SCENE ONE - House Hunting(The scene opens up inside an empty house. It was beautiful. Wide open spaces, amazingly gorgeous wood floors, off white walls… The lighting was perfect, soft, yet strong. In the living room, where we can see, there is a set of bay windows with a beautiful view of the foot of the mountain range that was nearby. There was a spiral staircase that lead upstairs with amazingly detailed railing. From the other room we see Alexis Makarios and her fiance, James Younger, walk in. They were with another woman. She was young, early 30s at the oldest, wearing a light grey pantsuit with pale pink accents. She held a clipboard in her arm as she led them into the room.)
Agent: Here we have the living room. As you can see, from here, you would have an amazing view of the Catskill mountains. Believe me, the view in the fall is nothing short of breathtaking.
Alexis: It looks beautiful. I am loving everything about this house so far.
Agent: Are you a first time home owner?
Alexis: No, I own a house in Australia. But it’s a totally different playing field here in New York.
(The agent seems taken aback when Alexis mentions Australia.)
Agent: Australia? WOW! I’ve always to visit there.
Alexis: Oh, do, if you can. Ya know, when this pandemic bullshit is over. It’s so beautiful. The air just has a different presence to it. You will love it and never want to leave. And don’t even get me started on the beaches.
Agent: It’s on my bucket list, that’s for sure. But, if you own a home in Australia… what brings you to want to buy a home in upstate New York?
(As Alexis and the agent are talking, James continues to wander around the house, checking different things out.)
Alexis: Oh, the company I work for travels, usually. But with the pandemic they set up shop in Las Vegas, which has been hard for many of our roster members. So our bosses decided to relocate us to New York because so many members of the roster already live here. After a year and a half with this company, and staying in hotels between shows, I decided it was finally time to buy a house in states. You can only stay in hotels, or on your friends couch, so much. And after 6 months in a hotel in Vegas… it’ll be nice to be elsewhere.
Agent: That makes sense. So… what do you guys think?
(James walked back over and put his arm around Alexis’s waist)
James: I love it. It’s got plenty of space, plenty of spare bedrooms so you can have Jenn or Gracie or anyone really crash with us when they are in town.
Agent: One could even be turned into a nursery… should the urge hit you.
(The agent smiled. Alexis looked to James, who just grinned a little bit.)
James: Oh, babies aren’t on the table right now.
Agent: Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hit on a sensitive subject. It’s just common with an engaged young couple such as yourselves...
Alexis: Oh, it’s not that. It’s just not the time. Not with my career where it is, doesn’t really leave time for maternity leave.
Agent: Well… that’s unfortunate.
Alexis: It’s not that bad.
Agent: Well, Miss Smith, do you guys want to put in a bid?
(Alexis and James look at each other and nod. They look back to the agent.)
Alexis: Yes… but you should know our real names. I’m not Miss Veronica Smith… I’m Alexis Makarios and this is James Younger.
Agent: I’m confused…
James: We filled out our paperwork with a fake name so we would get the same treatment as anyone else. Seeing as we work in the public eye and are celebrities, we didn’t want any special treatment in this process. And, obviously, since money is no issue, we didn’t want prices to get sky rocketed by a greedy agent.
Agent: That makes sense… I thought you looked familiar. You work for that PWS wrestling company, right?
Alexis: That’s us.
Agent: My son watches your show every week. It’s his favorite.
(Alexis beamed)
Alexis: Oh that’s amazing. I’m so glad to hear. We actually have a PPV event coming up, you have been amazing to us this whole process. I’d love to do something nice for your son.
Agent: That’s not necessary
Alexis: Oh, I insist. I know I’m probably not alot of people’s favorite person right about now. But I’m really not a bad person. Despite what everyone else says and thinks.
(At this point, her phone starts to ring. She looks at it and sees that it is from Jenn.)
Alexis: Excuse me, I have to take this. James, you wanna get to work on that paperwork?
(James nodded and she kissed him on the cheek as she walked out the front door to answer her phone. She answered the video call and was face to face with Jenn.)
Alexis: Hey! Perfect timing! I can show you this house. It’s beautiful, huge, large yard… James is signing the paperwork now!
Jenn: That’s amazing and I will check it out soon. I’m a little strapped for time right now but I had to call you. I have something I need to show you. Now.
(The urgency in Jenn’s voice confused her.)
Alexis: Is everything ok? Did those damn Russow’s post another blast video on me? Or edit a photo of me to look embarrassing?
Jenn: No… nothing like that at all. I’m sending you a video I took earlier. You need to see this.
(Alexis looked confused as her phone dinged. She opened a video and there stood the now 10 year old Maverick. The son of her former friend, now hated rival, Lycra. The boy who looked up to and adored his Auntie Lexi for years before his mother ripped him away from her for absolutely no reason what so ever. Her free hand flew up to her face and covered her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes. He was so grown up, so much more than the last time she saw him. The video began to play.)
Maverick: Hi Aunt Lexi! See how much I've grown? I miss you so much. I just want you to know that I still think of you a lot and I wish Mom hadn't done what she did and took us away. I'm still mad at her for it in a way, but there's just nothing I can do about it. She refuses to even talk about what happened. I've tried and tried, but got nowhere with her.(Alexis wiped a tear from her cheek as she couldn’t help but smile so wide, she thought her cheeks were going to cramp up. She missed this little boy with all her heart, and to hear his voice… melted her heart so much. The video continued.)
Maverick: I want you to know I still remember all the things you taught me, things like never letting anyone bully me or give me a hard time. When anyone tries to, I kind of have a smart mouth now and put them in their place right away! I know you would be so proud of me for it! I'm a real tough kid now, but I know right from wrong. I'm doing so good in school, getting really good grades. I got an 'A' in phys. ed! I just might turn out to be a pro athlete like you!(By this point, the tears were free flowing. By golly… she DID have a heart.)
Maverick: Well I need to get back now to Dad's locker room. I kinda sneaked away for a bit without him knowing. Even though I'm too little to travel on my own to see you, I really hope I can see you again someday. I miss you so much. I still have "Kanga" the stuffed kangaroo you gave me.
Maverick: (sadly) I love you Aunt Lexi. I never stop thinking about you and I just really need you to know that.
Maverick: Well....bye for now Auntie Lexi… (The video ended and Alexis, now in full blown blubber mode, Jenn just smiled.)
Jenn: And on that day, the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes.
(She chuckled and Alexis lowered her head for a second.)
Alexis: Shut it. Text me details on where you next show is. Because I WILL be there. I will handle business there, and then take care of this Russow/Malachi crap. Thank you for sending me that, Jenn. I know you said you don’t have a lot of time.
Jenn: I’ll call you later tonight, ok?
Alexis: You better.
(Jenn smiled and waved before hanging up the call. Alexis put her phone in her back pocket and took a deep breath. She wiped the tears from under her eyes and walked back inside. She walked up to James and looked him square in the eye.)
Alexis: Book a flight. We have business to handle. Savannah, GA.
(James looked a little confused as the scene faded to black.)
Scene 2: I’m not heartless… just fed up.(The scene opens up inside Alexis Makarios’s locker room. She was sitting on the couch, looking through was looked to be a photo album. She flipped a page and smiled as she looked at the picture.)
Alexis: These were the good ole days. When everyone was young, and happy. God, what a fool I was back then.
(She looked up and noticed the cameras. She nodded.)
Alexis: I knew it was only a matter of time before one of you guys found me. Of course, you found me at a point where I am reminiscing about the past. And I have good reason for it too. So, why don’t you come on in, take a seat, put your feet up… cuz it’s storytime with “Auntie Lexi”.
(The cameraman moved in closer as Alexis held up the photo album so the camera could pick up the picture. It focused in on an old shot in PWSi with Alexis. She was on the ground laughing as a young Bella, Jack, and Gracie were all dogpiled on top of her. She put the photo album back down in her lap)
Alexis: See, we had a lot of good times back then. We were all blind and carefree. I, more so than the others. And I didn’t have an excuse such as being a child. I was merely a rookie in the company who just wanted to make friends. And that I did… or so I thought. The Russow’s were very different back then. Levi was always so welcoming and kind to me. Dan was… well Dan. There’s really not much difference there. Same with Jesse. Emma took me under her wing a bit, even Cameron stood by my side as a friend. Here we stand, a little under 10 years later, an things are so different. I’m not the innocent and naive newbie in the back running around just trying to fit in. I’m not blinded by the shine of their star, nor am I ignorant to how they really are. They never ACTUALLY liked me. They looked at this rookie who would spend every second she could trying to be a part of their family, of their clan. This strange red head that spoke funny, and had such a lust for adventure and the business.
(She shook her head a little bit as she flipped another page in the book.)
Alexis: Here we sit… a little under a decade later… and to them… I am the enemy. They say I am heartless, that I am a homewrecker, or even worse that I am not the person I used to be. But the truth of the matter is this… I am still the same Lexi they knew back then… I just don’t take shit anymore. My eyes have opened to the way the world really is. Yes, I may have hardened and put up a wall. And I am glad I did. I used to get walked all over, by everyone. I know, deep down, that Emma and Levi never REALLY cared about ME. They cared about how they could use my enthusiasm to their benefit. And looking back on it… I don’t regret a moment of it. I have so many fond memories from those days. Spending afternoons with the kids. Taking them for ice cream, comforting them when their parents were hurt, cheering them up when they were sad, entertaining them when they were bored, protecting them with my life if needed… just flat out being there for those kids. Because they were what mattered most. I didn’t do it because I saw what being associated with the Russows could do for me or my career. I didn’t care about any of that. All I wanted… was to be accepted and to be a part of that family. The closeness. And for a while, I truly thought I was.
(She showed another picture from the album. This was an old shot of Alexis linked arms with Laura Phoenix, Emma Russow, and Jennifer Carpenter-Lopez. She smiled a little bit as she lowered the album and looked at the picture.)
Alexis: A part of me always knew they didn’t really like me. But I never cared. As long as I could make memories like that night… I didn’t give 2 shits. I admired Laura, I looked up to her. And to Emma. I wanted to be like them. They were strong. They were brave. They were trendsetters. They were what every female in the business aspired to be. And I used to hope and pray that just a fraction of that would rub off on me. Looking back, I wouldn’t say I was stupid… I was blinded. Like a little girl who got to meet her idol. In my mind, at that time, they could do no wrong. But as I grew in this business and started to carve out my own little niche, I found a family that I wasn’t expecting. The Lopez clan showed me TRUE caring. Eddie became like a brother to me, and my life was changed for the better. The more time I spent with them, and the less around the Russows, things began to click. They became clear. The Russow’s didn’t really care about ME. Not really. And that’s when things started to change.
(She let out a bit of a sigh.)
Alexis: See… maybe I did change some between then and now. But not as badly as you guys think. Jack, Bella… you know you two will always share a special place in my heart. You guys can stomp around all you want saying I am a horrible person, and saying that I am cruel and heartless and whatever else you want. Because I know the truth. I am not a bitter old woman. I grew up, and I saw what was going on. I saw your family for what they were. And that’s ok. That’s why I distanced myself. I put up a barrier, a wall, and I proceeded as I needed to. And yes, it’s unfortunate.
(She shook her head a little bit.)
Alexis: And then… we get here. Present day. You guys all grew into your own personalities. Laura ascended into power, and since that day, things have gone downhill. It’s not like I chose Alanah because of who she is, or who she is associated to. I don’t give a shit. I poked at her because of the treatment she was getting. And you guys just don’t see it. You are just like I was back in PWSi. Blinded by the spectacle that is the Russow clan. They can do no wrong. I just can’t believe that you all thought it was perfectly ok for her to sit back and do nothing, and rack up those days as champion until she became the longest reigning PWS:APEX champion. You were ok with her going 3 months without defending the belt, because she was one of you. You were ok with Laura making excuses for anything and everything. You were ok with all of it… because it benefited you. I’m not heartless, I understand with the pandemic some people need to take more precautions. But the point NONE OF YOU guys are seeing is this… if it was anyone else… that title would have been taken away!
(She put down the photo album and leaned forward.)
Alexis: If it was me, you all would have pitched a FIT that I wasn’t defending. If it was Heather, you would have thrown a temper tantrum. But, it was one of your own, so it was ok. Guess what, it’s NOT ok. I’m just the only one who was willing to speak up, outside of Heather. So yeah, say whatever you want. I targeted poor, innocent, can-do-no-wrong Alanah. Make whatever excuses you have to. But I had a damn good reason for it. My logic is SOUND. You just refuse to see it. Throw things in my face all you want, you are so far up Mack’s ass that I wouldn’t be surprised if you got yourself and accent and started running around with your own little knife trying to emulate him. I’m sure you are gonna sit there and tell me left and right how I had such an awful title reign and how I ducked your knife weilding psychopath. Truth is… I didn’t duck a single person. And if you got your head out of your ass, Jack, you’d see that. And this is where I don’t back down. Not even a single inch. Your precious little Alanah just happened to be the target. Oh well. I gotta say, I am surprised that you didn’t get your ass involved before now, like last week.
(She smiled a little bit as she thought back to last week)
Alexis: That… well that was actually kind of fun. See, you guys all see me as this awful person, this big bad guy. But I’m really not. I’m just standing up for what I believe in. If the tables were turned, and it was me who legit never defended… by the way I’ve done the math. I had like twice as many defenses in less time than your precious one. But if it was me who went months without defending, PPVs passed without me defending the title, and you were leading the crusade… it would be perfectly fine. Because you are a Russow. That’s what I am fighting against. You are just blinded to it because the target happens to be your girlfriend. Whatever, you do what you gotta do.
(She tilted her head a little bit, looking directly into the camera.)
Alexis: And don’t think I have forgotten you are a part of this, Malachi. How could I possibly forget the person who took my title off me. Good job, you rose to the occasion and were better than me that night. You and Dan took me by surprise and you ended my reign. Good for you. You then went on to retain it when I got my rematch. Here’s the thing… I kind of LET you win. I know you are gonna sit there and call bullshit on that but… my heart just wasn’t in that match. You needed that win more than I did. Granted, your glory didn’t last very long, because Mack pretty much murdered your ass not too far after that. I will give you credit, you walked into that match without hesitation. Good for you, you are brave… yay for you. Whatever, I have been looking forward to my chance to prove that I can beat you. And for it to happen this way is… well it’s bittersweet. I know you both are out for blood from me. Both because of Alanah. I swear to fuck, if she gets invovled this week she WILL regret it. Take that for face value.
(She sat back and took a deep breath.)
Alexis: I know everyone is expecting me to sit here and bitch and moan for… well however long the camera is running or until I get bored. But, I’m just not in the mood today. Things have been rather emotional for me lately, and I’m just drained today. So I’m gonna let things slide… for today. I could sit here and point out every single thing that Laura has done wrong in her management position. Now, I’m not saying Star and David were perfect. But they were under a different kind of scrutiny that no one is holding Laura to. But that’s a story for a different day. I have already spoken my piece on that matter. And, Jack, now that your father is involved… things are starting to change around here. And you don’t like it. You don’t have the free range that you once had. I can honestly say that I don’t exactly like your father, and you seem to be the same right now, but you can’t deny that the man is truly doing what is best for this company. When I heard he was coming on to the staff… I feared that it was going to become the Russow show. That you and your clan would get to do whatever the fuck you wanted. And boy, was I ever happy to be wrong.
(She chuckled a little bit.)
Alexis: Seeing Mack get arrested was… well it was hilarious, not gonna lie. But that’s beside the point. I’m actually looking forward to getting in the ring with you two. Especially with my newest ally at my side. She sees the same corruption as I do, and she is the only person other than me who was brave enough to stand up against it. Sure, it gives us massive targets on our backs. But that’s ok, it makes things fun. I am actually kind of hoping to be able to stand to the side and watch you and Malachi implode on each other. Is your mutual “hatred” of us enough to put it aside for the night… for a measly 15 minutes? I don’t know, you both are hot heads and pretty combustible. You hate him, he hates you, you both hate us. Sounds like a good time, right?
(She leaned forward one more time, resting her elbows on her knees.)
Alexis: But at the end of the day, you can hate me all you want. You can say whatever nasty and rude thing you want. Think whatever you need to. Because at the end of the day, you need to know that Auntie Alexis doesn’t hate you. Quite the opposite. I still love both you and Bella dearly. I just can’t fucking stand the intolerable, whiny, entitled assholes you have become. Oh, and Malachi… I don’t give 2 shits about you. See you boys on Tuesday.
(She winked at the camera as it faded to black.)
Scene 3: Reunited… and it feels SO good.(The scene fades in outside a nondescript arena in Savannah, GA. Alexis walked up to the building, wearing a hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, jeans, and an oversized pair of sunglasses on her face. She walked up to the entrance only to be stopped by security guards.)
Security: Sorry, no one can enter without proper identification.
Alexis: I don’t need ID. I have this.
(She lifted up a badge she had hanging from a lanyard around her neck.)
Alexis: I’m here as a guest to Jennifer Carpenter-Lopez and Gracie Lopez.
(The guard looked at the badge and shrugged.)
Guard: I’m sorry, but anyone could make one of those…
Alexis: SERIOUSLY???
(From behind her walked up miss Gracie Lopez herself. She looked at the guard.)
Gracie: Yeah, she is legit with me. Can we go in now.
Guard: I’m sorry, Miss Lopez.
(Gracie just shook her head as the two of them walked in. Once inside, Gracie gave her a hug.)
Gracie: I’m so happy to see you!
Alexis: Same here. Everything has been so off the charts insane. Me and James bought a house, I have a new Tag Partner, and I have to face one person who I saw as a nephew for so long. It’s been an emotional week… and it’s about to get worse.
Gracie: Or better. Depending on how you see it.
(Alexis nodded with a smile.)
Alexis: Where are we meeting them?
(Gracie led Alexis to Jenn’s locker room. They walked in and Jenn gave Alexis a hug as well.)
Jenn: I’m so glad you made it. I was just as shocked when he came to me. I know how much you love that boy.
Alexis: As if he were my own. Granted, I am not exactly batting strong in that area.
Gracie: What are you talking about? I grew up to be awesome!
(Gracie chuckled a little bit. Alexis took off the sunglasses and the hoodie, placing them on a nearby chair. She fixed her hair a little bit, as she had a bit of a mess going on after being in the hood. She plopped down on another chair.)
Alexis: Well, you are the 1 good one, I guess. I mean, you know back in the old PWSi days that I was Auntie Lexi to pretty every wrestler’s kid backstage.
Gracie: Oh yeah. You made it fun to be stuck in the arena while dad did promo work, or practice in the ring, or even during his matches. I don’t even know how many times you comforted us when we watched them in brutal matches and everything.
Alexis: And I loved every second of it. But… now you guys are all grown up. You, well you are amazing. You stayed so kind, and humble. But the others that I helped raise?
Jenn: Specifically… Jack and Bella?
Alexis: Exactly. Look at them now. I still love them to death… but they grew up to be people I don’t even recognize. Bella is cocky, arrogant… and the worst part is she is entitled. She grew up to be nothing more than a little Russow lackey. And Jack… well he is just a chip off the old block. But that’s neither here nor there. So… yeah I guess that means i’m 1 out of 3?
Gracie: That’s still 33%. Could be worse?
Jenn: You can always count Dynamite’s boy, Jayne. He’s not an entitled asshole…
Alexis: so… 2 out of 4. That’s still 50%.
Gracie: Better than 33%?
Alexis: That’s… that’s really not helping.
(As they are talking, there is a light knock at the door in a pattern. Jenn smiled.)
Jenn: That’s the secret knock. Go ahead, answer the door.
(Alexis took a deep breath. She looked back at the door with a smile on her face, holding back tears. She walked to the door and opened it. There stood Maverick Maddox. Tears began to flow from her eyes as she was face to face with him.)
Maverick: Auntie… Lexi…
(She couldn’t even speak at this point. She just nodded between sobs.)
Maverick: Is it… is it really you?
(She still couldn’t speak, the tears flowed down her cheeks. She let out a half chuckle mixed with a bit of a sob. She reached out and pulled the young boy into a tight embrace. Neither one wanted to let the other go. Jenn and Gracie watched from inside the room, almost tearin up themselves from the sheer emotion of the moment.)
Maverick: I’ve missed you so much!!!
Alexis: I’ve missed you too, Mav!
(They both squeeze the other tighter, as it had been years upon years since they had seen each other. Finally they released the hug and she held him at an arms length away, crouched down a little so she is eye level with him. She had her arms on his shoulders as she looked him up and down with tears in her eyes.)
Alexis: Where’s the little boy your mother took away from me so long ago?
Maverick: I grew up!
Alexis: Yes… you have.
(She sniffled twice before placing a hand on his head, gently leaning down and kissing him on the top of his head.)
Jenn: Should probably bring this reunion inside, in case a certain evil mother or father see and trouble starts.
Alexis: Good idea.
(Alexis ushers Maverick in the room so they can all catch up as the scene faded to black.)