Family Matters: Part 5

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Off Camera

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One’s family legacy, one’s heritage, is a very important thing.  In professional wrestling, it carries perhaps even more weight, especially when you have such famous families as The Streets, the Chases, and the Joneses competing in Supreme Championship Wrestling, Global Championship Wrestling, and yes, in the Uprising Wrestling Alliance as well.

All of her life, Julia Braddock has been proud to be a Braddock.  All of her life she had been proud of the Braddock name.  She knew that the Braddock name represented wrestling greatness.  Her uncle, Glenn Braddock, was an amateur wrestling legend.  Her sister, Glory Braddock, was a professional wrestling world champion and hall of famer.  Everyone all over the world recognized the greatness of the Braddock name when it came to pro-wrestling and it made Julia proud to know that she came from such a rich history of greatness.

Having such a great wrestling heritage and such a famous last name can have its downsides.  Julia wanted to follow in her uncle and sister’s footsteps, so she began training as a pro-wrestler.  Her uncle Glenn would not be lenient on her at all.  In fact, he expected more from her than he did out of his normal trainees, all because of who she was; she was a Braddock.  And she didn’t just get flack from her uncle either.  She got it from the wrestling world at large.  Fans and her peers alike both felt she should be able to rise to the occasion quickly and be just as good and successful as her sister Glory and her uncle Glenn.

Still, despite the pressure she received from being a Braddock, the pride of being a Braddock was there.  Being a Braddock was something to be proud of because of their famous heritage.  Even when she was under the thumb of Aphrodite Noel, she took pride in taking down her own Braddock family, even if only for a short time, because she knew defeating them was quite an accomplishment.

If being associated with Aphrodite Noel, and the war with the Braddock family that followed, taught her anything, it was to appreciate those that did care for her.  Glenn and Glory were great wrestlers and they were the primary reasons why the Braddock name became as great as it did.  But it wasn’t their fault that Julia was under so much pressure.  They truly did care about her.  Despite everything that they had been through over the years, they had stuck together and had remained strong.  They survived the war with Aphrodite Noel.  They had even made peace with Aphrodite Noel.

Had it stayed that way, perhaps there would have been no issues.  But peace alone wasn’t enough.  Even though they were free from Aphrodite’s clutches, Glory Braddock still refused to acknowledge anyone else but Aphrodite Noel as her mother.  It made no sense in Julia’s mind.  Julia just wanted to work hard, bust her ass, and earn her stripes within the Braddock family.  But why would she work hard to earn the name Braddock when Glory, the most prideful of the Braddock family, wish to retain the Noel name?

It was a mystery that Julia sought out answers to.  If she was to make her Braddock family proud, she wanted to know exactly what it meant to be a Braddock.  And she knew the one man who had all the answers…

…her uncle Glenn Braddock.

Glenn Braddock was hesitant to tell her the truth and Julia could understand why.  All of her life Julia Braddock had thought she was the daughter of Peter and Samantha Braddock, but as it turns out Samantha was just Julia’s step-mother.  Julia’s biological mother was Mary Ford.  Glory’s parents were Glenn Braddock and Mary Ford.  This made Julia and Glory half-sisters.

That in and of itself was tough to handle for Julia.  Her father died and her step-mother is God knows where, but ultimately she is missing in action.  Yet Julia has had a mother all this time, someone who had chosen to keep it a secret.  Julia’s father and uncle both kept it a secret.  Even Glory knew and kept it a secret.  They claimed it was to protect her but Julia felt she could have handled the truth.

Nevertheless, the fact is that Mary Ford cheated on Glenn Braddock with Glenn’s own brother Peter.  Was the fact that Mary was an adulteress enough to make Glory disown her and retain the Noel name instead?  That also didn’t make sense to Julia.  There had to be something else there.  There had to be something else that Mary did that sparked that kind of outrage and anger from Glory.

Glory had offered to tell Julia the truth and to tell her what it meant to be a Braddock, but Glory had lied to her once before and she wasn’t quite certain about trusting her right now.  Julia sought answers from Mary herself but when confronted with the truth, Mary remained stone cold silent.  This left Julia with one alternative…

…she would take Glory up on her offer.  She would seek answers from her half-sister.

Julia sits in the passenger’s seat of a black 2016 Ford Taurus.  She is wearing a V-Neck sleeveless black spaghetti strap blouson bodice top and a textured metallic skirt that falls to just above the knee.  Her feet are encased in black strappy sandals.  Her long blonde hair falls to below the shoulders.  Sitting in the driver’s side is her boyfriend, JaMarcus Avery.  He is wearing denim jeans and a dress shirt.

Braddock is staring out of her window at the front door of Glory’s large home.  JaMarcus, who senses the nerves, places a comforting hand upon her shoulder.

“Are you going to be ok?”

“Huh?”

Startled, Julia turns to face JaMarcus.  She sighs, smiles, and nods her head.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

“Do you want me to go in with you?”

He runs a hand through her long blonde hair.

“You know, you don’t have to do this by yourself.”

Julia nods her head.

“I know, but I feel I need to do this myself.”

She leans forward and kisses him gently on the lips.

“Thank you…”

With that, Julia Braddock opens her passenger side door and steps out.  After shutting the door she begins her approach towards the front door of her sister Glory’s home.  She has been here many times but never before has this walk seemed to take so long and perhaps it is because of the nerves associated with this particular meeting?  Nevertheless, she eventually reaches the front door and then pushes the doorbell.  It isn’t long of a wait until the door opens and a woman, dressed in typical maid attire, is seen there, smiling politely.

“Yes?”

“Is Glory here?”

“Who may I ask is here t see her?”

“I’m her sister…Julia Braddock.”

The maid nods her head.

“Ah yes, Ms. Noel is expecting you.”

The maid steps aside and motions for Julia to enter.

“Follow me…”

Julia nods and steps inside.  The maid shuts the door and then begins to lead Julia down a long hallway.  They take a left turn and enter through another set of doors into the exquisite, luxurious living room.  This is the same living room where Julia had confronted Glory a few weeks earlier and where Glory first offered to tell her the truth about the Braddock heritage and legacy.  The walls of this room are decorated with expensive pained and the floor has a cream colored carpeting.  There is an  elegant chandelier hanging overhead.  The maid leads Julia into the room and motions to the black leather sofa, across from an expensive looking coffee table.

“Please sit down.  I will inform Ms. Noel that you are here.”

“Thank you.”

Julia sits down and sighs as she watches the maid walk off to fetch ‘Ms. Noel’…it’s strange, a part of her still finds it odd to hear Glory referred to as Ms. Noel but, the more Julia hears it, the more common it becomes, the more natural it becomes.  Even Julia is beginning to think of her more as a Noel than as a Braddock.

“Julia!”

Julia Braddock is startled to attention as she turns towards the sound of the voice, a voice which happens to belong to none other than her sister, Glory Braddock.  The elegant elder sibling walks into the room wearing a gold dress and matching high heeled pumps.  A polite smile is on her face as she enters the room, waving enthusiastically as she approaches Julia.  Julia stands up and the two siblings greet one another with a big hug.

“How are you?”

They break the hug and Julia answers with an uneasy smile.

“I’m fine….I guess…”

Glory motions for Julia to sit back down.  Julia does so and then Glory sits down next to her.

“I can only imagine.  UWA hasn’t been too kind to you lately, has it?”

Julia wasn’t expecting that line of questioning first.  Glory is right though, the UWA has not been excessively kind to her lately.  She failed to win the Last Stand Rumble, she was eliminated in the first round of a world title number one contender’s tournament, and she only managed to fight to a draw against Selena Frost in the first match of the Queen of the Ring League.

Granted, fighting Selena Frost to a standstill like that is nothing to be ashamed of.  Frost is a former Queen of the Ring Champion and a current SCW Adrenaline Champion. In the eyes of many, Selena is a favorite to win the league.  To fight to a draw with her could be seen as an accomplishment.  But Julia’s own expectations for herself are much higher than just a simple draw.  She wanted so much more.  She wanted a win.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that.  I didn’t beat Selena on Outbreak.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over that, sweetie.”

“But I should have won.  I am a Braddock, I…”

Glory shakes her head.

“Whoa, now stop right there.  Being a Braddock doesn’t mean anything.  I am a Braddock too, in case you forgot, and I had many draws that I still kick myself over.  I fought to a draw against Dazz at Wrestlecade.  I fought to a draw against Andreas Lasiewicz at Civil War.  But did I let those matches get me down?”

Glory grins.

“No…I got back up, dusted myself off, and pushed forward.  That’s what you need to do.  What do you have next?”

“Siqua.”

“See?  This is the perfect opportunity for a rebound!”

Julia isn’t as certain of a rebound here as Glory is.  Siqua may be a willing slave and punching bag for New Sinistry but that doesn’t mean that she can’t wrestle. Quite the contrary.  When called upon, she can give the best of the best fits in the ring.  Add to that the ever-present threat of Sinistry involvement and Julia realizes just how dangerous this particular match can and will be.

“Well…we’ll see…”

Glory tilts her head to one side and frowns.

“What’s wrong?  You seem upset and I doubt UWA is causing you to be this down on yourself.”

“Is it really important?”

Glory smirks.

“Well, a few weeks ago I offered to tell you the truth about our family legacy but you were hesitant.  Now suddenly I get a phone call from you and you are practically begging me to tell you about our family legacy.  Something must have happened to cause you to turn a total one-eighty…”

Julia sighs and nods her head.

“Yeah…”

“So, what’s wrong?”

“I…”

“Yes?”

Julia sighs.

“I…spoke with Mary.”

Glory frowns and sighs with a sense of realization.

“I see.”

“I know you advised me not to, I knew you would probably be upset with me going to her first instead of coming to you, but I just had to…I had to…”

“You had to see it for yourself.”

Julia nods her head.

“Yeah.”

“I won’t lie, I am a little disappointed that you didn’t trust me, but I can honestly understand why you would want to see her.  You always have been the type to want to give people a second chance, even when they don’t deserve one.  That can be a good quality, Julia.  But you need to be careful.”

“I know and I am sorry, Glory.  I am sorry for doubting you.”

Glory grins.

“It’s ok!  All is forgiven!”

Glory embraces her with a quick hug.  After breaking the embrace Glory continues…

“So, what did she tell you?”

“That’s just it!  She told me nothing!  Absolutely nothing!”

Glory bows her head and sighs.

“Oh Julia…”

“And you’re right, I do give people second chances, and had she told me the truth, perhaps I would have given her a chance, I may have even been willing to forgive her.  But whatever it is she’s guilty of, whatever she did, she is keeping it tight-lipped.  She isn’t saying a word.”

Tears begin to form in Julia’s eyes.  Glory hands her a tissue which Julia uses to wipe her eyes.

“My father is dead…my step-mother abandoned me…my biological mother clearly wants nothing to do with me…so I want nothing to do with her, either!”

“Perhaps it’s time then that you heard the truth from me.”

“The truth?”

Glory nods her head.

“The truth is that Mary permanently left a stain upon this family.  Our fathers were not much better, indulging in the vile affair that destroyed your family and mine, and they lied to us about it all of our lives.  The supposedly upstanding Braddock men lied to us, as if a simple affair was too much for us to handle.”

Glory smiles.

“You and I have always been close.  We were closer than sisters even before we knew we were sisters in truth.”

“You’re right, Glory.  We always have been the best of friends.”

“That’s right, and that’s why you and I are what’s important.  The Braddock name as it is, it’s tainted.  Your father is dead and my father is too old now to do anything about it but you and I, we can do something about it.”

Gloria snaps her fingers.  Julia then watches as a man in a dark blue suit and matching tie walks into the room carrying what appears to be legal documents.  He holds them out to Glory, who reaches up and takes them out of his hands.  Smiling warmly and politely she thanks him with a nod and a wink.

“Thank you, James.”

“Of course, Ms. Noel.”

With that the man, James, turns and makes his exit.  Julia watches him leave and then turns her attention back to Glory who is still grinning.  She motions to where the man was just standing.

“That was James, he is my lawyer.”

Julia gazes at Gloria questioningly.

“Your lawyer?  Gloria, what’s your lawyer have to do with any of this?”

“Oh I know, lawyers are pesky little creatures, but unfortunately they become quite necessary when drawing up legal paperwork.”

Julia cocks her head to one side and frowns.

“Legal paperwork?”

Glory nods her head and holds out the paperwork James, her lawyer, just handed her.  Julia takes it out of her hand and begins to read through it.  Julia’s eyes begin to grow wide as she reads it and scans it thoroughly.  Glory begins to speak.

“I know what you must be thinking…”

Julia looks up from the paperwork with a shocked look on her face.

“These are adoption papers…”

Glory nods her head.

“That’s right, those are adoption papers.  And if you will read them carefully, you will find that there is no funny business contained within, no deceit, no deception, and you can, in fact, leave this contract at any time you wish.   It was one of mother’s conditions upon agreeing to this, because she was worried you would not agree otherwise.”

“I…I’m not sure I agree anyway!”

Julia shakes her head vehemently.

“I don’t WANT to be Aphrodite’s daughter!”

She waves the papers at Glory’s face.

“And that’s what these papers do!  If I sign, I become her daughter again!”

“Julia, please calm down…”

“Calm?!  I told you and everyone else that I do not want to be that monster again.  I do not want to be Julia Alexis Noel!”

Glory reaches out and places a hand on her shoulder.

“Julia Alexis Noel…my sister…she was NOT a monster.”

“How can you look back on some of the things I did back then and say she was anything BUT a monster?!”

“Julia, people are not monsters.  The choices they make are the monsters and yes, you made some bad choices, you hurt a lot of people, but you were NOT a monster.  You just made poor choices.  You thought changing your name would be the fix to your problem but you were wrong.  Changing  your attitude is what made you a better person and you could have done that as a Noel.”

Julia sighs, for Glory does raise a good point.  She gazes down at the legal adoption papers again and then back up at Glory.

“Why?”

“Because I want to help you.  Julia, I found out about how Mary Ford, our…biological mother…how she had soiled the Braddock name, thanks to Aphrodite, and that is why I have chosen to acknowledge her as my true mother, the only one who has ever supported me, unlike Mary, who abandoned me and my father.  Mother, meaning Aphrodite, can give you that.  And…”

Gloria takes Julia’s hands and squeezes tight.

“…call me cheesy if you like, but I just want you here with me, by my side, every step of the way as we, together, work to erase the stain Mary left upon the Braddock family and make it noble and honorable again, standing together.”

“I…”

Julia’s voice trails off as she gazes down at the legal documentation.

“…I never thought of it like that.”

“Julia, I WANT to be your sister.  Biologically I may share a bloodline with Mary Ford but I refuse to recognize her as my mother.  My mother is Aphrodite Noel.  Knowing what kind of person Mary is, do you really want her as your mother?”

Julia shakes her head.

“N…no…”

“Then you know what you must do.  Who is your mother, Julia?”

“My mother…”

Glory places a pen down on the nearby coffee table.  Julia reaches out and takes the pen and uses it to sign the contract.

“…my mother is Aphrodite Noel.”

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On Camera

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My name is Glory Braddock and I am the sister of your next Queen of the Ring Champion Julia Braddock.

Now Julia may not be pleased with me putting such high expectations and pressure upon her but facts are facts and the fact is that she is a Braddock and that makes her among the most naturally talented athletes in the Queen of the Ring League.  It’s a disappointment that she and Selena got counted out on last Outbreak.  Had there been enough time, Julia would have eventually won, just as she will eventually win the whole league and the title.

She got caught by a count out this last time but she won’t get caught again, especially not against someone like Siqua.

Siqua, you are quite possibly the opposite of a Braddock.  The Braddock family represents greatness and success while you represent the type of person who has no problem being a welcome mat.  You let the Sinistry walk all over you.  You have no problem being their slave.

Therein lies your problem.  A CHAMPION needs to be a LEADER…not a damn pathetic slave.

It is quite clear that someone like you doesn’t belong in this league with someone like my sister Julia.  And maybe, just maybe, my sister Julia will put you out of your misery on this next Outbreak.  You don’t deserve the title and you don’t deserve to share the same ring as Julia Alexis Braddock.

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On Camera

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The camera feed begins to roll.  We open inside of an empty arena with thousands upon thousands of seats surrounding what appears to be a professional wrestling ring, but on this occasion it could just as easily be a boxing ring as well.  As the camera begins to pan downward to get a shot of inside the ring, we see a banner waving in the background, the image of Wayne McCullough printed on the banner.  Not much longer after that we see the lovely feminine figure of Julia Alexis Braddock stepping through the ropes and into the ring.  The beautiful blonde approaches the center of the ring and then turns to look at the banner of Wayne McCullough.

“UWA’s next stop on the European tour is Belfast, Northern Ireland, so I thought it was appropriate that I acknowledge one of Belfast’s famous citizens, Wayne ‘The Pocket Rocket’ McCullough.”

Julia turns back to face the camera.

“Wayne McCullough, or The Pocket Rocket as he was called, was a boxer.  He represented Northern Ireland in the 1990 Commonwealth Games where he won a gold medal for amateur boxing.  His professional record was twenty-seven wins and seven losses. He was a former WBC World Champion.  I look to McCullough for inspiration as I head into Outbreak live from Belfast and my next contest in the Queen of the Ring League.  The Pocket Rocket, you see, fought in the 1988 Olympic Games but was eliminated early by a Canadian fighter named Scotty Olsen. But McCullough didn’t let that failure get him down.  He persevered, he trained harder, got better, and would go on to be a world champion.”

Julia pats herself on the chest.

“Selena Frost and I fought to a double count out on the last Outbreak.  We managed one point apiece.  As badly as I wanted that win, I failed to get it, but am I going to let that failure get me down?”

She shakes her head.

“Not a chance!  I look at it as a learning experience.  I learned a great deal from fighting with a great such as Selena Frost and now I am more than ready and more prepared than ever for my next match in the league against Siqua.”

Julia points at the camera, as if pointing at Siqua.

“You don’t remind me a man like Wayne McCullough.  People like me and Wayne, we have the heart and the will to win, the will to keep fighting no matter the odds, to persevere no matter what.  Even when The Pocket Rocket went on a skid, a bit of a losing streak, in his latter years, he never gave up, he kept fighting until the bitter end.”

She holds up one finger.

“Only once was he ever knocked out.  Only once was he stopped.  Just like McCullough, I do not plan on stopping.  God knows I will take my share of losses in this league and even past that in the rest of my wrestling career here with UWA, but not one time will I lose because I stopped fighting.  I will fight until there is nothing left of me.  That’s just who I am and that’s what it means to be a Braddock, that’s what it meant to be The Pocket Rocket.  But you, Siqua…”

Julia sighs and shakes her head.

“…you clearly do not have that kind of will to win.  You do not have that kind of drive or determination.  You clearly don’t even care, do you?  Puppets do not have any kind of will outside of the will of the puppet master.  Puppets do not have any kind of drive or determination except the drive and determination of the puppet master.  Puppets do not care, they just obey the puppet master.  And that’s what you are, you are a puppet, you are Sinistry’s puppet, and you have absolutely no qualms whatsoever with being used, abused, and manipulated by those sociopaths.  And yet somehow you find yourself in the Queen of the Ring League?”

Julia frowns.  Her intensity is growing with each passing moment.

“I respect David Helms, he is a legend, but I question the wisdom in allowing someone like you in this league, Siqua.  You had the opportunity to represent this division but you were willing to lie down and let yourself get pinned by Jessica Wilde all because your puppet masters said so?  But then, I guess that shouldn’t come as a surprise, someone like you is probably used to lying flat on your back with your legs spread all the damn time.”

The frown on her face has contorted into a look of full blown anger, righteous indignation is what most would call this…

“You are offensive to this division!  You are an insult to this division!  We have Kathryn Pearson, Selena Frost, Grace Morningwood, and myself, all fighting for the right to represent this division…”

She points at the camera.

“…and then there’s you, someone who does not give a shit about this division, someone who does not care about women’s wrestling!  In the off chance you do win this league and become champion, you’ll no doubt just hand the belt over to Jessica Wilde again.”

Julia shakes her head.

“Not on my watch.  As long as I draw breath I will do whatever I can to make sure some undeserving little puppet bitch like you gets nowhere near the Queen of the Ring Championship and if that means mowing through your sorry ass right here in Belfast on Outbreak, then so be it!  If it means mowing through the rest of the competition to become the Queen of the Ring Champion so that you don’t get it, then so be it!  But I could not live with myself knowing that I didn’t do whatever I could to keep you away from that championship.  The Queen of the Ring Title deserves better than your sorry ass, it deserves better than Sinistry, and it damn sure deserves better than the crazy ass manipulative bitch you would give it to, the whore named Jessica Wilde!”

Braddock motions to herself.

“Wrestling is in my blood.  It runs through my veins!  I will not allow this sport that I love to be disrespected by you or by Sinistry.  So bring your welcome mat ass out to the ring, Siqua, and bring as many of your New Sinistry pals as you like.  New Sinistry is just like a bad movie sequal, it’s a terrible attempt at being as good as the original.  You are a bunch of fakes and I’ll take you all on if I have to, even if it means certain doom for me, but I am not going to sit back and watch wrestling get disrespected.  I will take action and I will take action live right here in Belfast.”

The camera fades to black.

Coming Full Circle

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Family Matters

Part 4

Off Camera

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“You can choose your friends but you sho’ can’t choose your family, an’ they’re still kin to you no matter whether you acknowledge ‘em or not, and it makes you look right silly when you don’t.” --- Harper Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” is a classic piece of literature and this quote by the famous author from that novel explains a reality, a harsh reality for some, about family.  You can choose your friends and who you want to associate with; that much is within your power of control.  You cannot choose your family.  Your family will always be your family regardless of whether or not you acknowledge them or disown them, regardless of whether you associate with them or not.  You may absolutely hate and disdain some of the things your family members do, but ultimately, at the end of the day, they are still your family whether you like them or not.

This is a fact of life that Julia Alexis Braddock has come to accept.  She was never brought up in the proud, privileged, arms of a wrestling legend like Glenn Braddock.  Her father was Peter Braddock, Glenn’s brother, a man who was not known for anything truly spectacular.  Still, being the niece of a legend like Glenn Braddock, cousin to another legend like Glory Braddock, it was something for Julia to be proud of.  She held her head high knowing she was a member of the Braddock Family.

The trouble with being a member of a proud, famous family is that there are usually high expectations set for you.  When Julia Braddock started her own career path in professional wrestling, an attempt to follow in her uncle and cousin’s footsteps, she realized how difficult and challenging the world of professional wrestling could be.  Wrestling, and winning, came naturally to Glenn Braddock and his daughter Glory, but it did not come so naturally to Julia.  She had to work hard, extra hard, and even then she would usually come up on the losing end.

Glenn was disappointed in her and his disappointment was clear and apparent.  She turned to drugs as her method of dealing with the stress and pressure of living up to the Braddock name.  That’s when Aphrodite Noel came into the scene.  Aphrodite Noel felt Julia’s pride in her family name was unearned and unworthy and she used knowledge of the drug use as a blackmail against Julia and forced her first to serve her and then, after some brainwashing, convinced her to disavow the Braddock name altogether, legally becoming Julia Alexis Noel, Aphrodite’s adopted daughter.

Surprisingly enough, the role of Aphrodite’s daughter was a role that Julia relished.  She enjoyed being treated like a queen, like royalty, and she felt that finally she had a family she belonged in.  She even assisted Aphrodite in capturing and brainwashing Glory as well, bringing her into the fold as Julia’s “sister.”  It was shortly after bringing Glory into the Noel family that Julia began to come to her senses and she realized the terrible mistake she had made.

It was at that time that she realized the truth behind what Harper Lee had been trying to say in “To Kill A Mockingbird”…you can’t choose your family.  And as much as she had tried to create a new family for herself with Aphrodite Noel, her true family would always be the Braddock Family, no matter how much turmoil they would endure, no matter how much grief she may catch for them  for her disappointing wrestling performances.

Now her family situation is in even more turmoil than it was before.  Julia has been forgiven for the part she played in nearly destroying the Braddock Family, but she has recently discovered a dark secret held firmly by Glenn, Glory, Glory’s mother Mary, and even Julia’s own father Peter.

For all of Julia’s life, she thought Glenn and Mary had broken up because Mary could not stand living the life of wrestler’s wife.  Julia assumed that Mary was upset with the amount of time Glenn put into his wrestling and so she left him.  That may have something to do with it but the reality of it is actually far deeper and more complex than just that.  As it would turn out, Mary had been having an affair with Peter Braddock and that affair produced a child, a daughter she would name Julia Alexis Braddock.

And that meant Julia and Glory were half-sisters, same mother different father.

Julia found out from Glenn Braddock but she also confronted Glory with the information, wanting to know how much Glory knew and how long Glory has known.   As it turns out, Glory has known this secret ever since she met Aphrodite Noel.  It was Aphrodite who told Glory that she and Julia were not just sisters in legal terms but sisters biologically as well with Mary as their shared mother.  Julia demanded to know more, specifically as to why Glory refuses to acknowledge their mother, their true mother, Mary Ford.  At first Glory was hesitant to say anything, but eventually she conceded and agreed to speak with her about the truth of the Braddock Family.

The truth is something Julia truly desires but now, after all of the lies and deceit she has uncovered, she isn’t sure she can even trust her own sister to tell her the truth.  If she were to speak with Glory again, would Glory still hide more of the truth?  Would Glory lie to her again?  As far as Julia is concerned, there is only one person who can tell her the truth and that person is their mother, Mary Ford.

Glory Braddock has disowned Mary.  She refuses to acknowledge her as her mother.  The funny thing is, she won’t say why.  She just cryptically says that Mary is a terrible person who has done terrible things and has tainted the Braddock Family name.  Glory does not want Julia to speak with Mary, that’s why this visit with Mary is being kept a secret from Glory.

Mary Ford is the sister to Kelly Jones, who happens to be Angelica and Kayla Jones’s mother.  That makes Mary their aunt and, ever since her break-up with Glenn, Mary has spent the majority of her time in Boston, Massachusetts, visiting with her nieces whenever she could.  Yet even Angelica and Kayla have seemingly disowned Mary from the family.  Even they will not acknowledge her.  This adds to the curiosity level for Julia Braddock.  What exactly has Mary done to anger so many members of her own family?  Nevertheless, Julia Braddock has made a special trip to Boston so that she could track down Mary and have a long conversation.

Julia is sitting at a white table in an outdoor café, wearing a royal blue sleeveless mid-length dress with a V-Neck and an open back.  Her feet are encased in silver-heeled sandals and her long light blonde hair hangs unrestrained to shoulder length.  A waitress approaches her table with two cups of coffee.

“French Vanilla for you and…your friend will have black?”

Julia nods her head as she takes the cup of French Vanilla from the waitress.

“That’s correct.  Thank you.”

The waitress places the cup of black coffee down on the table.  She looks back up at Julia.

“Your friend is not here.  Are you sure she is coming?”

“Oh she’ll be here.  She just has a habit of being late.”

“If you say so.”

With that, the waitress turns and walks off.  The ‘friend’ to which the waitress is referring to is none other than Mary Ford.  Julia is almost certain that Mary will make it eventually.  The text message she sent Mary was one that she could hardly ignore.  She told her she knew she was her daughter and demanded to speak with her.

And while Julia’s family situation is on a roller coaster ride, the same can also be said of her professional wrestling career…

Julia Braddock’s quest to become number one contender for the UWA World Championship ended before it even had a chance to begin when she and Danny Darko were defeated in the first round by Alana Starr and Myra Lynwood.  It was just yet another unfortunate set of circumstances that seemingly have been placed there by destiny in order to deny Julia Braddock.  And while crying and complaining seems to be the popular thing to do in professional wrestling lately, the youngest member of the Braddock Wrestling Family chooses to take a different track.  Instead of showing weakness she will show strength by persevering through the turmoil and work her way into the next challenge that has been placed before her…

…a five person round robin league to determine the new UWA Queen of the Ring Champion.

The Queen of the Ring Championship had been held by Eve but then, due the order of Ba’al and Sinistry, was dropped in a dog and pony show of a match to Jessica Wilde.  David Helms, the man who runs things in UWA, had none of it and stripped Wilde of the belt.  Now it’s up for grabs and any of five potential athletes could end up with the gold.  Those athletes are Jessica Wilde, Kathryn Pearson, Grace Morningwood, Selena Frost, and none other than the Kensington Knockout herself, Julia Braddock.

In this round robin style of competition, Julia Braddock will have to face each one of her four opponents individually in order to prove her worthy status as champion before she is awarded with the title; two points will be awarded for a win and one point awarded for a draw.

Winning the round robin league to become new Queen of the Ring Champion will be a tough hill to climb for Julia Braddock, but she is determined to make the most of this opportunity granted to her.  After her recent string of losses and draws, a failure to win the Last Stand Rumble, and this loss in the tag tournament, she hasn’t proven herself worthy of anything in UWA and yet David Helms saw fit to grant her this opportunity anyway.  She will not squander that opportunity.

Her first opponent will be a familiar face; namely, Selena Frost.  The two were at odds back in the Independent Wrestling Cartel when Julia considered herself “Queen” Julia Noel.  Those were not Julia’s happiest of memories.  She remembers quite clearly some horrible things that she did or tried to do to many IWC superstars at the time, to Selena as well, all in the name of becoming Queen of the Ring Champion.  But now Julia has a chance to revisit that history and, this time, right those wrongs and win the right way and, in the process, take one step closer towards winning the league and becoming new Queen of the Ring Champion in UWA.

But first…

“Julia?”

Her attention is snapped as she hears the familiar voice of Mary Ford off in the distance.  Julia turns her attention in the direction of the sound.  She sees Mary Ford dressed in a simple, modest attire of a maxi skirt, long sleeved blouse, and flats.  Julia frowns as she watches her approach the table.  Mary knows that Julia is not too happy right now and thus waits for permission before she sits down.  Braddock nods to the empty chair at the table.

“You can sit…mom.”

Mary sighs and pulls the chair out.  She sits down in the chair.  Ford looks at her coffee and then back up at Julia.

“Black…”

“Just how you like it, if I recall.”

Mary nods her head.

“You’re right, I like my coffee black.”

Mary takes a sip of her coffee and then sets the cup down on the table.  She sighs.

“So, your father told you, I take it…that I was your mother…?”

“My father?!”

Julia’s eyes flash red with anger.

“My daddy is DEAD!  He died of cancer last year!”

Mary gasps as she holds a hand over her mouth.

“He died?  I….”

She shakes her head.

“…I’m so sorry, Julia.  I had no idea.”

“Of course you didn’t, because you have never been an active parent!  You were an absentee mother to Glory, who I now realize is my sister, when you moved away to the United States, leaving Glenn to raise her all by himself.  You could have been there for Angelica and Kayla, your nieces, but you couldn’t even be bothered to play an active role in their lives either.”

“Julia…”

The blonde shakes her head.

“No, mother, you shut up and listen!”

Mary is immediately silenced by this.  She wasn’t expecting this reaction from the woman who just found out she was her daughter.

“Angelica and Kayla haven’t had a mother since they were thirteen and twelve respectively…”

She points a finger at Mary.

“…you could have been that mother-figure for them but you were never there for them.  You abandoned Glory, you abandoned Angelica, you abandoned Kayla, and you did worse to me.  You pretended I didn’t even exist.  As far as you were concerned, you had only one child…and that was Glory.  Where was I in your life, mom?  Why couldn’t you find a place for me in your life?!”

Julia has finally finished her ranting as she stares across the table into Mary’s eyes.  Mary remains calm, cool, and collected through all of this.  There is a pause before Mary, finally, speaks up.

“So…may I talk now?”

“Yes.”

“Good…because I need to tell you my side of the story.  It isn’t as cut and dry as you want to think.”

Julia picks up her coffee cup and takes a sip.

“I’m all ears.”

Mary takes a big swig of her black coffee, perhaps to ease the nerves, and then sighs after setting the cup back down on the table.

“Please understand that this is not easy for me.  I loved Glory…just as I loved Angelica and Kayla…and hell, I even loved Glenn and his brother, your father Peter.  And perhaps taking myself completely out of their lives was wrong, but I felt it was for the best for all parties involved that you all forget about me completely.”

Julia shakes her head.

“That doesn’t make any sense, because shouldn’t that be for me to decide?”

“Maybe…”

“Maybe?”

Julia blinks her eyes furiously, not quite sure she heard Mary properly.

“Maybe?  Mom, you cheated on Glenn with his brother Peter.  I was the product of that affair.  Yes, I can see why Glenn was upset with you, but it’s not all that unusual.  Andreas Lasiewicz was married to Angelica Jones, YOUR niece.  They had a child, Corey Jones.”

“I know this.”

“Then maybe you will also note how after they broke up, he started dating Kayla Jones, Angelica’s sister.  And he and Kayla had twins.  Do you see Angelica and Kayla at one another’s throats?  Do you see Andreas Lasiewicz ignoring all of his children?”

“No…”

“So do you see why this doesn’t make any sense to me?”

Mary nods her head.

“I do understand why none of this makes any sense to you, Julia.”

Julia reaches out and grabs Mary by her hands.  She squeezes them tightly.

“Then try and help me understand.  Glory, your own daughter, has disowned you…”

Tears are forming in Mary’s eyes.  She nods her head.

“Yes, I know this…”

“…but I don’t want to disown you.  I want to give you a chance but for me to give you a chance I need to hear the truth.  Glenn lied to me all of my life, so did my own father, and even Glory has been giving me the run around.  All I want is the truth.”

Julia stares across the table, waiting on her mother to respond.  Mary is uneasy and hesitant…

“I…”

“The truth, mom.  That’s all I want.”

“I just…”

Mary shakes her head.

“…I just can’t.”

“You can’t tell me the truth?!”

“I can’t.”

Julia sighs and shakes her head.

“Thanks for nothing, then.”

Julia reaches into her purse and produces a few dollar bills and plants them on the table.  Julia then pushes her chair out and stands up.  She stares down at Mary.

“Perhaps Glory was right about you all along.”

“Julia…”

Julia shakes her head.

“No!  You have had your chance and now I am through!  I wanted to know the truth about my family heritage, I wanted to know the truth about who I am!  Glory offered to tell me but I was willing to give you a chance first!  Clearly this was a mistake, because despite everything that has gone on, despite someone being willing to give you a chance, you still do not seem ready to be a mother.”

Mary opens her mouth to speak but before she can get anything out, Julia has already spun on her heel and is storming away to a nearby car parked on the street.  Mary rises from the table and considers giving chase but decides against it as she watches her daughter get into the passenger’s side of the car.  Inside the car, Julia Braddock finds her boyfriend JaMarcus Avery sitting there behind the wheel.  He looks at Julia clearly noticing how distraught she is.

“Is everything ok?”

Julia shakes her head.

“No…”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Later.  Just drive.”

JaMarcus nods.  He places the key into the ignition, turns the key, and the car starts.  He starts to drive away.  Meanwhile, as the car is going down the street, Julia takes out her smart-phone and pulls up Face Time.  After pressing a few buttons she waits and, eventually, sees her sister Glory Braddock appear on the screen.

“Hello…oh, Julia!”

“Hi, Glory.”

Glory’s face furrows and contorts as she studies Julia.

“You don’t look so well, Julia.  Is everything ok?”

“Everything is fine.”

JaMarcus, who can’t help but listen in on all of this, sighs as he realizes Julia is lying.  She isn’t ok, nothing is ok.  But he can’t do anything about it right now.  He just continues to listen intensely.

“What can I do for you, sister?”

“I can’t talk over the phone, Glory, but I just…”

Julia sighs.

“…I’m tired of the lies and the deception, from everyone. I want to know the truth, Glory, the truth about my family heritage and family legacy, and most importantly I want to know who I am.  You told me that you would explain all of these things to me.  Are you still willing  to do this for me?  And can you…”

Julia reaches up and wipes some tears from her eyes.

“…can you help explain to me who I am?”

A wide, ear to ear grin forms across Glory’s face.

“Of course I can and I will!  What are sisters for?”

Julia nods her head.

“You’re right.  And I’m sorry for ever doubting you, Glory.”

“There is no need to apologize.  We are sisters and we help one another.  I will help you, Julia.”

“Thank you, Glory.”

With that, Julia hangs up the phone.  JaMarcus quickly shoots Julia a glance before looking back at the road.

“I take it that meeting with your mother didn’t go well.”

“She wouldn’t say anything to me, JaMarcus.”

“Did you give her a chance to?”

“I gave her plenty of opportunities to tell me the truth but she wouldn’t say a word!  I tried to hear her side of the story, now I’ll hear from the one person willing to speak with me…Glory Braddock.”

==========

Coming Full Circle

On Camera

==========

The sky is a bright Carolina blue and the sun is shining overhead as we catch a glimpse of the impressive Big Ben clock tower at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England.  The camera zooms out so that we are at ground level and we see the black iron gate that surrounds the famous tower.  It isn’t long until the familiar face of Dr. Henry Van Stanton steps into view.  He is wearing a pair of sangria colored pants, matching jacket, and a black vest over a white silky button up shirt.  A smirk is etched across his face.

“My name is Dr. Henry Van Stanton and I am the agent and manager of “The Kensington Knockout” Julia Braddock.  I fiercely represent my client to the best of my abilities but unlike other managers I do not take credit for their success.  The success or failure of my clients is entirely on them.  I merely work to get them the opportunities they so rightly deserve.  Now the question remains, does my client deserve to be in the round robin league for the Queen of the Ring Championship?”

Van Stanton shrugs his shoulders.

“I don’t know, granted she didn’t win the Last Stand Rumble and she lost in the first round of the tag team tournament to crown new number one contenders for the UWA World Championship.  Perhaps the argument could be made that my client doesn’t deserve any further opportunities…”

He shakes his head.

“…I disagree.  Let’s face facts, my client was one of the finalists in the Last Stand Rumble.  She was within a hair of winning it all.  And as for this tournament that is currently under way, she did not get to choose a partner, she was randomly paired with someone she had no history with, she was NEVER pinned in the match, her partner was, and finally, to top it all off, my client and her partner would have won had it not been for the underhanded tactics of the opposition.  That being said, facts are facts and a loss is a loss, but my client is prepared to bounce back from this and she is excited about this next opportunity she has, an opportunity to claim a prize she had been after back when she joined the Independent Wrestling Cartel, only this time to do it the right way.”

He chuckles.

“My client has said it before, but I hope she doesn’t mind me saying it now, but the fact is that she truly has come full circle.  She is back where she started, challenging perhaps for the Queen of the Ring Championship.  And her journey towards that goal starts now, right here in London, England.  So, without further delay, please welcome Julia Alexis Braddock.”

Julia Alexis Braddock steps into the scene from stage right.  The blonde is wearing a sheath silhouette spaghetti strap sweetheart neckline natural waistline sleeveless backless dark blue dress that extends down to mid-thigh length.  Her feet are encased in black high heeled pumps.  She shakes hands with Henry and then watches as he steps off screen stage left.  Julia turns to face the camera and smiles.

“Behind me is Big Ben and other than the fact that this awesome landmark is in my home of London, England, this incredible piece of history is also representative of the journey I have been on since my arrival in The Triad, when I signed with the Independent Wrestling Cartel back last year.  Back then I signed because I wanted to be Queen of the Ring Champion.  I wanted to force the people of IWC to worship me.”

Julia shakes her head.

“No, I was not a good person back then.  And no, I did not accomplish my goal, either.  Marina Valdivia became IWC Queen of the Ring Champion and looking back, she truly was the most worthy of that title.  She earned it the hard way, the right way, unlike me, who was willing to do anything and everything, willing to break every rule, in order to become champion.”

“At that point I knew I had to change, I realized how wrong I was, I realized I had become a monster.  So I worked hard and with the help of my family and with the help of my agent Dr. Henry Van Stanton, I changed my ways and I became a better person.  Eventually I got the chance to start fresh in the Uprising Brand, which would become UWA, and now here in UWA I have a chance in this round robin style league to once again compete for the Queen of the Ring Championship.”

Julia turns around and gazes up at the Big Ben clock tower.

“Time is a funny thing.  I don’t believe that we as people truly or fully understand it yet.  But one thing we can know for certain about time is that, if you wait long enough, everything will come full circle.  You start at midnight, if you wait twenty-four hours, those hands on that majestic clock will once again rest upon midnight.  That’s just how time works.  It’s a cycle.”

Julia turns back around to face the camera.

“I have come full circle in more ways than one, because now I am competing once again for that same championship I had initially wanted so badly, and furthermore I am competing against someone with whom I have history with from my early days in IWC…”

She pauses as a grin forms across her face.

“…Selena Frost.”

Julia nods her head.

“That’s right, we’re up first in this Queen of the Ring Championship League.  And I am so thrilled to have this opportunity to face you one more time, because the last time we fought one on one was back in IWC and back then I was a self-centered, conceited, uncaring monster.  Back then I was Queen Julia Alexis Noel and I did my best to keep you away from the Queen of the Ring Championship.  I tried to stop you at every turn.  That showed disrespect, not just towards you but towards this sport.  For that I apologize.  Now I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I had to ask your forgiveness because it’s the right thing to do.  I’m not even going into Outbreak expecting to win.”

Julia chuckles lightly.

“It would be so easy to guarantee victory.  I mean, I could talk endlessly about how I come from the famous Braddock Wrestling Family, but honestly, what good has that done for me lately?  I could also talk about how this match will be held in my hometown of London, England!”

Braddock smirks knowingly.

“You can’t ask for much more of a hometown advantage than that, now can you?  They may be your True Believers but they are MY countrymen and they will all be in my corner at Outbreak because England honors and respects the Braddock Family.  That’s not hype, that’s a fact.  But will even that make a difference at Outbreak?”

She shrugs her shoulders.

“Ultimately all that matters is Selena Frost versus Julia Braddock and which one of us is the best.  That’s how it should have been back in IWC but my attitude, my jealousy, and my obsession got in the way and distracted from what could have and should have been an excellent match.  But this time will be different.  This time you and I are going to step into the ring and bring down the house!  We are going to have the show-stealing match that our fans deserve!  You and I are going to not just show what UWA wrestling is all about but what women’s wrestling is all about!”

“But make no mistake about it, Selena, at the end of the day there can only be one winner and in a round robin style league such as this, so let me break it down for you.  There’s five of us in this league and it’s round robin rules, meaning we have to fight each and every individual in this league.  Two points are awarded for wins and one point is awarded for draws.  Every win matters.  And don’t think for one second that your history in these things have escaped my notice.”

She nods her head.

“You were a semi-finalist one year and the winner the very next year in two straight Shot of Adrenaline Tournaments in SCW.  You know how to win these things.  I get that.  But my strategy is very simple.  I’m just going to take it one match at a time and my motto for this is simply ‘keep on winning’…so you can tell me to ‘believe it’ all you want, because I am going to keep on fighting, God willing I will keep on winning, and if I’m good enough, if I’m talented enough, and maybe if I have a little bit of luck on my side, I will defeat you, make you a believer in Julia Braddock, and go on to beat the other three opponents in this league and win the Queen of the Ring Championship…”

A knowing grin forms on Julia’s face.

“…believe it, Selena.”

The camera fades to black.