To The Stars - 18. October, 2018 (C)

Tuesday, October 23rd

"I promise I'll be home soon baby girl!" Diego promised his daughter, who rolled her eyes. "Hey! Don't give me that."

"Yeah you'll be home, but you'll just leave again!" Nina huffed, still angry at him for leaving for England.

"Hey, what did I say about attitude?" Audrey lightly scolded the girl sitting on her knee. "What do you say?"

"I'm not sorry!" Nina pushed her way off and vanished. It tugged at her father's heart to see her so disappointed with him.

"Don't punish her," Diego begged, running his hand through his short curls, sitting shirtless on his hotel bed. "She's just upset."

"Upset or not, ADHD or not, your daughter or not, she needs to learn manners and respect," Audrey lectured him, and he couldn't help but smirk. "Don't you make that face at me!" She laughed. "She misses you. Julian misses you. I miss you!"

"I miss the hell out of you all too," Diego sighed unhappily. He was lonely now. Rachel was distant and booked her own rooms since she found out he'd been cheating on her. He was still too hurt by Sean's actions following the twister that changed the lives of everyone involved. Jimmy stayed with him more often than not, but the big man was fast asleep in his bed opposite Diego's as I Am Legend played on the television. It took Big Bad Jimmy Vause all of six minutes to fall asleep to the movie he paid to see.

"By the way, I slipped over to your house to get the mail--" Audrey began, but Diego cut her off.

"If they're bills, they'll come right from my bank account--" he assured her, but she shook her head.

"Mostly junk and fan mail," Audrey frowned at him. She hated when he talked over her. "But there is one thing I thought you should see." Using the camera from their video call, she showed him a piece of paper. Scrawled on it was "I'LL GET YOU" in dark black marker. It wasn't Zoey's writing, he noted instantly, going cold. I need a fence, gates and a new alarm system for sure.

"Don't tell the kids, please," Diego pleaded. "I'll fix everything when I get home."

"You're welcome to stay with us here any time you like," she offered, returning the camera to her face.

She was still as beautiful as the day he met her eight years ago. She had long hair back then, but she cut it off when Nina kept pulling on it during breastfeeding. She put on a lot of weight during her pregnancy, but she was almost back to the slim woman he'd met. Maybe we weren't meant to be together forever, but I hope she stays in my life for good. I need her as much as Nina does.

"Until my house is safe again, I think I will," Diego went cold thinking about the night a brick sailed through his bedroom window.

"Good," Audrey folded an arm across her chest. "You're missing out on your kids growing up, Diego. I know wrestling is your dream, but your children will be teenagers before you know it. Don't get me wrong, Nina means the world to me and Julian is a sweeter boy than you deserve, but I'm not going to be your glorified nanny forever."

"I think I need to take a step back for a while," Diego glumly told her, and she raised her eyebrows. "From KADA. Not the kids!"

"I knew Nina would be your weakness," she grinned cheekily. "She always has been your Achilles heel."

"Yeah. I can't stand having her hating me like this," Diego breathed out his sorrow and yawned. "I'm going to have to buy her something cool when I get home," he teased Audrey, who fell for the bait.

"No! You are not buying your daughter's love!" She pointed at the camera with a stern look on her face. "Not on my watch!"

"An expensive watch," Diego poked his tongue out. "Great idea!"

"Ooh, go to bed, you brat!" She blew him a kiss. "I have to start dinner. Will you call again tomorrow night?"

"Every night," Diego nodded. He'd attempted to call Zoey and speak to his youngest girl, but she would not answer his calls. Audrey did, though. She did a lot for him. "Be gentle with her! She's my marshmallow."

"She's a monster!" Audrey waved at him. "Goodnight, Diego."

The call was up, and that was it. Diego already felt lonelier than he ever had. Audrey's words stuck in his ears. They are growing up, he realised. Nina is six. The twins are four. Troy is... I don't even remember. I'm away more than I'm at home. No matter how well I provide for them with what I do, what good is it when I'm not experiencing their childhood with them?

He looked through his phone. Gloria. Sean. Oliver. Rachel. Pearl. ...Lance. He never thought for a moment that the British Bombshell would be one of his closest friends. He never thought for a moment that he'd lose Sean. Gloria was busy with Michelle or Sean, Oliver and Rachel were joined at the hip and Pearl spent most of her time with Giorgio, the two getting closer by the day. Giorgio was shredded, the man with the least amount of body fat percentage on the roster and eyes that would melt any woman of his choosing, yet he was smitten by all three hundred and twenty pounds of Pearl. It was sweet. Diego did not care much one way or another about Giorgio - he was just another fellow on the roster. Still, that was another friend Diego was seeing less now.

Without thinking of the potential consequences and desperate for some companionship, Diego slipped from his bed and crawled in next to Jimmy. There was enough space between them to avoid skin to skin contact, but Jimmy did stir.

"Ivy?" The man immediately asked, opening his sleepy eyes and turning his head. Diego felt awful when he heard Jimmy instinctively calling for the love of his life. The woman who'd left him because he spent too much time travelling.

"Erm... no," Diego replied awkwardly. "Sorry."

"Oh, Diego," Jimmy yawned and sat up, brushing his long brown hair back. "Everything alright? Why are you here?"

"I dunno," Diego lamented. "I'm not used to having an empty bed every night. Sorry. I'm not trying to gay you up or anything."

"You could do worse than me," Jimmy quipped, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head. His skin was so white in the mild light of the television. "It's fine. What's going on, buddy? Bad night?"

"I miss my girlfriend. I miss my friends and my family. I miss Sean," Diego let it all off his chest. "I'm tired of screwing up, and I'm tired of being lonely."

"Yeah, you've had one hell of a year," Jimmy acknowledged, looking at him with sympathetic blue eyes. "I think it's done you good, though."

"What do you mean?" Diego asked, slithering underneath the covers so only his head peeked out and rested against the pillow. How manly I must look like this. Pathetic.

"You had... a reputation, should we say?" Jimmy exhaled deeply. "You were not a friendly person, and you had a lot of personal beliefs I didn't agree with. I always respected you as a wrestler, but there were parts of you I didn't like. You know? Now... I think you've grown a lot. You're probably the best friend I have in the company. You have a lot of people who care about you even when you... well, when you screw up. And I've seen the two of you together. He's crazy about you, man, even after everything."

"I'm not sure it could ever work with Sean--" Diego went on, but Jimmy waved him off.

"Diego, I'm not talking about Sean," Jimmy yawned again, and Diego's mind began running. Lance? "Whatever man, you pick whoever you want. Now if you're going to sleep there, don't steal the blanket or I will dropkick you. Truth be told, and just between us guys, it's nice not to sleep in an empty bed for a change. You're not Ivy, but if you don't snore, then I'm okay with it." He turned away from Diego, lay down and drew the covers over himself.

Diego was grateful, of course, but now that Jimmy put that thought in his head, he wondered about Lance. The boy had admitted to being in love with Diego, albeit a crush from many years ago. Garth Lovecraft had testified to that, and he'd seen the wall in Lance's bedroom for himself. Maybe? The last thing he remembered as he dozed off was not Sean's beautiful, lithe body writhing in pleasure beneath him, nor was it the smiling faces of his children. It was Lance's red smile.

~

Friday, October 26th

The freedom the KADA wrestlers had in the United Kingdom was something they did not take lightly. While Margaret had some input, she took some steps down from her pedestal and treated it like a vacation. Michelle had the reigns more or less, and it was a significant night. Tonight, Gloria was going to win her first match in almost three years! A battle royal match in which participants battled to throw the others over the top rope to be the last wrestler standing, but that was still a huge deal because the contest would decide which of the talentless no-names and the real women's wrestlers would face Rachel for the Women's Championship. Gloria was not only winning a match tonight, but she was going to have a Championship match with Rachel. Diego still had not seen much of Rachel these days - mainly because she and Ollie were so close and it was weird with both of them, but Gloria was near rabid with excitement.

However, Margaret had a nose for ratings and quick cash grabs like a freaking bloodhound, so as Diego had suspected, Jimmy was her prize dog and was coming back to the Championship picture. Tonight, Diego was to defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Kodeine. Surprisingly, Kodeine was not going to win, though. The script had a few spots outlined by Michelle. At one point, Kodeine would spear Diego through the crowd barricade. At another point, Kodeine would reverse the Silva Spiral into a DDT move, planting Diego headfirst into the canvas, and during Kodeine's pin attempt, Lance would grab Diego by the foot and place it on the ropes to prevent a loss. In the end, Kodeine would set up to finish Diego, but Lance would hit him with a chair from ringside and Diego would win from the distraction. Following that, Jimmy Vause would come down and beat the holy hell out of Kodeine to send a message to Diego, and then the two would have a war of words. It was going to be an epic night!

"Hey," Diego heard Sean's voice as he was finishing dressing in his ring attire in the locker room. The boy was in his cheap denim shorts and a plain white shirt, and he wore his glasses.

"Sean," Diego struggled to look at him. He was so beautiful, but Diego was still furious with him. "What's going on? I didn't think you made the card tonight."

"I didn't," Sean replied bitterly, and Diego looked up at him. Poor kid. "I may as well go back to the motel and watch the show in bed, but Ollie's wrestling, so I'm here for him."

Diego did not want to speak about anything related to their affair or even his attraction to men while others were around. Giorgio and Chandler were mucking around together only half a dozen feet away.

"I'm sure he appreciates that," Diego replied quietly, trying not to give anything away. "But why are you in the locker room if you're not competing?"

"We're friends, aren't we?" Sean asked, his big brown eyes pleading. Desperate. He had two men who loved him more than anything, and he's on the verge of losing both of them. I would have given you everything. You chose to screw me instead, and not in the good way.

"Yeah. That doesn't mean you have to watch me dress," Diego replied gruffly, hoping his point came across. It did. Sean looked down at the floor, lowered his head and walked away.

"That was a bit out of order, don't you think?" Chandler commented from where he was standing. Diego did not bother to reply. He's a jobber who couldn't sell a free ham sandwich to a starving homeless person.

All dressed up in his ring attire - tights that lead into comfortable boots all in the colours of the Brazilian flag with an open, sleeveless jacket to match, the Heavyweight Championship swung over his shoulder and that ghastly knee brace he wasn't ready to take off yet - he made his way to the curtain. He would be up next after the women's match. To his delight he saw Lance waiting there, dressed up in casual clothes. In earlier days he often brazenly wore women's shoes to the ring, but now that he was more actively participating in the action, he wisely left them at home and wore flat-soled shoes whenever he was scripted to fight. To his dismay, however, Lance had his arm around Sean as the two watched Gloria pick apart the other women in the ring. Sean looked downright miserable. It seemed very much like Ollie didn't appreciate Sean being there for him. Kodeine, the unsightly creature, was pouting by the curtain in his trunks and boots. He was not happy about the apparent loss of his push, and his foul mood was written all over his ugly mug.

"Are you ready to go out?" Diego asked Lance, who had his hair tied into a knot at the back of his head. He looks better with it out, he thought. He liked it when Lance looked feminine or masculine. He did not like it when he was androgynous.

"I am," Lance sighed, placing a gentle kiss on the side of the Cherokee boy's face. The sight made Diego jealous. "I'm a bit buggered, though. I've been going non-stop with appearances and interviews. I can't wait to go to bed."

"Oh. You don't want to do something after we're done here?" Diego asked, butterflies in his belly. Go for a drink. Or catch a late movie. Anything.

"Probably not until we're back in America," Lance gave a tired smile. "Foxy and I are probably just going to crash and sleep. I have to be up early."

Foxy and I. Sean and Lance. What, Diego bitterly thought to himself, is he going to try his luck with Lance now, too?

"Look at her go," Sean murmured, his intoxicating brown eyes wide as he monitored Gloria on the screen.

Gloria was a beast. She was incredibly vocal as she wrestled, giving her brand of running commentary as the match progressed in an angry, harsh voice.

"Pretty little girl!"
"Yes! I got her!"
"Aww, down she goes!"
"That's gotta hurt!"
"You want to get in the ring with ME?"

The match entered a crescendo when only Gloria and Pearl stood in the ring together. Diego felt goosebumps. The crowd wasn't sure who to root for. The winner of this match would challenge Rachel for the Women's Championship - Rachel was the lead heel of the women's division. A villainess, and terrific at playing that role. Gloria was a heel too. So was Pearl. The three of them had been allies on screen for a long time. That was over now. Good plotting by Michelle, he thought. Margaret was too freaking stupid to understand this brand of storytelling. The two battled for nearly two full minutes by themselves. Pearl looked to be unstoppable, but Gloria did the unthinkable and lifted the big woman off the ground. With a mighty roar, Gloria stumbled a few steps to the ropes and unceremoniously dumped Pearl outside the arena. For the first time in a long time, Miss Murder played through the stadium in the conclusion of the match and Gloria celebrated. The crowd was eating it up.

"And the Queen Wasp says that women don't draw a crowd," Sean commented scornfully. "Glo just got the pop of the night. I hope she wins the title. She deserves it so much."

Sean used to get the pop of the night, back when he was coming into his own and getting a decent push to the main event. Now the crowd was confused. They had no idea whether to cheer him or boo him. His character made an abrupt turn to villain to accommodate Diego's hero turn early in the year, and since then he'd appeared on the main roster less and less.

"Gloria--" Diego was about to mention that their friend was soon to retire, but that was told to him and Lance in confidence. "--deserves everything," he agreed. "She and Rach will make the match of the night if Marg gives them a chance."

On screen, Rachel entered the ring, so full of attitude and sass that Diego struggled to watch his ex-girlfriend being such a total bitch, even if it was just a character. Rachel held up the Women's Championship in Gloria's face and spoke something unintelligible, then Gloria slapped her so hard in the cheek that she lost her footing and fell to the floor, the title belt hitting the canvas. Rachel quickly rolled out under the bottom rope to safety, and Gloria held up the Women's Championship that she would soon be competing for high above her head, now making the turn to a hero. Good! The crowd was behind her, and Diego couldn't help but beam with second-hand joy as Gloria made her intentions clear and the segment came to a close. Diego couldn't wait to congratulate her, but Gloria often used the back exit to avoid wading through people backstage before she changed her clothes.

"We're up next, poppet!" Lance kissed Sean on the forehead, and Kodeine made a derisive snort from where he stood. "Wait here for us to finish and we'll head off, alright?" Sean smiled and nodded. Hmph.

Kodeine was ready to go, but Diego did not wish him luck. While Kodeine was admittedly a strong enough wrestler not to need luck, he was also a complete dildo. He and Lance agreed on that. The crowd gave a decent pop to Kodeine when he entered to his generic metal theme. Diego and Lance watched together, and they prepared for Helicopter to ring through the Glasgow arena. Even before they were to appear on camera, Diego reached over and took Lance's hand in his own. Lance did not look at him, but the Champion caught a smile breaking over those red lips.

"Good luck!" Sean waved them off, and Helicopter thundered through the arena.

As little as a year ago, Diego got luke-warm reactions at best. People applauded his skill and technique as a wrestler, but he was otherwise not an exciting person. He did not play an interesting character. Well, that was in the past. Initially, when Michelle and Marg paired him with the red-eyed celebrity boy from London, the crowd reacted to Lance alone. Now, they both liked and disliked Diego. Homophobia was rife in the still masculine-dominated sport and Diego, Lance, Ollie and Sean all faced the ugliness that came with it, but there were always more supporters than there were haters.

"The following contest is scheduled for one fall!" Sherrie reminded the crowd through the microphone, standing in the middle of the ring. "It is for the Heavyweight Championship! Introducing first; the challenger, from Santa Fe, New Mexico, weighing in at two hundred and three pounds, Kodeine!"

Diego smirked at the man opposite him as the crowd booed him. He was supposed to be the hero, and he was unhappy with the reaction he was receiving while they were abroad.

"And the Champion, accompanied by Lance Lovecraft," Sherrie began, and immediately the fans buzzed with cheers, boos and everything in between. "From Fortaleza, Brazil..." Wait, what? Diego was confused. I've been billed from Tulsa for almost my whole career. Why did that change? Why did nobody tell me? Marg probably got tired of me not talking American enough. "Weighing in at two hundred and twenty-six pounds, he is the Heavyweight Champion, Diego Silva!"

Diego proudly held the belt up high in the air. He'd been the Champion for quite a while, and he didn't intend to lose it any time soon. Knowing Margaret, she was losing faith in Kodeine as the potential Champion because he was failing to get the crowd behind him, even though we're in the UK. Daft woman. Lance kissed him on the lips. Soft and loving. Not the detached pecks they used to force when this relationship angle began. Kodeine swallowed his disdain, aware of where he was and who he was against.

Diego was the bigger and stronger of the two, and being a heel once more felt more natural to him. Lance was an adept valet from the beginning and he'd only gotten better at the role, knowing precisely when to cheer Diego, mock Kodeine or engage with the nearby fans. Diego swore profusely in Portuguese when Kodeine spear tackled him right through the crowd barricade, breaking it and eliciting an insane cheer from the bloodthirsty audience in attendance. He'd braced himself for the spot, but it never felt good to take bumps like that. He'd been thrown onto ladders, smashed through tables, even fractured his orbital bone when a former wrestler called Orwin landed a stiff knee drop to his face. It was going to hurt for a while, but when he watched his matches on replay, it was always worth it. The referee flocked to them to make sure they were okay, and Diego gave a pained nod, ignoring the throbbing in his ribs and back.

Hurting, Diego continued with the match. Lance was where he needed to be when he was needed and he did everything required of him. After Diego strategically misdirected the referee's attention, Lance smacked Kodeine over the back with a steel chair from behind, and the Brazilian man lifted the cruiserweight up to deliver an earth-shattering Silva Spiral for the sudden victory. It felt good to deny Kodeine the Championship, even though the show was scripted. If he were to lose, he'd like it to be Sean, Ollie or Jimmy to inherit the belt. Diego and Lance celebrated together as the crowd chanted "Lansilva." That should be our official name, Diego reflected. Lansilva rolled off the tongue quite well.

Jimmy's ominous music thundered through the arena, and the big man made his way down. Diego and Lance fled the ring and stood with their arms around each other at ringside while Jimmy approached them like a demon out of Hell. He got into the ring and picked up a near lifeless Kodeine, effortlessly tossing the young man across the ring several times before lifting him and smashing him down to the mat with a sitdown Powerbomb - the big man's terrifying finisher move. Diego and Lance watched in fear as Jimmy picked up a microphone and spoke.

"Kodeine, Lance Lovecraft and Diego Silva," the giant spoke in his deep booming voice - he intentionally made it gravelly and scary to add to the mystique of the Big Bad Jimmy Vause persona. "I was watching this farce from backstage and what I witnessed offended me. Nothing but three little boys trying to play at a man's game. Do you know what it means to be a champion, Silva? I've done it more times than I can count on my fingers. How about you?" Even though it was more or less a scripted promo, Diego hated it when people brought up the fact that this was only the second Championship he'd held in KADA despite being here for over ten years. The crowd jeered at him, and he turned almost as red as Lance's eyes. "A Champion is fearless. A Champion never quits. A Champion does not need a sycophant to attack their opponents from behind while he cries to the referee. You aren't worthy of that belt."

"You think so?" Diego snatched the microphone from a member of the ring crew. "You seem to have a long memory, Vause, but do you remember who I beat to win the Heavyweight Championship in the first place? It was me, and since you like counting so much, why don't we remind everyone how many times I beat you? Not once, but twice!" He paused for a moment while the crowd jeered at Jimmy this time. The big man looked furious. "That's right, everyone! I beat Jimmy Vause twice!" Diego laughed cockily and raised the Heavyweight Championship above his head while Lance emphatically strutted his way around Diego, shouting support for his on-screen beloved. "I don't need to be any of those things to be the Champion, Vause. I only need to be the man who beat you! Twice!" Diego rubbed it in while Lance laughed heartily next to him. The crowd was beginning to boo him. Jimmy

"Last year at the New Year's Pay Per View, I destroyed your little boyfriend," Jimmy replied angrily after the crowd settled down. "This year, I'm going to destroy you. But here's my other promise, Silva. Your little boyfriend won't make it to the Pay Per View, and he won't be there to save your skin as he did tonight with Kodeine. I hope you enjoyed your time as KADA's most forgettable Heavyweight Champion because you won't be holding it for much longer."

Jimmy feinted a dash towards the two, and they scurried away and backed up to the entrance ramp to the jeers of the Glasgow audience. Diego made sure he looked as frightened as possible as he and Lance made a hasty exit through the curtain while Jimmy's music blared throughout the arena.

"That was awesome!" Sean exclaimed, his hands around his mouth as he sat cross-legged on one of the production tables. "You guys killed it!"

"Yeah, we did!" Lance ran over to squeeze him, exhilarated as he always was after performing in front of a crowd. Diego looked away so he did not have to see it.

"Well done little starling!" Gloria's arms were around Diego as soon as she found him. "You and Lance were perfect little bastards!"

"Well done yourself!" Diego squeezed her, his muscles screaming from the intensity of the match he'd wrestled and his ribs hurting. "You're getting the title match you wanted! How about that?"

"Yeah, it's a good time to be a wrestler," she replied, dressed in an oversized hockey jersey and presumably - hopefully - shorts underneath. "I'm glad people are taking notice."

Is that what this was all about? Diego had to wonder. Was it career suicide for the greater good? Was she defying Margaret in an effort to prove to the wasp that women were not just a three-minute pee break? Michelle was definitely behind tonight's effort. Whatever they're up to, it's working at least.

~

Monday, October 29th

The last thing Diego expected to see when he finally had the freedom to get back to his hotel room after main eventing an untelevised house show in Liverpool was a room full of people. Jimmy answered the door - which was not usual, as the two of them were in the habit of sharing hotel rooms so neither one would be too lonely. But Sean, Ollie, Rachel and even Michelle were all sitting together around the dining table.

"How the hell did you beat me here?" Was Diego's immediate question to Michelle, who had waved goodbye to him before he caught his taxi.

"Really?" Jimmy chuckled, gently pushing Diego towards an empty spot on the circular table between Michelle and Sean, who greeted him with a brief, insincere smile. "That's your first question? Good luck, 'Chelle. I'll hit the gym for a little while." Diego wanted to beg him to stay, but Jimmy avoided his gaze and shut the door behind him.

"Okay, what's going on?" Diego asked, dropping his travel bag and placing the Heavyweight Championship on the table. "Is this some intervention?" He'd been there a few times.

"Cheers for making it, Silva," Michelle looked painfully casual in a blue polo shirt and white jeans, her greying hair combed back and tucked underneath a black hairband. "I suppose intervention's a good name for it. We have crap to work out before we go back to the US tomorrow."

Diego's eyes widened. Ollie, Sean and Rachel. And me. This is about that night. Since then, although they'd done their best to remain professional, none of the relationships had properly recovered since then. Nobody could look at each other the same way. As far as I understand, Sean still loves both Ollie and me, but Ollie is sour on him and so am I. Ollie feels rightfully betrayed, but he blames Sean and not me. I blame me. Rachel is not angry about the breakup. She was fine with everything until Sean told everyone I was both bisexual and a cheater. What does this all have to do with Michelle?

"Good match tonight man," Ollie reached over and bumped his knuckles against Diego's. "You rocked it!"

"Stop doing that!" Sean whined from next to Diego. The boy looked divine. Diego still had immensely strong feelings for him. He was wearing a nice black shirt with tight black jeans, his long hair tied in an elaborate plait behind his head.

"Eyes on me, boys," Michelle snapped her fingers a few times to get their attention. "And girl," she reached over and snatched the phone from Rachel's hands.

"Hey!" Rachel objected, but Michelle pointed it at her. The blonde girl conceded reasonably quickly. Nobody messed with Michelle.

"Now I don't have all night, so we're going to forget the bullcrap, and we're going to work things out," Michelle leaned forward on her elbows.

"What does it matter?" Sean asked petulantly. "We're doing our jobs, and we're not dragging our problems into work."

"At least some of us," Diego looked over coldly to Rachel, who had gone into a whole new dimension of passive-aggressive. Bitch.

"It matters because I am doing my best for this company," Michelle raised her voice, and Diego looked at his hands. "Now, I'm going to be square here. None of you are perfect. Get that thought out of your heads right now because it's crap and I don't have all night. Fact is, even though you all do a decent job of keeping all the trash from stinking up the workplace, I can see the cracks and that means that the Queen Wasp can see them too."

Silence answered her, and Michelle seemed satisfied that she was now firmly in control of the conversation. Diego didn't dare to interrupt. The fact that Michelle brazenly spoke of Marg using her nickname was enough to scare him.

"I know the bitch," Michelle croaked in her throaty voice. She always sounded like she had a cold. "She got the sack from the sales company she was high up in because she loves to throw her skinny ass around and play with the careers of the people under her."

"Didn't she resign?" Rachel asked, gnawing at her fingernails. Gross. Maybe it was better to let her fiddle with her phone after all.

"Of course she did officially - before the spit hit the fan," Michelle snorted. "Now she's taking charge of her hubby's business. KADA Wrestling. She has no bloody idea what she's doing, but she's a youngish tart with plastic tits and a facelift, so Jerry's giving her the wheel. When we go back and Margaret bloody Bloom notices what's going on, she'll have a hell of a time using it against you. Do you see where I'm coming from now? I get it. This is a rough time for you guys. And me. All of us! We can't afford to fly back home with any more baggage than we need, so we're going to get all of our baggage out on the table and leave what we don't need in lime country where it belongs."

"What's she going to do that she isn't already doing?" Sean asked sullenly, resting his pretty head against his hand. "I work so many untelevised shows that I forget how long it's been since I was on TV."

"You want to know what she's got planned after the New Year's Pay Per View?" Michelle grimaced and rolled her eyes. "A shake-up is her word for it. Silva, you'll drop your title and swap roles with Lance. She thinks he's ready to take up your mantle. Vickery, you're going to job for a while until you 'learn to respect the order of things.' Rachel dear, you're thirty, and she thinks that means you're ready to retire soon. And Fox? You won't have a job. She wants to release you from your contract."

"What?" Ollie and Rachel had been listening in horror, but the last comment shocked them. Sean went white, and Diego's jaw dropped.

"Good. I think we're ready!" Michelle drummed her fingers on the table and leaned in closer. "I don't care if you're embarrassed or you have secrets or if you're scared of airing your dirty laundry in front of me. All of you are going to do this. If you don't want to then the door's right there, but you're on your own. I'm doing my best to keep this sinking ship afloat, and I'll happily throw any dead weight overboard. Rachel, why don't you start?"

"What do you expect me to say?" She took her nails from her mouth and uncomfortably brushed blond curls from her face. "My boyfriend at the time cheated on me for months with someone I thought was one of my best friends. What else is there?"

"Yeah, that's my gripe too," Ollie piped up, but Michelle stuck her fingers in her mouth and let out an ear-piercing whistle.

"We'll get to you," she pointed at him, then back to Rachel. "Alright. So Silva and Fox have been having an affair, and you're understandably pissed about that."

"Diego and I weren't properly together for the last few months anyway," Rachel sighed, looking over at him. Was it contempt in her eyes or regret? "We broke up that night the... that tornado came and nearly killed us, and we were okay with it. I was okay with it. We're good at being friends, but we were terrible at being together." Diego had to smile, and Rachel surprised him by smiling as well. "Then I find out that he's been cheating on me. I don't care that it was with a guy. I... friends don't do that, you know? It didn't matter if our relationship was over or not! That's why I'm pissed. If Diego were my friend, he would have been brave enough to tell me what he was doing."

"I never wanted to hurt your feelings," Diego told her meekly, and Rachel's smile vanished.

"What the hell do you think was going to happen?" She snapped at him. "You could have broken up with me for months before you did, but you treated me like an idiot. Like I had no value to you at all!"

There was brief silence while Diego and Rachel looked at each other - Rachel was angry, Diego was guilty. Michelle looked at Rachel, then to Diego, then back to Rachel.

"Is that all, Reid?" Michelle asked tentatively. "Get it all out."

"That's all I have to say to him," Rachel gave one last scowl to Diego, then she focused her attention on Sean, who seemed to shrink. "I don't understand how you can do that to Ollie. Never mind it was my boyfriend you seduced, but Ollie wanted to marry you! I was the first person he showed the ring he picked out for you! I was so happy for you guys. Why did you have to ruin everything? All he ever did was love you." Sean's eyes were leaking tears and Diego wanted to lean over and hug him. He didn't, though. He was still angry with Sean, even though he had strong feelings for him. Besides, that would hardly make the current situation better.

"I know this sucks, Sean," Michelle looked at him with pity. Wow, she used his first name. When does she ever do that? She must be really fond of him. "It stings when we clean out our cuts, but it's better than letting them get infected." That's a good analogy, Diego noted. I'll have to remember that for my kids. "Who wants to go next?"

"I don't wanna go next, but better to rip the band-aid off, am I right?" Ollie mumbled, his arms folded over his muscular chest. He wore a tight purple tee and his flashy sunglasses sat on top of his crew cut. "Di, we already had this talk. I ain't mad at you. I know what it's like realising you're into guys and I know what it's like to fall in love with Seano. I've been there. That night before the twister came along, you asked me if I would let you be with my baby, and I respected the hell out of you for that. I dunno if you did it out of respect for me or because you felt guilty about what you were already doing. Which was it?"

"..." Diego felt eyes on him. "It was both," he finally replied.

"Fair," Ollie shrugged. He looked so tired. "You went behind my back as my friend, but in the end, you didn't break the rules I had with Seano. But you did." He directed his last comment at Sean, who was now beginning to sob. Ollie was clearly distressed seeing his beloved so upset, but this was possibly the only time everyone involved in this huge mess would be able to speak freely. "Come now, baby. I always gave you the space you wanted. I always looked the other way when you went home with some tasty piece from the club. I get it. But you were supposed to come home to me and tell me about it. I trusted you. Why couldn't you be honest with me?"

"I couldn't out Diego!" Sean whimpered, drying his eyes on the sleeves of his shirt.

"Really?" Rachel replied before Diego had the chance to. "You're gonna say that when it's exactly what you ended up doing?" Wow. Maybe she doesn't hate me after all, leaping to my defence like that. Diego remained quiet.

"Look, I'm sorry!" Sean blubbed. Michelle got from her seat and stood behind him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. It was strange to see her being so maternal. So warm.

"Sorry doesn't cut it, baby," Ollie began to sniffle as well, flicking down his glasses so nobody could see his eyes misting up. "I want to know why."

"It wasn't just sex," Sean, to his credit, looked Ollie in the face as he spoke, his eyes occasionally flicking to Diego's. "I had feelings. That's why I couldn't tell you. You'd know. I didn't want to hurt you."

"And Diego has those feelings too," Ollie sighed long and deep. "Thank you Seano. That's all I needed to hear."

"I'm not a therapist, but I think you guys are doing great," Michelle piped up, realising how heavy the atmosphere in the room was getting. She was a skilled mediator, even if she wasn't qualified or trained. "Silva, why don't you have a turn."

"Oh Christ," Diego put his face into his hands and sucked his teeth.

"While we're young," Michelle pushed him. "Woman up."

"Okay," Diego started with Rachel. "Rach, I did love you. A lot. But I wanted more from you than what you could give me. I didn't know I liked guys until earlier this year. Sean... I don't know. He treated me like I was interesting. He made me feel attractive. He... was emotionally invested in me, and you just weren't. That's why I started seeing him in private."

"So you're telling me that this is all my fault?" Rachel asked, offended and horrified by such an accusation. Diego shook his head.

"No. You're doing it again right now!" He took a few seconds to regain his footing. "It's my fault, Rachel. I should have been strong enough to tell you what I wanted in the first place. I should have broken up with you when I realised I was never going to get it. I'm sorry. You were right about everything you said earlier. You didn't deserve what I did to you."

"Thank you," Rachel was the third one to begin letting emotions get the best of her. "That means a lot. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me. I guess that's not who I am."

"Are we good now?" Diego asked in hope, and she nodded, wiping her eyes with her index fingers. "Great, because I've missed you a lot."

"I've missed you too," she let out a laugh and readjusted herself in the seat so she was not looking so detached and aloof. Finally.

"Oliver, you've always been a better friend than I deserved," Diego turned his attention to the big man. "You were patient with me when I was a homophobic bellend, but you never let me get away with it. I guess seeing you so confident and happy with yourself was what I needed to see to... come to terms with a few things. I tried to do right by you, but it was too little too late. I don't have an excuse. I'm sorry."

"Man, we're cool," Ollie managed to grin, but his cheeks were wet, and his pricey shades couldn't hide that. "You don't have to worry about me, brother."

"Sean... oh God," Diego was the fourth and final person at the table to begin weeping. The light shone from the Cherokee boy's wet face, and his delightfully brown eyes appeared washed out and empty. "I realise that night was the worst day of your life. I know all you wanted was to stop feeling guilty about what we did. But... I can't forgive you for that. I wasn't ready to come out yet. I certainly wasn't ready to tell everyone what we were doing! I suppose I deserved it for everything I've done wrong, but it hurt so much because it was you who said it. You said you loved me. Was that a lie?"

"It was not a lie!" Sean said defensively. Michelle rubbed his shoulders some more. It was nice that she seemed to know that it could very easily come across as an orbital strike on Sean Fox from all directions, and made sure he didn't feel as though everyone was against him. "I did love you. I still do!"

"What about me then, Seano?" Ollie asked, his voice cracking under the weight of his emotions.

"I love you too," Sean admitted sadly. "Both of you. I'm not like you guys! I can't love just one person. It's not enough for me. No one man ever will be. I'm so sorry I hurt you all. My career is circling the drain no matter how hard I work at it, my family thinks I'm some traitor and that night with the twister I lost my home and my animals. I know it's not an excuse for what I've put the three of you through, but please believe me when I say I never meant to hurt you all."

"Oh whatever, I believe you," Rachel reached across and took his hand in hers. "I guess hearing it from your side puts some things in perspective."

"This ain't the end," Ollie warned them, standing up from his place. "Sean, I can't just forgive you for playing with my heart like that, and we need to talk about what's going to happen next. But cheers for being honest. So thanks for this, 'Chelle. Sure as hell things won't be all rainbows by tomorrow, but I reckon this has done me a world of good."

"Ditto to that," Rachel wiped her eyes one last time and reached for her bag. "I need to be alone to think for a little while. Thank you, 'Chelle."

"You lot are special to me," Michelle was the only person in the room who failed to shed a tear, it seemed. Stony old bitch. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep the lot of you. Go on, you two. Get lost, and I'll see you on Friday."

Diego didn't have the privilege of leaving. It was his hotel room, after all. After Ollie and Rachel went, Michelle sat opposite the two men.

"I think there's one more thing that needs saying," Michelle told Diego, her grey eyes stern. "Just between the two of you."

"What do you mean?" Sean asked her, but she nodded towards Diego.

"No, I don't know what you're talking about," Diego told her, but he did. Please don't make me do this, Michelle. Please.

"Diego," Michelle warned. There she goes, he thought. Using a first name again. But it can't be because she loves and respects me. She hates me for what I did. He shook his head. "No more secrets!" She added, but he didn't want to go there.

"What?" Sean was getting suspicious. "What's going on?"

"It's better he hears it from you now than from her," Michelle urged him. "She will always hold that over your head otherwise."

"What?" Sean raised his voice.

"I did it," Diego finally admitted, months and months of guilt finally coming off his chest. "It was me. I stole your push."

"You what?" Sean seemed confused. He wasn't putting two and two together.

"You remember when you were going to win that tables match and go on to beat Jimmy for the Heavyweight Championship?" Diego was almost shaking with nerves and feeling sick at what he'd done to the boy he now loved. "We blamed Lance and cut up his clothes. Well... it wasn't him."

"We know it wasn't him, Diego," Sean had changed. He was now shaking as well, but Diego imagined it was with fury. His voice was like acid.

"I called Margaret," Diego's lip began to tremble. "She was so high on Lance that I knew she'd push the two of us to the stars. I was hoping you'd all blame Lance for it and make him quit, but he never did. I'm sorry."

"You stole my push," Sean muttered, the heartbreak evident on his face. "You ruined my whole career all because of your stupid vendetta against Lance."

"That's in the past now," Michelle broke in. "You have my word that I'll fix this, Foxy. I'll give you a new character, a new angle and--"

Sean stood up and delivered an open-palmed smack to Diego's face so hard and loud that it made the Brazilian man's eyes water. Michelle's mouth fell open, and she did not speak or react in any other way until the boy shook his head and silently left the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Thanks for that, 'Chelle," Diego bitterly rubbed his face. "I feel so much better."

"It had to be done, love," she stood up and reached for him. He recoiled. "Diego, if he heard it from her and not you..."

"What? He'd kick my balls instead?" Diego wasn't angry at her. He was angry at himself for ever doing that to Sean in the first place. "I need to go out."

"Okay," Michelle conceded and accompanied him as he left the room. "Does Vause have a key?"

"If he doesn't then it might be a long night for him," Diego locked the door behind him. "Tell him I've gone out."

He had only his wallet in his pocket. He did not even bother to take his phone. Without wishing her good night or a stress-free flight in the morning, he walked away and took the stairs rather than the elevator. He knew where he needed to go. It was late and he caught a cab to the club. A year ago he'd never have set foot in a place like this, but now... it was the only place that might have made him feel like less of a total dumpster of a human being. He paid his way in, bought a beer from the bar and sucked it down. As he paid for a second one and it went down just as quickly. As he spent for his third, hoping it would give him the courage to move to the next room, he heard the most familiar music in the world. It was Froot. Lance's theme. Is he performing to his entrance music? Well, Lovecraft always was a crowd pleaser, Diego thought. He chugged the alcoholic beverage in his hand as he pushed through the crowd to the next room: the dance floor and the stage. There he was. It lifted the heaviness of Diego's heart just to see him.

Lance was centre stage, as Diego expected. He had a drag queen either side of him, and he was singing the lyrics of his KADA music into a microphone as he danced merrily and seductively to the theme. Nearly every night since they arrived in the UK, Lance had been booked to perform in some wrestling company or club in some capacity. He was in high demand, and his schedule was mad. Yet, he comes home to America with me, Diego thought. Lance was not a particularly good singer in Diego's opinion, but that did not matter to him or the hundreds of people singing with him. He looked radiant, the lights glimmering off the red glitter he painted onto his naked torso and the tight black leather pants he'd squeezed into. The boy's voice was too tenor-baritone to hit the high notes, so he didn't try to. Still, it was the first time Diego ever heard the lyrics - really heard them.

"Don't you give me a reason that it's not the right season," Lance's reached out to the people in front of him to touch their hands as they showered him with adoration. "Babe, I love you a lot! I'll give you all I got! Yeah, you know that it's true. I've been saving all my Summers for you," the boy looked up and immediately his red eyes found Diego, who smiled at him. He seemed surprised, but his eyes twinkled merrily, and he maintained eye contact as he continued. "I've been saving all my Summers for you."

Thanks to everyone who reads To The Stars ❤️ Apologies, I've been both busy and full of writer's block! Happy holidays!