To The Stars - 21. The Finale

Friday, December 28th

"It's so big..." Lance gasped, looking out at an empty Rose Bowl Arena as the sun was beginning to set. Orange and pink streaked the sky above, and nearly a hundred thousand empty seats stared back as the crew set up for the biggest night of the year.

"That's what she said," Gloria snickered, and Lance rolled his eyes, but Diego and Rachel laughed.

"It's always breathtaking," Rachel commented, her phone safely tucked into her bra. "Every year. I bet you're happier to see it than you were last year."

"Oh... you have no idea," Lance covered his mouth with long, freshly painted nails, almost like claws. "I wish I said no when Margaret asked me to wrestle the main event. I knew I wasn't ready, but... it was all I ever wanted."

"Well, maybe next year, then?" Rachel turned and walked away. She'd had enough of the view already.

"This'll be my final match tonight," Gloria was suddenly solemn when Rachel had gone, and it was just her with the boys. "I can't believe it."

"It doesn't have to be, you know," Diego reminded her. "The company needs you. Hell, I need you! I'm not ready for you to leave!"

"Honey! I'm retiring from in-ring competition at KADA, I'm not on the next spacecraft to Mars," Gloria laughed, but she soon looked sad once more. "Still, it's not easy to look down at that ring and know I'm going to end this part of my career in just a few hours. Almost thirteen years. Wow. Enjoy your wrestling career, baby Lovecraft. Time goes too fast in this industry." She smiled, then she left as well.

"Well, this got depressing," Lance sighed. Diego couldn't help but gently hug him from behind, locking his arms around the boy's waist.

"It's true, you know," Diego murmured quietly into the boy's ear. "You've been watching me since I started, haven't you?"

"You make it sound stalkerish, but yes," Lance put his suntanned hands over Diego's darker ones. "You were so cute when you were young."

"That was almost sweet," Diego chuckled. "But how long did it take from then to get to now?"

"Ten, eleven years?" Lance was missing the point, and he leaned his head back against Diego's shoulder.

"That's what the records say, but it all went by in the blink of an eye," Diego sighed, but he wasn't sad about it. He'd enjoyed every bit of those ten and a half years. But this... this was the best year by far. Watching his young protégé grow and growing alongside him. "You're gonna love it, Lance. I promise."

"You're a pillock," Lance laughed, turning around to face his mentor. His eyes shone like rubies in the dimming daylight. He looked happier than anyone Diego had ever seen. "Thank you for everything. Sincerely."

"Me? You're the one who put up with me being a homophobic bellend for so long," Diego shrugged. "If you can put up with me, then you can put up with anything."

"You... ahh--" Lance blushed, his eyes leaving Diego's and looking shyly down at his expensive shoes. "N-never mind."

"No, what?" Diego asked, reaching over to gently touch Lance's cheek. The boy couldn't help but sigh in contentment and close his eyes. "Tell me."

"In the beginning, you broke my heart, Diego," Lance admitted, keeping his eyes closed. "All I ever wanted was to be a part of this world. Your world. And you were such a bloody twat. Ten years I had this fantasy, and you ruined all of it. But now you're... ahh. Don't worry about it. I'm a loser."

"What am I?" Diego pushed him, not sure he'd like this story. Crushing Lance's dream was an obsession at one point - so much so that he destroyed Sean's career to make it a reality.

"You're... just like I imagined you," Lance laughed nervously and pulled away, turning back to the ring as the sun vanished over the horizon. "When I used to look at your posters as a teenager."

"Hey," he followed Lance and turned him around once again. "I know you and I met a long time ago. I saw the photo of you, your Dad and me when we were at your house."

"Oh... that," Lance straightened the massive bowtie he wore on his frilly sleeved white shirt. "Yeah. Bloody hell. You're doing it to me all over again!"

"What?" Diego laughed, and Lance hid his face behind his hands.

"I was too scared to even talk to you that day!" Lance giggled, inhaling and exhaling. "I had my whole speech planned weeks in advance! I was going to tell you that I was your biggest fan! I had all the posters, all the figurines, hours of your matches on tape... and I couldn't even tell you my name when you asked. It was both the best and worst day of my life. Now you're turning me to jelly all over again because you're just like... how I imagined you when I was lonely... and you were all I had."

Diego, deeply moved by his words, reached over and caressed the boy's face, and Lance leaned into his touch, closing his eyes and sighing in contentment before pulling away.

"You shouldn't touch me like that," Lance told him tartly, backing off.

"I don't care if anyone sees," Diego shrugged. He kissed Lance on screen all the time. Rumours followed him everywhere. There was nothing he could do with Lance that hadn't been written in fanfiction hundreds of times or speculated on by fans and haters hundreds of thousands of times.

"It's not that!" Lance walked past him sadly. "Just... don't do that. Okay?"

He left Diego standing on the stage, alone and rejected. For a time he stood there, watching the workmen set up the ring and the crowd barriers, deep in thought. Memories of the very rocky relationship he had with the young man.

"I had the biggest crush on you when I was a teenager."
"You're just lucky I'm not the kind of person you are."
"Why are you so desperate to ruin things for me? All the time?"
"It hurts me a lot because so much of me still loves you so much."
"I've been saving all my Summers for you."

Jimmy once mentioned something to Diego that stuck with him. "I've seen the two of you together. He's crazy about you, man, even after everything." Garth, Lance's uncouth but big-hearted father, had something to say as well. "He loves you, son. He always has." That's why he hated me so intensely. That's why he's scared right now.

"Well, hello there, darlin'!" That sickly sweet voice, thick with the accent of southern Alabama, interrupted Diego and made him feel sick. There was only one person it could belong to.

"How do you do, Mrs Bloom?" Diego turned to greet her.

She looked brilliant. Her platinum hair was gathered on the crown of her head and tumbled around her shoulders and back in ringlets. She wore a revealing black dress, skin-tight, and tall lace-up heels. Many rings gripped her slender, white fingers and huge silver hoops went through her ears. There was no denying it. Margaret Bloom was freaking hot for a woman in her mid-forties. It was a shame she was married to the man who owned the company - and also a complete bitch.

"Oh, darlin', I'm almost beside myself!" She smiled at him with glossy pink lips, a face without wrinkles or imperfections. She was so synthetic it was pathetic. Had the surgeon's knife in her skin so many times that she was a glorified turkey on the Thanksgiving table. "This is the biggest event of the whole year! I just had to come and be a part of it. We're a family after all."

"Mm," Diego dared not argue with her, but he wasn't able to totally censor himself. "I hope this year's main event is better than the last one."

"With you at the helm, Mr Silva? I'm sure it will be the best main event yet!" She smiled a fake smile at him - as fake as the rest of her. Wolf in lamb's clothing. "I'm sure sorry we've decided to go in a different direction next year. You understand."

"I'm actually grateful, Mrs Bloom," Diego replied with a content smile. "I love being the Heavyweight Champion - and hey, my name's in the record books now, isn't it?" Margaret gave a slight nod, her smile ever present on her face. "Can I please ask a favour?"

"Darlin', the very long title reign is the favour. Handing you Lance Lovecraft to give your career any type of meaning is the favour," she replied coolly, and Diego felt her words like daggers in the heart.

"Can you please put Sean Fox back in the fold where he belongs?" Diego pleaded with her, and she eyed him off. "He deserves to be in the main event. It always should have been him."

"He's expendable," Margaret replied softly, yet her tone packed a hell of a punch. "As are you, Mr Silva. Lance Lovecraft and James Vause are the company's best investments. When Mr Fox went as far as to destroy Mr Lovecraft's personal effects, he sealed his fate. I will not terminate his contract, but he will never be a Champion in this company. He needs to serve as an example."

"This is his job!" Diego snapped at her, those words of hers deeply upsetting him. It only served to make her smirk at him, folding her arms across her fake tits. Ergh. "His career! His dream! He made every sacrifice to make it here. He worked harder than anyone else in this freaking place! He was completely over before you went out of your way to screw everything up for him!"

"At your request, or did you forget?" She snorted. "I expected more gratitude from you, Mr Silva. If I didn't help you out, you'd be out of a job right now. Do you believe I made the wrong call?"

"I..." Diego felt trapped by her words and cursed himself. She's my boss. She ruins people for fun. I should have kept my mouth shut. That was stupid of me. "I think Sean deserves it more than I do. So... yes. I do."

"Well, that's easily amended, darlin'!" Margaret beamed at him facetiously. "I'm a flexible woman. If you don't think you belong at the face of the company, then I can change that! After tonight, we'll find a new direction for you. Without Lovecraft. Tonight, Mr Silva, break a leg." She winked at him, and then she strutted her way back towards the backstage area. Ahh, bollocks. He looked once more towards the now assembled ring. Oh well. If she takes me off television, then that means I get more time to spend with my family. Nina. Jilly. Julian. Audrey. Luiza. A movement to his left drew his attention, and he saw Sean. Oh.

"It's alright. You don't have to talk to me," Diego told him miserably. "I know I ruined everything."

Sean was such a little nerd outside of his persona. Glasses with thick rims, plain tees in different colours and denim shorts, most often. Depending on the weather he would wear flipflops or slip-on shoes, otherwise going barefoot the way he did when he was young and growing up by Grand Lake. He had his hair tied up in a messy bun, and before he appeared on television tonight, he'd spend more time in the hair stylist's chair than any of the women. It was a lot of hair, and with his character change, it was important that his personal grooming was second to none. The boy approached, looking both angry and guilty.

"You did," Sean told him angrily. "You threw my career away."

"I can't apologise enough times for that," Diego forced himself to look into those beautiful brown eyes that once peered back with such love and desire. Now they were empty. "You have every right to hate me. I just... I was desperate, you know? I would have done anything to get ahead, and at the same time, I would have done anything to make Lance look bad. I'd change it if I could, but I can't."

"You know I've been here the whole time?" Sean allowed himself to grin, and it was a relief to see that smile again. It had been far too long. "For quite a while, actually. I was just over there," he pointed to the left side of the stage. It dropped off several feet, and Diego guessed Sean must have been enjoying peace and quiet before his group arrived on the stage. "I didn't think you'd ever speak to the Queen Wasp like that. Are you looking to get stung?"

"Whatever. I've had my time in the spotlight," Diego met his gaze once more. "I meant what I said to her. It should always have been you."

"You didn't know I was listening, so I know you were speaking from the heart," Sean reached over and put his hand on Diego's jacket - right where his heart beat in his chest. "You love Lance though, don't you?"

"You heard our conversation," Diego bit his lip, turning pink under his dark skin.

"I heard a lot of things. Gloria's retiring tonight. I wish she'd have told me that. But I heard you and Lance, yeah. Funny. You threw my career away because of how much you hated him, and look at you both now," Sean's face crumpled. "You're both happy with each other. All the things you did and everything I went through this year... all of it was for nothing! My whole life is just collateral damage to you guys! I had to lose my family to make it to KADA. They would not understand why I was willing to sell out my heritage - the most important part of me. I did it for my dream to wrestle, and you threw my dream away! I lost my family, then my career, my house, both the men I loved and now my friends as well! And this is all because of you and Lance!"

"What would you have me do?" Diego asked him, throwing his hands up in the air. "I've been guilty about it since I won that tables match against you. Especially when we were together because I was so crazy about you. You made me feel loved. I thought you were playing games with me. Being with me on tour and going back to Ollie. Never making a decision about us. I didn't understand until recently what it was like to love two different people."

"Don't you say you love me," Sean hissed, pointing his finger in Diego's face. "Don't you dare say that! Not after what you did!"

"Then I won't say it," Diego replied, brushing Sean's finger away with his hand. "But while you are talking to me, I want to take the chance to thank you for everything you did for me. Whatever time we had together was short and super awkward, but I loved it."

"I heard everything you said to Margaret, okay?" Sean took off his glasses and hung them on the collar of his shirt. "That was sweet of you. You and I though... I guess we're both going to be out of a job soon while she's in charge."

"We'll nab Gloria and make our own wrestling company," Diego suggested with a grin. "One that'll kick the ass of anything Margaret Bloom thinks is good for business."

"You know I would agree to that," Sean managed to swallow his resentment and bitterness and offer a smile - it was beautiful to see that pretty face light up again. It had been far, far too long. "Look, I know I deserve everything that happened. My grandfather taught me that good is rewarded and evil is punished, and I know that's why everything has fallen apart. Still, I can't help it, Diego. I'm so angry at you, and at Lance. Whether this is justice for the things I've done or not, that's just how I feel."

"I get it," Diego ran his hand through his short curls. "Okay. If you feel differently, then I'm always ready to be pals again. Losing you would suck. I miss you. A lot."

"Hmmm..." Sean looked deep in thought, but he sighed and extended his hand. "I don't know if forgiving you would help bring balance back to my life, but it couldn't hurt. I miss you too. A lot." Diego gratefully shook Sean's hand and fought the urge to hug him close. Enough strife had come from his affiliation with the pretty young fellow. Sean didn't say so, but Diego sensed he agreed.

~

With that resolved, he returned backstage. It was a colossal place - bigger than most of the arenas he'd performed in. Workers and cameras were everywhere. As the production crew set up, journalists took the time to interview as many wrestlers as they could, but Diego dodged them. He wasn't in a mood to answer tedious questions, even if he enjoyed being a bratty bad boy. I may as well get changed now, he thought. I can always wear my jacket until it's showtime. The main event. It still sounded surreal to him - as though it shouldn't be happening.

"Diego, my man!" Ollie grabbed him by the hand and pulled him in for a bro hug, squeezing tight enough to pull the air from Diego's lungs.

"Ollie! You didn't make the card tonight!" Diego remarked sadly. "That sucks, man."

"Not on the card, but I'm on TV," Ollie flashed that handsome smile of his, those teeth pearly white and perfectly straight. "Gonna declare for the Tag Team Championship after their match tonight!"

"Yeah?" Diego beamed at him. That was good. Oliver was a solid and hard worker, charismatic and innovative. "Who's your partner?"

"Ahh--" Ollie's smile faded, but he was optimism incarnate, after all. "Seano. We've been tagging a bit this year, so we'll be an official team as of tonight."

"Heya, dude!" Kodeine was surprisingly civil and greeted him, in the middle of changing to his own ring gear. He had a freckly chest and arms, and although he was tight and fit, he was just unappealing. Pimply and pale. "I'm so ready for our match tonight!"

"Let's make it a good one," Diego winked at him. "My whole year's been leading up to this. Don't feel bad if I outshine both of you."

"You can try," Kodeine tended to sneer a lot, but this was an occasion in which he wasn't unfriendly. He'd been jealous and annoyed by his mistimed push - trying to get over with the crowd while they were in the UK. Now that they were in America and the fans adequately rewarded him with praise for his efforts, he was mellowing out.

"What's gonna happen with Lansilva after tonight?" Ollie asked, changing from his street clothes not into ring gear, but much more formal attire. "You gonna hang around the title picture or something else?"

"Well, the Wasp wants to throw me on my ass after tonight," Diego revealed, remembering his tense conversation with her. "I'll probably have my rematch with whoever wins tonight, and then she'll split us up and give Lance something to do while I end up on the Island until I quit."

"That's messed up," Kodeine folded his arms and frowned. "That dumbass skank doesn't know spit about our business."

"She bangs the owner of the company and he lets her play with it," Ollie shrugged. "Nothing we can do but get over it, I guess."

"Hey Kodes, do you mind if I have a private chat with Ollie?" Diego asked suddenly. Kodeine shrugged and left the room, dressed in his midnight black boots and trunks. "That was easy."

"He's not a people person," Ollie chuckled, slowly dressing up. "Reminds me a lot of you at the start of the year. What's up, Big D Di?"

"I-- what?" Diego laughed at the nickname while Ollie suddenly gave him. "Sean and I talked. He's really down, man. He could use a boost. Why don't you go and talk to him?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Ollie replied, slipping on his shades so Diego wouldn't see his eyes.

"You love him, don't you?" Diego hated the uncertainty of severing his feelings for Sean, but it was the right thing to do.

"Dammit man, you know I do!" Ollie braced himself on the wall. "But the truth is if Seano and I were meant to be together he would never have gone behind my back to be with you."

"You know it's not that simple," Diego pushed. "Love is messy as hell. I wish somebody taught me that a long time ago because it's given me four unplanned children and ruined some of my best friends. You know I found my sister, Ol?"

"I didn't you had a sis, Di. That's awesome," he smiled warmly.

"Well, I didn't for twenty-three years. She left when we were young and I... let her down. Then I found her, and maybe it'll take a while before it'll be back to how it was, but she's in my life again, and I couldn't be happier to have her. I don't mean to speak for you and Sean, but you both love each other, don't you? You can fix it," Diego thanked Dr Bandyopadhyay for helping him to embrace and express his feelings. It helped Jilly the most, but it was also beneficial for Nina and Julian, and even Audrey. Why not Ollie?

"I'll think about it," Ollie's voice shook as he spoke. "You better head off. Thanks for telling me about that."

Diego shut his luggage case, dressed in his wrestling gear, and did as Ollie bid him. There wasn't anything else to say that hadn't already been said. When he left the locker room, he was surprised to see Pearl waiting for him.

"Hey! Ahh-- you know this is the men's changing room, right?" He pointed out, and she laughed. Oh, Pearl.

"Michelle wants to see you in the parking lot," she leaned into his ear and whispered. "In secret."

"What?" Diego asked her, confused and suspicious. "Why? What's going on?"

"I don't know! That is the message she gave me," Pearl smiled and squeezed his shoulder. "Good luck tonight!"

~

The first thing Diego saw when he reached the massive parking lot was... nothing. Nobody. Oh, but then he saw Jimmy's giant white hand beckoning him over. Between two of the equipment trucks. When Diego rounded the corner, he was surprised to see more than just Michelle and Jimmy. Gloria, Kodeine and Rachel joined her there. Gloria was in a beautiful new ring attire - a regal leotard, blue and black with hundreds of studs. She was gorgeous. Rachel wore her emerald and black tights with a very elaborate brassiere in the same colour.

"About time, Silva!" Michelle snapped, grabbing him and pulling him close. "The show's going live very shortly. Now, this has to stay between us, alright? We're going mutiny."

"Can you start from the beginning?" Diego asked her, not following at all.

"Our match tonight," Rachel mentioned. "Gloria and I? Forty seconds."

"What? Forty seconds for a Championship match at the New Year's Pay Per View?" Diego's face fell. "The Wasp, right?"

"You called it," Jimmy has his great white arms folded across his great white chest. "She wants the whole segment over in three minutes because she doesn't want the women taking away time from the men."

"Ridiculous!" Gloria huffed, her arms folded. The poor woman. She was retiring tonight. Her last ever match - forty seconds. A whole career redefining what it meant to "fight like a girl" capped off with forty seconds.

"So I say to hell with that. We're going rogue," Michelle took charge once more. "We can't do it without you, Diego. Will you make a big sacrifice for us?"

"Ahh-- what do you mean?" Diego asked timidly, and Kodeine grumbled.

"She wants the women to main event and us to go before them," Kodeine cut right to the point, his voice thick with disappointment and bitterness. "And to cut ten minutes from our match time."

You can't be serious. I've been waiting for this my whole career. To main event at the most prestigious KADA event of the year. That's always been my dream! No, no, no. The crowd has never been so hot for me. My career has never been so golden! And after my talk with Bloom, it'll never be golden again after tonight. This might be my last chance to be the man. The stars have aligned for me. But in the same notion, he couldn't stand the thought that Gloria and Rachel's position tonight would be the no-return point for women's wrestling in KADA. Dammit!

"The guys in the tag match have agreed to sacrifice five minutes from their match for us, and the Cruiserweights have given us five minutes as well. I've already spoken to Lovecraft, and he's in full support," Michelle explained. "If you agree to give us ten minutes from your segment, we can give the women a chance to steal the show. Gloria and Rachel. Show the world that the women can wrestle as good as any of the men, and the Wasp won't be able to get away with killing the women's division."

"But why do they need to main event for this to happen?" Diego asked, turning red as everyone's eyes found him.

"Because we need to make Marg look like an idiot!" Jimmy broke in. "We know Gloria can outwrestle any man on in the company. Any man in the industry! And Rachel is one of the best heels we've ever had. Tonight's not about us, Diego. It's about the girls. If the women get three measly minutes on a four-hour show, then I don't think the division will recover from that for a very long time."

"I know it's a big ask, little starling," Gloria pleaded with him, emotional and miserable. "If you don't want to do this... we won't force you."

"But think about Nina and what message she's getting when she sees us getting no time at all on TV," Rachel took a more aggressive approach. "She wants to be a wrestler so badly! When she grows up and follows in your footsteps, what women's division do you want her to be a part of? Michelle's or Margaret's?"

Diego sighed and massaged his temples with his thumb and forefinger. Nina, even before she was one year old, responded incredibly well to watching her father on television. When she was two, three and four years old, she hurt herself trying to emulate him. She always wanted to wrestle with him on the trampoline. She tired out her friends, peers and teachers with stories and sagas of her Daddy, who was her biggest hero. She told everyone who would listen that she was going to be the best Women's Champion of all time. He smiled without realising it when he remembered how happy she was to get her very own wrestling attire from Santa Lovecraft only a few days ago. She was determined to wrestle. That can't happen if Margaret Bloom destroys the last lingering credibility of the women's division, he thought. That will not happen. I can make sure my career hits that crescendo... or I can make sure that Nina has the opportunity to do the same. I can give Nina heroes in the form of Gloria and Rachel. When he thought about it like that, his decision became the obvious one.

"I say we do it," Diego decided, looking down at the heavy belt in his brown hands. Do it for Gloria and Rachel. Do it for Nina. "I'm in."

"So be it," Kodeine didn't seem thrilled by the idea, but he wasn't ready to say no.

"You're a gem, Silva!" Michelle leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. Jimmy, Rachel and Gloria all showered him with praise and thanks for his compliance with the plan to mutiny against the big boss. "Margaret's going to crap a donkey, but I'll make sure you're all safe, alright? I'll take the hit. This damn company means too much to me to watch that toxic tramp ruin everything we've worked so hard for. Girls, you're going on after the triple-threat now, alright? I'll see you in a bit. Men, come to my office. You, me, Slut Features and Lovecraft are gonna talk about the triple threat. Don't breathe a word about this to her. I want the show to be too deep for her to be able to do a damn thing about it."

~

"Hey-- wow!" Diego's eyes bulged when he turned from the monitor to see Lance in his outfit for tonight. He wore a skin-tight ruby-red shirt with a strategic design that exposed and drew attention to a nipple, his ab muscles and navel, and his slim, toned shoulders. His skin-tight leather pants led into black leather boots. "How long does it take you to fit into that stuff?"

Lance pied his face with the palm of his hand and smiled. "Do I look alright?" He asked, his eyes still hidden behind red contact lenses. His makeup was classy rather than drag-style tonight. His trimmed hair fell over his face and rested comfortably on his shoulders.

"You look perfect," Diego felt weak just looking at him. "You're gorgeous."

"Oh!" Lance covered his mouth with red nails. "That's a better answer than last time I asked."

"You looked perfect then too," Diego hoisted the Heavyweight Championship over his shoulder. "I was just blind."

"N'awww," Lance cooed, brushing a rebellious lock of hair behind his ear. "You look perfect too - but you always have."

Diego smiled and slipped his fingers between Lance's. Lance let him hold his hand for a few seconds, but then he reluctantly pulled it away.

"Diego..." Lance looked down at the floor. "Stop."

His heart heavy, Diego looked back to the monitor as the Tag Team Champions won their match five minutes earlier than the time Margaret had alotted for them. It wasn't unnoticed by the Queen Wasp, either.

"First the Cruiserweights and now the Tag Team match?" Margaret asked aloud, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What are they tryin' to do to me? We'll finish the show too early at this rate."

Diego, Lance, Gloria, Rachel, Kodeine and Jimmy all made very sure not to look at her. The moment of deception was fast approaching. Gloria was poised to go out, but it wouldn't be her. The men would go out, and by then, Margaret would have no choice but to let it happen. She ruined last year's Pay Per View by putting a complete rookie in the ring for twenty minutes. She would not risk ruining this year's final show by actively stopping her performers. Ollie's music hit, and he was the next one out while the Champions celebrated their hard-fought victory. The crowd enjoyed him - he was a likeable guy.

"Hey, hey, everybody in LA, whassup?" He shouted in the microphone, and they cheered for him. "Salamanca, Giorgio, great job on the win tonight! Don't you guys reckon? Give it up for 'em! They did it!" He clapped, and the fans once again cheered for Salamanca and Giorgio, but the Tag Team Champions seemed to be more confused by the interruption than grateful to see him. "Chill, brothers! I'm just here to let you know I'll be seeing you fellas real soon. I got a taste for that gold, and I reckon it'll look a lot better on my partner and me. Just saying!"

"Yeah?" Salamanca, a former Lucha wrestler from Mexico, replied on his microphone. "Who is your partner then, smart guy?"

"The best lookin' guy in the whole company - no offence to the two of you, but this fella knocks all your sorry asses out of the park!" Ollie whooped, and then Paparazzi by Lady Gaga blared through the arena.

The crowd was confused, they roared to life when Sean, clad in his brand new satin outfit, strutted his way out slowly, milking the reaction for all it was worth. He held up a small hand mirror in his left hand and smiled into his reflection, using his right hand to examine his flawless face and fix his long hair. When he reached Oliver, the bigger man raised Sean's arm high above his head and then the two of them embraced. After the camera crew teased the oncoming feud between the two teams, the segment drew to a close. It wasn't a big return for Sean, but it was enough to establish his new character to the fans, and it would set them up to be Salamanca and Giorgio's next opponents. Good for him, Diego thought. Hopefully, this leads to a better year for him than this one. Margaret, however, was fuming behind them. They were off her schedule, and that was driving her crazy.

To the bitch's shock, Kodeine's music blared throughout the arena next, and the crowd cheered. He disappeared through the curtain.

"What's going on?" Margaret demanded. "The women are next!"

"The women are in the main event," Jimmy frowned as though he were confused. "That's what Michelle told me."

"Don't play games with me, Mr Vause. Women can't main event a wrestling show, let alone a Pay Per View! Our ratings will plummet!" Margaret pointed at him, venom in her voice. "Where is Michelle? Argh!" She cursed and stomped away in the direction of the general manager's office.

"Good luck," Rachel wished Diego, kissing him on the cheek, while Gloria embraced Jimmy until his sinister theme filled the Rose Bowl and he left.

"We'll be fine! And so will you," he replied to her, brushing the hair from her face the way he did when they were together.

"I'm not so sure," Rachel admitted, breathing hard and fast. "I've never wrestled like the old girls used to. I don't know if I have what it takes to keep up with Gloria!"

"You're better than this company gives you credit for," Diego told her. Margaret took the women's division in a different direction when she got involved a few years ago. Rachel was a product of her division. Looks and style, but little substance. Gloria had to battle with a fraction of the intensity she once did. That didn't mean Rachel couldn't, though. This was her opportunity to prove that she wasn't just a pretty face. "Break through the cage Marg's put you in. Show everyone what it means to fight like a girl!"

Helicopter began, and Justin from the production team gave him a sharp look. He took Lance by the hand, hoisted his Championship over his shoulder once more, and together, they walked through the curtains. It was surreal. The booing and hatred seemed to heat up Diego's blood. This doesn't have to be the main event, he realised. I can make it my moment. It invigorated him, and he raised his Championship high into the air - for the last time.

"Heavyweight! Champion! Forever!" He roared to the fans, who jeered and booed and cheered and applauded as he and Lance made their way down the ramp to where Kodeine and Jimmy awaited him. "KADA is my show! This is my ring! I beat Big Bad Jimmy twice! I beat Kodeine twice! I'm going to be the Heavyweight Champion forever!" It wasn't just for the benefit of the cameras or the audience. He was pumping himself up for the performance he was about to deliver. Even when I lose tonight, I'll still be Nina's champion forever. That's worth more than any belt. In the ring, before the referee took the belt from him, Diego couldn't help but kiss it goodbye. It's been a hell of a ride. Let's go out with a bang.

"Jimmy's gonna kill you!" The crowd chanted with glee as Sherrie introduced the three competitors and reminded everyone that the winner of the match would walk out as champion. Diego did not have to be beaten to lose. Whoever first pinned an opponent - either opponent - or made them submit would win the match and the Championship. There were no rules, either. No way for Lansilva to cause another no contest so that Diego could slip away with his belt once more. When the bell rang, Diego immediately slid out of the ring and into Lance's arms.

"I don't need to do this!" He claimed, arms raised as he projected his arrogance, drawing the crowd's ire. He relished the way the crowd hissed their contempt at him. I didn't realise I could have so much fun playing a character before.

While Jimmy and Kodeine had a common enemy in Lansilva, that by no means made them allies, and they immediately attacked each other. After all, once Diego was defeated and out of the picture, those two would progress to an intense solo feud - the groundwork of which was being laid out right now. Jimmy went right through Kodeine, and when he looked to win, Diego took the opportunity to re-enter and attack Jimmy from behind. The match went faster than planned to make up for the time they'd lost when they agreed to sacrifice it for the women's bout. At one point, Lance interfered in the match to protect Diego from losing, so Jimmy power bombed him right over the crowd barricade onto the padded floor. It was a sick bump, easily the nastiest one Lance had taken since he'd signed on with the company, and that took him out as a threat for quite a while.

"This is awesome!" The crowd chanted loudly for a full thirty seconds.

This is awesome indeed, Diego thought. The fans may have been enjoying the match, but there was nothing compared to competing. There was nothing like performing with wrestlers of Jimmy and Kodeine's calibre. There was nothing compared to living your dream! The men took no prisoners. Diego threw Kodeine through the crowd barricade and shoved Jimmy from the top of the turnbuckle to go crashing to the floor underneath. Kodeine ran at the ropes, jumped up and landed on them with a level of agility rarely seen in the industry, and flew back to take Diego out. Jimmy caught Diego when the Champion jumped at him from the top rope. Caught him mid-air. The match was full of great spots, and when Lance re-emerged, furious and looking for vengeance, that was the cue for the performance to wind up.

Jimmy, the current aggressor, slammed Kodeine to the mat with a vicious powerbomb. As he went for the win, Lance clobbered him with Diego's Heavyweight Championship belt to save the match. Diego then picked Jimmy's groggy body up and held his arms behind him, ready to repeat a well-received spot from their fight last week, and Lance did his now infamous dancing pirouette transitioned into a spinning roundhouse kick. Jimmy, however, wrenched free and Lance kicked Diego in the head instead, much to the surprise and joy of the audience. As Lance hysterically cried out in horror and ran to check on his on-screen lover, Jimmy picked him up and threw him out of the ring. Out of nowhere, Kodeine superkicked Jimmy in the face and quickly covered him. With both members of the villainous, cheating Lansilva duo out of the picture and unable to interfere, the referee counted to three, and Kodeine won the match. Diego felt as though a weight were lifted from his shoulders as Sherrie crowned Kodeine the new Heavyweight Champion and the crowd cheered loudly. Diego, although he was still selling Lance's vicious kick to his head, saw Kodeine actually cry in happiness as he held the belt up for everyone to see. It was beautiful. Maybe there's hope for him yet.

The segment wasn't quite over, though. Jimmy Vause stumbled to his feet, and Kodeine quickly got the hell out of there before the beast was unleashed. Realising he'd been cheated from his dreams of Championship gold once again by Lansilva, he turned his attention to Diego, and it was on. Diego, tired from a difficult and taxing match, did his best to sell the onslaught. Jimmy threw him into the corner and squashed him. He tossed Diego this way and that way. Lance came to his lover's rescue, but Jimmy was on a roll and quickly subdued him as well. Outside the arena, the segment drew to a close when Jimmy gripped both Diego and Lance by their throats outside the ring. He picked them up and slammed them both clean through the commentary table. The crowd could not have been happier with that outcome. Diego had finally been stripped of his Heavyweight Championship, and now Lansilva had been given the beating they badly deserved. The exhilaration wasn't limited to the crowd though. Diego couldn't be happier either. It was one of the best matches he'd ever had - main event status or not.

While the cameras cut to the commentary team so they could discuss the match for a short while, Diego and Lance slipped away and made their way backstage once more.

"I'm so sore!" Lance complained, his hair a mess and two of his long nails broken. "How do you get used to this?"

"Eventually you stop noticing," Diego chuckled, throwing his arm around his protégé. "You took it like a man. I'm proud of you."

"What, so you're not sore?" Lance laughed as they made their way back to the curtain so they could watch the girls on the monitor.

"I wasn't until you reminded me," Diego hissed. His back was throbbing, and his muscles were aching. "Come on. I don't want to miss anything."

It surprised Diego to discover that the production area was almost empty. Rachel and Gloria were alone by the curtain. He looked to the monitor, and he saw that chairs were lining the entirety of the entrance ramp - and nearly the entire KADA roster was sitting in them.

"What the bollocks is this?" Lance asked, and Rachel, holding her belt over her shoulder, looked at him.

"Finally! We've been waiting!" She smiled. "Go and take a seat! Michelle wants all of you out there to watch Gloria and I go at it in person."

"Hell, I'm in!" Diego grabbed Lance by the hand and pulled him right back through the curtain they had only gone through twenty minutes ago. Right back onto the stage, and they walked down to two vacant seats on the entrance ramp. Dozens of men and women all took the seats, with Michelle, the newly crowned Heavyweight Champion Kodeine and the Tag Team Champions Salamanca and Giorgio seated in the front row. When Diego and Lance sat, Sherrie got the message from the production team.

"The following main event match is for the Women's Championship!" Sherrie announced, but the crowd was not very impressed. Diego didn't blame them. Under Margaret Bloom, there was little reason to be invested. The women had not wrestled a match spanning more than three minutes in months. They'll change this, Diego thought, exhausted from the match he fought. Gloria and Rachel will change their minds.

Miss Murder, Gloria's theme song since she first wrestled in KADA way back in 2006 a few months after the song was released, blared through the arena and the fans got a little more interested. Michelle led a round of applause, and everyone in the seats joined in. Gloria pranced from the curtain for the very last time, and she riled up the crowd, using her hands to mime a Championship belt around her waist. On her way down to the ring, she walked between the rows of chairs and touched the hands of everyone along the way. It was interesting how Michelle was willing to blur the lines between reality and the staged show tonight. Everyone in the locker room, enemies and allies, sat together in harmony to support the women main eventing the show. Gloria won't win, Diego thought sadly, but she will go out a legend. She'll always be a mentor to me.

The instrumental to All The Things She Said played out next, and Rachel, queen of the heels, made her entrance. Cold and aloof. She blatantly ignored all the fans and all the wrestlers supporting her, playing her character to the very end. Diego could see the emotions she was suppressing, though. He'd known her too long and too intimately to miss them. She was miserable about ending the career of her best friend and teacher. While the girls prepared to take each other on, Diego noticed something that warmed his heart and put a smile on his face. Oliver and Sean were sitting together... and holding hands. The way they used to before everything happened.

When the match began, Gloria swung a fist at Rachel, who dodged it and played up to the crowd, but Gloria immediately connected with a giant slap to the face that sent the blond girl reeling across the ring. Diego, Lance and others laughed out loud, and the fans enjoyed the display. From there, it only got more intense. While the two traded holds, strikes and slams early on, it progressed into something utterly brutal. Rachel grabbed a kendo stick from under the ring and repeatedly struck Gloria with it. Hard. Enough to leave visible welts on her skin. Gloria caught the stick and snapped it over her leg, then she used the lid of a trash can to beat the smaller woman senseless. The crowd was in awe of the sheer physicality of the women's match, and Michelle was the one to cheer the loudest out of everybody. Every time one of the girls did something impressive, flashy or hardcore, she yelled her appreciation. Margaret, however, was not out here. Diego didn't know where she was, but heads would roll for defying her like this. Worth it, he thought as he watched Gloria throw Rachel around by her hair.

Rachel took control after a while when she threw Gloria head-first into the turnbuckle. By now, the crowd had decided that they loved this match. "This is awesome." It was an honour to receive a chant like that. Three times in the match the crowd decided it was appropriate to show their gratitude to the ladies. Rachel used every innovative move she knew. She brought the fight the best she could. It wasn't the cleanest match, but it was full of action, and that was what the women needed. That and time. How can you expect anyone to go out on TV and get themselves noticed and appreciated with two or three minutes? But Diego didn't even care that two of his dearest female friends were upstaging him. They made the best of their opportunity. Gloria mounted an impressive comeback, at one point using Sean's patented Moonsault from the top rope. "You still got it," the crowd began to chant. They didn't forget the beast that Gloria Droese was back in the day. All of a sudden, Rachel reversed a move into her DDT finisher right onto a steel chair. That was it. The match was over, and the bad girl won. Rachel went to cover Gloria, but as the referee was about to count three, Gloria caught Rachel's limbs and spun their bodies so that Rachel's shoulders were on the canvas instead, and the referee counted to three while Rachel squealed in desperation, flailing to free herself but to no avail. Holy crap. Gloria won!

Miss Murder blared through the arena and Gloria began to cry in the middle of the ring. Diego fought tears of his own as the referee handed the Women's Championship to Gloria Droese and raised her arm in victory.

"Here is your winner and the NEW KADA Women's Champion, Gloria Droese!" Sherrie gleefully announced over the microphone, and both the fans and KADA roster alike gave a standing ovation. It was one hell of a performance. Easily the best of the night and Jimmy, Kodeine, Lance and I gave everything we had! Margaret must be spitting eels, Diego thought as he clapped his hands together. Rachel slipped out under the ring, her role in the segment completed, and she walked despondently down the entrance ramp, pausing on the stage to look on.

"Thank you all," Gloria took the microphone, and she spoke from the heart to everyone in Rose Bowl Arena. She was crying. "Everyone! Thank you so much! I knew in my heart that I still had it in me! But as happy as I am right now, to be your new KADA Women's Champion, it's also a sad night for me. You see... this is my last night here in KADA Wrestling. This was my retirement match."

The crowd and all of the KADA wrestlers who were unaware of this were shocked and cried out in protest.

"I can't tell you what an honour it has been to live my dream and to have the most supportive fans in the world!" Gloria continued, tears streaming down her face. Diego felt Lance grab his arm, and he saw that the young boy was weeping tears as well. "These have been the best thirteen years of my life! I couldn't be happier. I love each and every one of you, and it has been an amazing experience to perform for you! All of you! I want to thank you for always being there for me. For giving my life meaning. And you guys..." Gloria turned to everyone sitting in the entrance ramp. "I could never have done it without you either. Thank you all for believing in me. And Rachel Reid... thank you for giving me the best match of my entire career. Goodbye, everybody! And thank you for everything. Everyone! I'll never forget you!"

Gloria placed both the microphone and the belt she'd won only moments ago in the middle of the ring, then she left them there.

"Please don't go!" The crowd was desperately chanting for her. "Please don't go!"

But Gloria did go. She slid out from underneath the ring, her body battered and bruised from giving her most intense performance in the last several years, and she tearfully began to engage with the fans one last time as her music began for the final time. She gave many high fives to everyone in the front few rows and even hugged some of the children. When she made it to the entrance ramp, she did the same thing. She touched the hands of everyone who loved and respected her. When she made it to the entrance ramp, she and Rachel gave each other a long embrace. Diego didn't hear what Gloria said to her, but Rachel, the woman whose heart froze over a long time ago, finally succumbed to the poignancy and cried as Gloria waved goodbye and walked through the curtain one last time.

That was the end of the show.

~ 

As expected, Margaret was in one hell of a mood when everyone finally retreated backstage. The show was over and the fans were exiting, but none of the performers were permitted to leave just yet. The Queen Wasp was determined to sting all of them.

"I don't give a damn what you all thought!" She shrieked, all pretence of civility gone. She didn't bother to put on that calm, smug tone or smile in that Margaret Bloom way. She was livid. "Do you know who keeps this show running? I do! It's me! Not you! Not Michelle! How dare you all pull this behind my back?!"

"So what?" Kodeine was the first to stand forward and challenge her on behalf of the locker room he now represented. He held the Heavyweight Championship with pride, and it was as though the belt had given him the confidence to become the leader of the locker room. "This was the best show we've had in the last decade. What's the problem?"

"What's the problem?" Margaret grabbed a coffee mug and threw it against the wall where it shattered. "I decide what happens on the show! You are MY employees! You do what I tell you to do! You do not EVER insult and humiliate me by going rogue!"

"Sorry, Mrs Bloom," Michelle stood forward and walked up to her, face-to-face. "You don't understand the KADA locker room. Not at all. We're a family. We look out for each other. You might want to take every shortcut to the quickest dollar, but that's not what we do. We're wrestlers. We're performers. So throw whatever tantrums you want and go and complain to your husband. Us? We're happy. Bitch."

While many of the roster had been muttering and whispering between each other, they were now dead silent. Margaret and Michelle glared at each other.

"You know what, Michelle? You're fired," Margaret pointed towards the door. "Get the hell out of my building and don't ever come back. I'll make it my life's work to ruin you if I have to."

"Like you're ruining KADA?" Jimmy stood up next to Kodeine and Michelle. "Some life's work that is. I think you should be the one to leave. If Michelle goes, then so do I."

"Go to hell, Margaret," Diego was the fourth to stand forward. "If you fire Michelle, you'll have to fire me too."

"So be it," Margaret pursed her lips and folded her arms. "You served your last purpose here tonight. I don't need you either. You're expendable."

"But you need me, don't you?" Lance strutted forwards, a smirk on his beautiful face. "Will you fire me? Or will you sod off?"

"I'm with them. Fire me if you have to," Rachel came forward next.

And so, people flocked to join the leaders of the locker room. Sean, Oliver and Pearl. Salamanca and Giorgio. Irina and Batty Betty. Soon, everyone was standing together. One family. One unit. Not one person failed to support the leaders of the locker room. Nobody wanted to deal with her anymore. Gloria martyred herself for the company. That was the kick in the ass everybody needed to take action and stand up to the woman who was poisoning their craft and everything they cared about. Margaret opened her mouth in shock when she realised they weren't afraid of her anymore. She couldn't fire everyone, after all. She was trapped.

"That's all you ever do!" Michelle used her hands to push Margaret away from her. "You throw your skinny ass around and play people against people. You make a game of our lives! We're done with that. We're going to make KADA succeed with or without you. Now get the hell out of my arena." The whole roster erupted in cheers and support for Michelle.

"You have NOT heard the end of this!" Margaret promised before she made a hasty retreat, shoving her way past the wrestlers she once commanded with an iron fist. "My husband won't stand for it!"

"Oh, what's the worst he can do?" Ollie laughed, and Sean giggled and kissed him on the cheek. "Is he gonna give us all the pink slip? Surely she ain't that good in bed."

"I'm proud of you all," the boss turned around, and even Michelle, the tough old New York bitch with the mouth of a sailor and the resolve of a military general looked like she was ready to cry. "All of you. You are what makes KADA the best company in the world. Thank you for standing by me. Now, she might have lost this fight, but don't think she won't give up without a fight! Stick with me. New year, new KADA! I'll do everything I can to keep our family going strong, but I need you guys to do your part! Are you with me?"

There was not a single person who did not hail Michelle as the Jesus of professional wrestling that night.

~

"I don't blame you for not wanting to get involved," Diego sighed, submitting as he lay on his bed in the pricey hotel room, half-naked and bruised by the brutal match. "I haven't had a good record. Got four girls pregnant - that I know of - and my only venture with a guy... well, you saw how that ended. I don't know what the hell I'm doing most of the time. My kids, my ex-girlfriends, hell, even my toaster gets the better of me more than I want to admit. So I won't push the issue, okay? You know how I feel. You loved me for ten years. If I have to wait that long for you... then so be it."

"Really?" Lance asked from the other side of the bed, clad only in his briefs as well. "You mean that?"

"I mean it," Diego looked over to him. "I'll wager that you made me happier in the last six months than I did for you over the last decade. You saved my son, you saved my career and you saved me from myself. I'll do whatever it takes to prove myself, even if it means waiting for you as long as you did for me. Twice as long."

Lance reached for Diego's wrist and brought his mentor's hand up to his cheek.

This time, the boy didn't flinch away.

With his other hand, Lance laced his fingers with the older man's, holding it tight.

This time, Lance didn't wrench free.

He made the moves, his beautiful red eyes looking intently at Diego's. Without speaking, Diego shifted closer, making the final move of the night. Lance did not retreat. He shifted closer too. The two of them slowly inched towards each other, and eventually, their lips met, lifting Diego's heart all the way to the stars.

MAJOR thanks to anybody who read To The Stars! This is the end for now, but if you genuinely enjoyed the story, then hopefully you won't be upset to hear that I'm already laying out plans for a sequel.
Have a terrific day. ❤️