Deuce is Wild

Jasmine Crowe: "Mr. Matthews."

Chuck sighs, and presses the button on his phone.

Chuck Matthews: "Chuck. You can call me Chuck."

Jasmine Crowe: "Let's keep things professional, Mr. Matthews. In any case, you have a visitor. A Miss O'Day."

Chuck Matthews: "Which one?"

Jasmine Crowe: "Megan."

Chuck Matthews: "Uh.....send her in."

Chuck quickly shoves a bunch of important papers into his desk drawer.

Megan O'Day: "Hiding something, Chucky?"

Chuck smirks.

Chuck Matthews: "Nothing at all."

She smiles.

Megan O'Day: "How are you feeling?"

Chuck rolls his shoulder, and takes a deep breath.

Chuck Matthews: "Pretty good."

Megan stares at him for a moment.

Megan O'Day: "Can I see it?"

Chuck frowns.

Chuck Matthews: "AGAIN?! Christ, you're worse than your sister..."

Chuck fidgets with his pants, and Megan laughs.

Megan O'Day: "NOT WHAT I MEANT!"

She walks over to Chuck's desk. Chuck takes a seat in the chair. Megan sits on the desk, and plants her foot on his crotch, crushing his balls.

Megan O'Day: "And don't talk about my sister in front of me."

Chuck gasps for air.

Chuck Matthews: "Noted."

She takes her foot off him, and sits cross-legged on the desk.

Megan O'Day: "So..."

Chuck raises an eyebrow.

Chuck Matthews: "So what?"

Megan O'Day: "Let me see it!"

Chuck shakes his head, but unbuttons his shirt, pulling it away to reveal a scar on his chest, a reminder of the shooting he suffered just six months earlier. Megan stares at it, running her hand down his chest.

Megan O'Day: "Does it hurt?"

Chuck Matthews: "Nah."

Megan O'Day: "What did the doctors say?"

Chuck Matthews: "Something about how there's a possibility my lung might collapse, and I could suffer a slow, painful asphyxiation in the middle of the ring."

Megan O'Day: "WHAT?"

Chuck grins.

Chuck Matthews: "Jokes. I should be fine."

Megan O'Day: "Asshole!"

Chuck laughs. It was still a bit odd with her around. There wasn't really anything going on between them...well, except the sex from time to time...but then again, it was difficult to find a woman Chuck HADN'T slept with at one point or another.

But Chuck and Megan had never really gotten along in the past. In fact, they'd generally been on each other's bad sdes. Something had changed though. Ever since the incident at the MExpo, Megan and Chuck had begun talking more. In the hospital...Chuck had been visited by a lot of people he never would have expected to come and see him...Megan was one of them...

-------------------------------------------------------
January 12, 2011
Chicago, Illinois

Chuck is laying in bed, scribbling away in a notebook. A knock at the door interrupts him.

Chuck Matthews: "It's open."

The door slowly creaks open, and a familiar face peers into the room. Chuck smiles.

Chuck Matthews: "You decided to come back."

Kim O'Day walks in, shrugging.

Kimberly O'Day: "I said I would, didn't I?"

She had visited a week earlier, along with Chad Mason. It was an awkward conversation to say the least...and only partly because the most awkward man on the planet was standing there fidgeting the whole time. Now, though, Chad was nowhere to be seen. Kim turns, opening the door wide. The other three O'Day siblings file in, with Bobby bringing up the back.

Chuck Matthews: "Damn it."

Bobby and Chuck had a rough history...mostly due to Kim's staged death, Chuck's sleeping with two of the O'Day sisters...the usual stuff. He stares at Chuck when he enters the room, but his expression remains motionless. He says nothing, simply staring at Chuck. Megan stands by her brother. Though she tries to hide it, there's a strange look in her eyes....concern? Pity? Chuck couldn't tell.

Taylor O'Day: "How are you feeling?"

Taylor was a basketcase. Chuck almost felt bad for her at times. She was a sweetheart by nature...but she had some problems. Big ones. She was a recovering sex addict, or so Chuck had heard...a problem which Chuck took much of the blame for. She had cheated on Jason with Chuck...and from that point, her life fell apart. These days, Chuck felt bad for what he had done. He had slept with Taylor primarily to get inside Jason’s head...a plan which didn’t pan out quite the way Chuck intended. To make matters worse, Taylor grew extremely attached to Chuck. She was persistent, spending the months following trying to establish a relationship that Chuck didn’t want. Taylor wasn’t so clingy and possessive now...but it was clear she still had some sort of lust for Chuck, and still seemed to fawn over him whenever the two were in the same room...a habit that, instead of attracting Chuck to her, surprisingly distrubed him deeply.

Chuck Matthews: “Fine, thanks. How are you all holding up?”

Kimberly O’Day: “It’s been interesting, to say the least.”

She stares at him a moment. Kim...the oldest of the sisters. Kim and Chuck had the longest, and strangest, history of any of the family. They had dated for several months, during a slump in Chuck’s career. With her help, he had managed to climb back to the top. Things went to hell fast, though. Chuck had Chad Mason to thank for saving Kim from death...but Kim and Chuck never spoke after that. Not until after the shooting.

Chuck Matthews: "Interesting how?"

Kim opens her mouth, but doesn't say anything. She smiles, and shakes her head, stepping back. Chuck sighs. Chuck had been with a lot of women in his life...but there were a few that stuck out in his mind. A handful of women that, for whatever reason, Chuck would never forget. Kim was one of those. Yet, as bad as Chuck felt about what had happened between them, he couldn't bring himself to apologize. At the end of the day...he felt bad about it...but he never regret anything. Everything that happened did so for a reason. Chuck was shot for a reason. He survived for a reason. The rocky relationship between himself and Kim was for a reason. Everything fit into a grander scheme of things. There was always a bigger picture. The secret to life was to become the author of the story. The man painting the bigger picture.

That was where Chuck came in.

Kimberly O'Day: "What are the doctors saying?"

Chuck shrugs.

Chuck Matthews: "Same old stuff, really. Punctured lung, broken ribs, don't ever compete again...you know, the usual."

Kim laughs.

Bobby O'Day: "For a guy with a shitty lung, you sure do a lot of talking, butthead."

Chuck shakes his head. If there was any word in the English language that Bobby liked more than "butthead," Chuck didn't know what it was. Bobby was a wrestler at one point...problem was, he had no charisma whatsoever, and was dumber than a sack of bricks.

Chuck Matthews: "What can I say? I'm a man of many talents."

Bobby O'Day: "Except keeping a girlfriend."

Chuck grins.

Chuck Matthews: "If I ever try to do so, I'll let you know how I do."

Bobby stares at Chuck for a moment.

Bobby O'Day: "Butthead."

Chuck laughs. Kim takes a seat next to Chuck's bed, and picks up his notebook.

Kimberly O'Day: "What is this?"

Chuck grabs for it, but Kim pulls it out of his reach. She flips through the notebook, laughing. Her expression falls as she reads a few pages though, and she looks at Chuck.

Kimberly O'Day: "What is this, Chuck?"

Chuck shrugs.

Chuck Matthews: "Some notes."

Kimberly O'Day: "For what?"

Chuck sighs, and takes the notebook back. He pulls a box from under the bed and tucks the notebook inside. Kim stops him, and opens the box herself, showing several more notebooks, all filled with Chuck's untidy notes and scribbles.

Kimberly O'Day: "What are all these for?"

Chuck stares at Kim. Finally, he takes a deep breath.

Chuck Matthews: "I'm writing a book."

Bobby O'Day: "You butthead!"

Chuck shoots Bobby an angry look, and turns back to Kim.

Chuck Matthews: "Ashley gave me the idea. Said I should write an autobiography. In case I don't make it or something."

Kim looks at Chuck.

Kimberly O'Day: "Do you think you're not going to make it?"

Chuck shrugs.

Chuck Matthews: "Can't say I've had too many injuries worse than this...but I don't feel too bad."

Kim nods. WIthout warning, she throws her arms around Chuck's neck.

Bobby O'Day: "HEY!"

Kim hugs Chuck tight.

Kimberly O'Day: "Don't die, Charlie."

She breaks the hug, and the two stare at each other a moment. She suddenly shakes her head, looking shocked. She turns and runs from the room. Bobby tries to stop her, but she shoves past him, running from the room. Bobby turns and chases after her. Taylor and Megan turn back to Chuck, who stares at the door, confused.

Taylor O'Day: "She really likes you."

Chuck Matthews: "Go figure."

Taylor O'Day: "Why didn't you ever talk to her after that match?"

Chuck knew exactly what match Taylor was talking about. The Devastation match against Chad Mason. Kim interfered on Chad's behalf, costing Chuck the match...and handing him his first loss ever in Devastation.

Chuck Matthews: "Bad timing."

Taylor O'Day: "Do you even care about her anymore?"

Chuck opens his mouth, but stops. Did he? Once upon a time, he was closer to Kim than any other woman he'd met...hell, he'd even asked her to move in with him. But now...it seemed that more people were against him than with him...and he had the bullet wound to prove it.

Chuck Matthews: "I don't know."

There's a long silence.

Megan O'Day: "Taylor, go see what Bobby's doing."

Taylor looks at her sister, then to Chuck. She turns, and heads for the door.

Taylor O'Day: "Are you coming?"

Megan O'Day: "In a minute."

Taylor eyes Megan suspiciously, but finally turns, leaving the room, closing the door behind her. Megan stares at Chuck.

Chuck Matthews: ".......Hi."

Megan frowns, but doesn't say anything.

Chuck Matthews: "Going to say anything?"

Megan takes a deep breath.

Megan O'Day: "Can we talk about something?"

Chuck raises an eyebrow.

Chuck Matthews: "I suppose. What's on your mind?"

Megan sits in the seat by Chuck's bed.

Megan O'Day: "Why do we hate each other?"

Chuck stops for a moment. Come to think of it, he never could think of a valid reason. They'd simply not gotten along. As far back as Chuck could think, he couldn't remember a specific instance where the problems began.

Chuck Matthews: "That's a damn good question."

Megan smiles.

Megan O'Day: "So much for 'Smartest Man in Wrestling.'"

Chuck shrugs.

Chuck Matthews: "Even Einstein was wrong now and then."

Megan shakes her head.

Chuck Matthews: "But why are we constantly fighting?"

Megan O'Day: "Because you're an asshole?"

Chuck Matthews: "I can't argue with that."

Megan smiles.

Megan O'Day: "Finally, we can both agree on something."

Chuck laughs.

Chuck Matthews: "I guess we just never trusted each other. You had your own life to worry about. You were with Brenton, you had your kid, and I was the guy trying to score every girl he met."

Megan O'Day: "And that's different now?"

Chuck frowns.

Chuck Matthews: "No, not really..."

Megan laughs.

Megan O'Day: "I don't know. I guess I just wanted to sort of apologize. In case you die or something. I don't want you disappearing thinking I hate you and wanted you dead."

Chuck clasps his hands over his chest.

Chuck Matthews: "It DOES have a heart!"

Megan slaps his arm, frowning. Chuck laughs.

Chuck Matthews: "I appreciate it, though. And I guess I'm sorry as well."

Megan O'Day: "Can I ask you something?"

Chuck Matthews: "By all means."

Megan O'Day: "Why did you sleep with my sister?"

Chuck frowns.

Chuck Matthews: "Because we'd been dating for a long time, and-"

Megan O'Day: "I meant my other sister."

Chuck shrugs.

Chuck Matthews: "Just kinda happened. Does that disturb you at all?"

Megan O'Day: "Not as much as you'd think. I mean, I guess it's weird that it was Taylor and Kim, just because they're farther in age and stuff...but I mean, Taylor and I have talked about each other's boyfriends and stuff. Jason, Brenton...you know."

Chuck Matthews: "Right..."

Bobby walks in. Megan bolts upright in her seat.

Bobby O'Day: "Hope you're happy, butthead. She's a mess because of you."

Chuck frowns.

Chuck Matthews: "Really? Just me?"

Bobby O'Day: "Don't make me come over there and break your other lung, butthead."

He turns to Megan.

Bobby O'Day: "We need to leave."

Chuck looks from Megan to Bobby.

Chuck Matthews: "Wait a minute...you mean you just left Megan and I in the same room alone, and you're not giving me shit about how 'You just want to fuck her, butthead' or anything like that?"

Bobby rolls his eyes.

Bobby O'Day: "One, you're like...crippled. And two, she hates you. Duh."

Megan touches Chuck's arm.

Megan O'Day: "I'm glad we talked, Chuck. I'll see you some other time."

Chuck nods.

Chuck Matthews: "Thanks for the visit. Tell Kim and Taylor the same."

Megan stands up, grabbing her purse from the floor before following Bobby out of the room.

-------------------------------------------------------

Since then, the two had almost become somewhat of friends. There was no love or anything between them...but she was interesting, to say the least. Surprisingly, they had a lot in common...it wasn't until a couple weeks ago when things got out of hand...the next thing he knew, Chuck was in his office in Matthews Tower, pulling his pants back on...and Megan was lying on the desk. Chuck shakes the memory from his head, and turns his attention back to Megan, who still sat cross-legged on his desk.

Chuck pulls his shirt closed, covering up the scar on his chest.

Megan O'Day: "Are you sure you should be competing? Isn't your sister a nurse?"

Chuck Matthews: "A doctor."

Megan O'Day: "Same diff."

Chuck Matthews: "That's what I said. Then I got a twenty minute lecture on the difference between doctors and nurses."

Megan laughs.

Megan O'Day: "What does she say about your injury?"

Chuck Matthews: "Says I'm out of my fucking mind for even considering a return. She's just being paranoid."

Megan shrugs.

Megan O'Day: "Soo..."

Chuck shakes his head. She was getting bored......and Chuck had learned by now what happened when Megan got bored........

-------------------------------------------------------

Three Hours Later...

Chuck waves, almost absentmindedly, as Megan walks out of his office. Of all the women Chuck had fucked over the years, Megan was, possibly, the most awkward. Not that she didn't know what she was doing...but awkward in the sense that Chuck constantly had alarms going off in the back of his mind. That signal, telling him how odd it was that he was doing it. With Megan, that alarm had never been louder....well, except maybe the time he slept with his daughter's best friend....that was certainly strange.

Maybe it was because Megan was one married to one of Chuck's old friends. She had even given birth to the guy's kid. Or maybe it was because Chuck had fucked both of Megan's sisters in the past...and it had finally sunk in that Chuck had pulled off the trifecta of sex: All three O’Day sisters had felt the power of the Sex Icon. Whatever it was, it was difficult to enjoy it. The plus side to that was that there would never be anything to come of it. Sex was mindless. Mundane, even. There was no emotion, no passion. Excitement came only in that they were doing it in private...where nobody knew what was going on...which, while it added some sort of thrill to things while they happened, often left Chuck feeling uneasy afterwards. Still...what was he to do about it? The way he saw it, the two of them were friends...nothing more. They just happened to be two particularly attractive friends....who enjoyed the occasional-

Chuck Matthews: “God damn it.”

Chuck sinks in his chair, propping his feet up on his desk. He rubs his eyes. Something had been stressing him out lately, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. The sound of the intercom buzzer brings him out of his trance. Chuck presses the button.

Chuck Matthews: “Chuck here.”

Jasmine Crowe: “You have a visitor. I’m sending him in. He says it’s urgent.”

Before Chuck has a chance to respond, the door opens, and a middle-aged man steps in. The man is clearly dressed in an attempt to impress someone: His clothes are nice...or at least, they were at one point. He wears a blue dress shirt, but it‘s terribly wrinkled, and Chuck notices the top two buttons are missing. His brown shoes, while clean of dirt, look as though they haven’t been polished in ages. The left shoe is torn at the toes, leaving the sole slapping against the ground when he takes a step. He is unshaven, his face peppered with grey stubble. His head hangs as he steps into the office.

Chuck Matthews: “Can I help you?”

The man looks at Chuck, showing sad brown eyes. Chuck stares at the man. There’s something strangely familiar about him. The man opens his mouth, but all that comes out is a small croak.

Chuck Matthews: “Are you alright?”

Chuck stands, circling around his desk. He approaches the man, guiding him to the sofa off to the side.

Chuck Matthews: “Do you need water? Anything I can get you?”

As he speaks, he moves around his office, grabbing a glass and popping open a bottle of water from the minifridge near his desk. He pours the water into the glass, handing it to the man. The man gratefully accepts it, drinking slowly. Chuck stares at him. That sense of familiarity remains, but Chuck is sure he’s never met this man before in his life. The man seemed unorganized, disheveled. Possibly a homeless man Chuck had seen outside the building, but had never paid any attention to? But that didn’t make sense. Matthews Tower was in a wealthier part of the city. The homeless population preferred the shopping area, and the poor sections. Despite the abundance of the wealthy areas, people tended to be more stingy, and less sympathetic towards the needy. Chuck had never seen a bum anywhere within ten blocks of Matthews Tower in the past.

The man hands Chuck the glass, which Chuck puts on his desk. He leans against the desk, never taking his eyes off the stranger.

Chuck Matthews: “Feeling better?”

Man: “Yes. Thank you.”

His voice is raspy, as though that was the first drink he’d ad in days. He sounds somewhat old. Older than he looks, anyway.

Chuck Matthews: “What can I help you with?”

Man: “I’m sorry, I haven’t had the chance to properly introduce myself. My name is Ted Borden.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chuck Matthews: “When I came back to the ring….people thought I was insane.

They’re probably right.

A lot of people have asked me recently…why did you return? After saying you were retiring for good, after all the things you did before you left, why would you ever want to come back? What more could you possibly achieve? And I usually ignored them. But there’s one fan…that one smartass comment that sticks with me…really gets me thinking.

“You got shot, and survived. Clearly someone doesn’t want you around. Why can’t you take the hint?”

Normally, I would react to a comment like that with a Hollywood Impact, or a chair to the back of the head of something…but I couldn’t bring myself to get angry with this fan, with this chubby douche standing in front of me…and afterwards, when I thought about it more and more, I realized, he was absolutely right.

Fact of the matter is, I would have been more surprised if people were happy to see me back than they were disappointed.

Clearly, someone didn't want me around...it almost seems a bit arrogant of me to feel the need to return. Against doctors' recommendations, against advice from friends...hell, even against the wishes of my own family...I chose to return. Chose to compete once again. Do things my way.

But then...I got to thinking...have I really done all I've wanted to do? I'd like to sit at that table, call myself the greatest of my time...but something's kept me from doing that. I mean, don't get me wrong, I've had a hell of a career...in fact...Let's take a look at all the things I've done in my career, shall we?

Dominating tag team competitor? Check.
Eleven-time world champion? Check.
Award winning superstar? Check.
Triple Crown Champion in two different companies? Check.
Legendary rivalries and matches? Check.

And so on and so forth. This doesn't even mention that I was the guy that managed to hold all three major belts in NLWF twice...before anyone else managed the feat. This doesn't mention the teams I've led into battle, and brought victory. This doesn't mention the legends I've beaten, the stars I've made, the men and women who have looked to me as a role model.

So why the fuck would I come back? What could I possibly achieve now that I haven't already done? What's the point of it all?

Fun.

I love what I do. I love being the CEO of some global corporation. But at the end of the day, that's an office job. Chuck Matthews don't do office jobs. I need to be on my feet. I need some sort of vent, some way to release any pent up aggressions. As much as I sometimes hate to admit it, wrestling is as much a part of me as the nose on my face. And while sitting behind the table making Anna feel awkward is fun...it can't compare with taking someone out with Hollywood Impact. Hearing someone scream as they try to escape the Cryptic Cross.

My return was marked with the match years in the making. Death-Angel against Chuck Matthews...and I guess I was a bit rusty. Surprising, but understandable. So what do I do? What I do best. Step back, examine the schematics of my little plans and schemes, and give it another go.

This week, though, I find myself facing a much newer opponent. Dan Alexander.....how nice.

This makes things very interesting, I think. The last time I was in the ring, it wa against the same old faces. Corey Casey...Brandon Macdonald...Nick Ridicule...Corey again...Nick again...Corey....over...and over....and over again.

You can see why the decision was fairly easy when it came time to walk away from active competition. Now, though...it’s a new company. New rules. New faces. And I get to welcome them aboard.

Welcome, Mr. Alexander. I know you have some strange partnership with my brother...but let’s be honest. That’s never stopped me in the past. You’re talking to the guy that’s fought to destroy my daughter’s husba-....ex-husband, I should say. My sister’s fiance wasn’t safe either. Honestly? Familial ties aren’t terribly important to me.

If you thought teaming up with Chris was an advantage, I hate to bust your bubble.

But back to what I was saying before. A new face. I’ve been able to sit back and watch the new guys at work. Watch Vincent Van Rose climb through the ranks. Watch guys like Bryant Tanner run their mouths. Watch TK Jones, Sean O’Rourke, Tyson Rowle. Some of them, I didn’t particularly like...Titus Black, for instance. Others, I took great interest in...like Matt Rydell.

And then we come to you, Danny boy. Dan Alexander. Deuce, I believe they call you. Or do you call yourself? I’m not sure. But I see Dan Alexander, and I think to myself...

Who?

Let’s see if I got this right. You arived in IWF. Won a battle royal. Somehow, that was deemed worthy of a shot at the biggest prize in the company...and, just as I suspected, you lost. I mean, you were here what, a week? I would have been more surprised if you DID win the belt. But we saw how that panned out.

All week, I’ve been catching shit from people. It’s actually pretty funny. The same people that, last week, told me I was out of my mind for returning, thinking I was going to get myself hurt even worse...are now wondering exactly why I was so off. Why did Chuck Matthews perform so half-heartedly? What was wrong with him? When can we expect the real Chuck Matthews to return?

Oops. Chalk it up to a bad week. Rest assured, I’ll have a hell of a performance for all my loyal fans this week. A spectacular return as Chuck Matthews stomps out a former number-one contender for the IWF Championship.

Pretending for a moment that it means anything, I ask myself if that gives me any sort of momentum. A victory over Dan Alexander, giving me a win over the guy who, just last week, competed for the IWF Title. The guy who's been on a tear lately. The guy who's been running roughshod through IWF, challenging anyone and everyone in his path, telling anyone who will listen how great he is, and how it would be wise to get behind him. Surely, a win this week could say big things about you ol buddy Chuck, right?

Nah.

That’s the painful truth of it, Dan. If I beat you...I don’t think anyone would expect otherwise. If I lose? Who knows? Maybe there’s something to this hype you’ve built for yourself after all.

I’ll let our match this week determine that.”