway. It’ll make it all the more sweeter to watch them fold when their bluff is called though.

And it will be. Just like it was called on May 28th, in Fayetteville. That night was far from the fluke that Ruby and Kevin are convinced it was, and at Above and Beyond V; when Dan and I put them down once again; when we put down The Next Level once again… they’ll finally understand that Status Quo is as good as fucking advertised.

The lights are at their brightest and right there in the middle of the ring, one question will be posed and truthfully only one answer will matter.

Who wants it the most?

Do you, Kevin? Are you ready to make FGA feel like 2013 all over again when you actually meant something?

How about you, Ruby? While it’s amusing as hell to watch you threaten Rother with all sorts of caliber bullets on twitter, are you actually ready to do something in the ring where it’ll matter?

Or maybe you, Luke? I always hear you say how badly The Next Level needs this, but are you willing to step beyond your insecurities and do what is necessary to reclaim your titles?

Does Ricky even want to? The fire in him has gradually diminished. I know you see it. He just doesn’t have the same pep in his step anymore. What are the odds that he’s just biding his time? Waiting for the first opportunity to shed the same “dead weight” that carried him to tag team gold in the first place.

We could sit here all day and talk about how badly we want this.

The difference between us and yall?

We’ll be more than happy to just show you.

Last year at this very event, I nearly got my career ended. This year? Status Quo shows you that there’s still plenty left in the tank.

Nothing lasts forever.

But best believe we’re far from done.

Get familiar.