Post by Xavier Cross on May 23, 2018 4:25:20 GMT
Atlanta, Georgia
May 24th, 2018
The scene opens to a backyard barbecue, a banner with the words ‘Happy Birthday’ spread across a few picnic tables. We see the Cross twins running across the yard, kids chasing each other with water guns, some of the older kids hanging off to the side, playing on their phones. We see Xavier Cross standing next to a cornhole board with his adopted, younger brother, Jaqwan, across from them is their father, holding a few of the bean bag sacks in his hands tossing them across.
Smirking a bit as the bag hits the board, and slides off. A little bit of taunting is heard from Jaqwan, as Xavier shakes his head. It was a birthday party for their father, he was turning 72 years old today. His father, Jack Cross used to be one of the best criminal prosecutors in the state of Georgia, now he sits back and runs his own firm, a bullpen for up and coming legal hot shots to gather their craft. But today wasn’t about the law or accomplishments, it was just about celebrating life.
Xavier Cross: “Hey, Dad you sure you can keep doing this?”
Jack Cross: “What do you mean?”
Xavier smirks a bit
Xavier Cross: “Keep losing the way you are, I mean it’s your birthday old man!”
Jaqwan Cross: “Aw c’mon man, Dad don’t listen to him. We got this!”
The teams had been split up, Jack and Jaqwan were taking on Chris and Xavier. Chris, as we’ve met before in previous stories, was Xavier’s cousin, but growing up, Jack’s brother, John, or Chris’s father as the story dictates, wasn’t the most responsible human being, and found himself in gambling debt heavily, to the point where John Cross found the only solution to get out from underneath his debt was suicide. Chris and his mother were taken in by Xavier’s parents when Xavier was just a few months old. Blood, Water, adoption, whatever it may be, these four men here shared a bond that was sacred between a father and his sons.
Chris had all the chances in the world to follow in Jack’s footsteps, and become a hotshot prosecutor, but, he wanted to support his little cousin, Xavier, as he entered the business world as an athlete, originally it was for the basketball dream, but every step of this wrestling dream. From twenty years old, to now, fourteen years later, Chris Cross has managed Xavier every step of the way, for better or worse.
But then, there was Jaqwan, whose story was a little more complicated, which is a story for another day. The simple fact is, Xavier’s parents adopted this boy when he was roughly six years old, a standout athlete in school as well as an excellent student, he chose to enter the United States Military, entering into the Naval branch. It had been a few years, and he was coming up on his retirement, which he had no idea what he was going to do. He was spending a lot more time in D.C., but that's neither here nor there.
The bag hits the hole, shaking the exposition away for a moment as Xavier looks down seeing that the birthday boy just dropped the game-winning bag in the hole. Sighing a bit, he polishes off the Budweiser in his hand before he and younger brother make their way to the center to meet Chris and their father.
Chris Cross: “I told you, professional corn hole, you could easily do it in retirement!”
Jack Cross: “Just think about all the sponsorship ideas, we can slap a McDonald’s logo on the bags. A Walmart logo across the board, and jerseys. We’d be printing our own money.”
Jaqwan Cross: “Chris, what have you done. You know how he gets when you come up with a scheme.”
Xavier Cross: “Scheme’s, it’s more like you want everyone to retire lately. What’s up with you man.”
Xavier puts his hand on his father’s shoulder, as he gives Chris a strange look as Chris responds by clapping his hands together.
Chris Cross: “Smells like the burgers are done, I am a little worried the last time we let Uncle Dave cook the food, he put whiskey in or on anything.”
Jack Cross: “I swear you boys, a little whiskey never hurt anyone.”
Jaqwan Cross: “He was putting in the macaroni salad, I swear, you white people put anything in your cookout salads that don’t belong!”
Xavier Cross: “Act like you didn’t love Momma’s potato salad growing up.”
Jaqwan Cross: “That don’t count. Momma can outcook Gordon Ramsay!”
Chris Cross: “..I literally just introduced you to ‘Master Chef’ you can’t go around making those kind of declarations Jay…”
Jack Cross: “Your mother and I love that Masterchef Junior! Those kids are just so adorable.”
The four men step under a canopy, as we hear a soft wolf whistle. Looking up we see Momma Cross, or Rosaline Cross, sitting there with the Open Weigh Diamonds Champion, Vivienne Rodgers, as well as an unknown woman. The three are chatting it up, but of course, Momma had to wolf whistle at Jack. Which caused the boys to blush furiously. They were in their seventies now but still acted like teenagers at times.
Xavier takes his place, before Vivienne as he leans down kissing her temple.
Xavier Cross: “Having fun yet?”
Vivienne Rodgers: “Your mother may be my new favorite person.”
Xavier Cross: “Oh, is that so?”
Rosaline Cross: “I was just telling Ms. Rodgers here, about the time you got stuck in the bathroom when we went to the Braves batting practice, and how you just cried and cried.”
Xavier Cross: “Mom! I was 9, and that was terrifying!”
Vivienne Rodgers: “That explains why you don’t lock the bathroom door though..”
Xavier gives her a look, as we pan over to Jaqwan sitting next to the mystery woman, as he laughs.
Rosaline Cross: “Don’t think you were getting off any easier mister, I was telling your lady friend here about the time you climbed a tree, and we couldn’t get your down for hours and you cried and cried, and we had to call the fire department.”
Xavier Cross: “Ha! I remember that Uncle Mike and the crew came down to get you out of the tree!”
Jaqwan Cross: “You said there were chicken nuggets in a bird’s nest you jerk, I didn’t realize I was afraid of heights until I looked down!”
Xavier Cross: “So Saleh, when you push out my adorable niece, remember. Jay over here cannot build a treehouse. Keep it on the ground.”
Jay makes a face at Xavier, who stick his tongue out.
Chris Cross: “Easy boys. Simmer down.”
We hear a bell ring, as the group looks up to a smokey grill as two men, one an overweight, a very bearded man with tattoos going up and down his arms, the other a skinny, blonde haired blue eyed young with a smile on his face. The step out of the smoke holding a couple platters of food each as the younger blonde haired man coughs a bit. As we see Chris shake his head grabbing a bottle of water walking over to the young man.
Chris Cross: “C’mon now, you had to go and burn it Russell…”
Russell Jameson: “To be fair, your Uncle Mike was like… ‘a little more jalapenos, and more whiskey!’”
He makes a gesture of just throwing peppers and liquor at the grill, before posturing up before Mike can notice him. Chris gives Russell a quick kiss on the cheek, as they make their way back to the table.
Russell Jameson: “And Saleh, I was able to make sure that some of the stuff we got cooked was, Halah...am I saying that right? I don’t want to be ignorant.”
Saleh Cross: “Thank you sweetie, but Jaqwan and I brought some stuff, but I’ll be more than happy to try it.”
Everyone slowly gets up one by one, as Xavier has to drag Landon over to the table over his shoulder. Vivienne chuckles a bit, as the littlest Cross child, James, tugs on her dress as she turns to see him, he hands her a flower he picked out of Grandma’s garden. Vivienne can’t help but smile as she leans down kissing him on the forehead.
Xavier Cross: “I guess being a little gentleman runs in the genes eh?”
Jack Cross: “I think it skips a generation…”
The group laughs at Xavier’s expense as he’s standing there, shaking his head as Landon slips out of his grip and runs away. He looks over at Vivienne who has the flower in her hair, smiling softly. He can’t help but to smile taking this all in for a brief moment.
********
You pushed this Rook, you made this happen. So I have to applaud you, I have to commend you to pull all of this off. You’ve stuck your head in my business week in, and out, maybe you were curious, maybe I wasn’t as friendly as I should have been. But I accepted your open challenge at Open Fight Night, that match could have been more than what it was, but that was the moment you should have known you were outclassed.
Then, you had to ruin the go home Sacrifice before Night of the Immortals.
You couldn’t just keep your nose out of it, you couldn’t just, fall in line. You had to be you didn’t you. You’re a walking god damn headache, you want to keep getting in my way Rook.
Then fine.
You will be my warm up for the Joker in the Pack match. I will make history by competing in two matches at Night of the Immortals, I will put you in line, and show you just how much respect you deserve.
Then I’m going to take home the Joker in the Pack, and maybe…
Just maybe.
I cash it in.
Competing three times at Night of the Immortals.
Beating Red Cap, becoming the Joker, and then taking home the one title that has eluded me my entire career….
That does sound like a perfect ending doesn’t it?
But Rook, I’m going to put you right in line, and show you, you still got a long way to come before this business accepts you, because I see the talent in you, I see what you can do….But that’s not going to get you far, and part of me almost feels bad for what I’m going to do to you at Night of the Immortals.
***********
We open back up to the house of Jack and Rosa Cross, night has fallen and the party was winding down. Chris sits on a little bench holding Russell’s hand tightly, as Selah is dozing off, resting her head on Jaqwan shoulder. Standing on the deck, leaning against the railing stands Vivienne Rodgers and Xavier Cross. The kids were running around below them, chasing fireflies with jars. Crickets and bullfrogs created a wonderful symphony for the atmosphere.
Xavier Cross: “Thank you for coming with me…”
Vivienne Rodgers: “And miss my chance to hear embarrassing childhood stories of you?! I wouldn’t dream of missing it.”
Xavier Cross: “...I’m gonna read in the dirt sheets, ‘Xavier Cross wets bed until the age of five…”
Chris Cross: “It was seven Xavier, don’t lie!”
Xavier groans a bit, as Vivienne leans on him, a bit the motion catching him off guard for a moment, as he counters back leaning on her. That was their dynamic, and it worked, and god was it wonderful.
Vivienne Rodgers: “I may tease you, but meeting your family, I mean...your the whole family, it was so much fun. I’m glad you asked me to come..”
He runs a hand through his hair, gently touching the flower his youngest had given to her earlier as a smile lights his face up.
Russell Jameson: “We already knew all about you sweetheart, Xavier is always going on and on about how wonderful you are and it’s kind of adorable.”
Vivienne Rodgers: “You talk about me?”
Xavier Cross: “It’s the family group text, I may have said you’re really cute and good to me.”
Rosaline Cross: “More like, ‘Momma, she’s incredible, I get butterflies around her!’
Xavier Cross: “Whoa, that’s not!”
Jaqwan Cross: “I couldn’t sleep last night, all I could do was just watch her. I played with her hair a bit, she looked so cute.”
Xavier Cross: “Now c’mon!”
Jack Cross: “Didn’t you also say you tripped on the sidewalk going into an arena because you were looking at her...ahem...behind.”
Vivienne gives Xavier a funny ‘is this true’ look as Xavier holds his arms up.
Xavier Cross: “I….well, maybe. But y’know I…”
He furls his brow, frustrated, but Vivienne smiles leaning up kissing his lips quickly.
Xavier Cross: “..You are pretty great…”
May 24th, 2018
The scene opens to a backyard barbecue, a banner with the words ‘Happy Birthday’ spread across a few picnic tables. We see the Cross twins running across the yard, kids chasing each other with water guns, some of the older kids hanging off to the side, playing on their phones. We see Xavier Cross standing next to a cornhole board with his adopted, younger brother, Jaqwan, across from them is their father, holding a few of the bean bag sacks in his hands tossing them across.
Smirking a bit as the bag hits the board, and slides off. A little bit of taunting is heard from Jaqwan, as Xavier shakes his head. It was a birthday party for their father, he was turning 72 years old today. His father, Jack Cross used to be one of the best criminal prosecutors in the state of Georgia, now he sits back and runs his own firm, a bullpen for up and coming legal hot shots to gather their craft. But today wasn’t about the law or accomplishments, it was just about celebrating life.
Xavier Cross: “Hey, Dad you sure you can keep doing this?”
Jack Cross: “What do you mean?”
Xavier smirks a bit
Xavier Cross: “Keep losing the way you are, I mean it’s your birthday old man!”
Jaqwan Cross: “Aw c’mon man, Dad don’t listen to him. We got this!”
The teams had been split up, Jack and Jaqwan were taking on Chris and Xavier. Chris, as we’ve met before in previous stories, was Xavier’s cousin, but growing up, Jack’s brother, John, or Chris’s father as the story dictates, wasn’t the most responsible human being, and found himself in gambling debt heavily, to the point where John Cross found the only solution to get out from underneath his debt was suicide. Chris and his mother were taken in by Xavier’s parents when Xavier was just a few months old. Blood, Water, adoption, whatever it may be, these four men here shared a bond that was sacred between a father and his sons.
Chris had all the chances in the world to follow in Jack’s footsteps, and become a hotshot prosecutor, but, he wanted to support his little cousin, Xavier, as he entered the business world as an athlete, originally it was for the basketball dream, but every step of this wrestling dream. From twenty years old, to now, fourteen years later, Chris Cross has managed Xavier every step of the way, for better or worse.
But then, there was Jaqwan, whose story was a little more complicated, which is a story for another day. The simple fact is, Xavier’s parents adopted this boy when he was roughly six years old, a standout athlete in school as well as an excellent student, he chose to enter the United States Military, entering into the Naval branch. It had been a few years, and he was coming up on his retirement, which he had no idea what he was going to do. He was spending a lot more time in D.C., but that's neither here nor there.
The bag hits the hole, shaking the exposition away for a moment as Xavier looks down seeing that the birthday boy just dropped the game-winning bag in the hole. Sighing a bit, he polishes off the Budweiser in his hand before he and younger brother make their way to the center to meet Chris and their father.
Chris Cross: “I told you, professional corn hole, you could easily do it in retirement!”
Jack Cross: “Just think about all the sponsorship ideas, we can slap a McDonald’s logo on the bags. A Walmart logo across the board, and jerseys. We’d be printing our own money.”
Jaqwan Cross: “Chris, what have you done. You know how he gets when you come up with a scheme.”
Xavier Cross: “Scheme’s, it’s more like you want everyone to retire lately. What’s up with you man.”
Xavier puts his hand on his father’s shoulder, as he gives Chris a strange look as Chris responds by clapping his hands together.
Chris Cross: “Smells like the burgers are done, I am a little worried the last time we let Uncle Dave cook the food, he put whiskey in or on anything.”
Jack Cross: “I swear you boys, a little whiskey never hurt anyone.”
Jaqwan Cross: “He was putting in the macaroni salad, I swear, you white people put anything in your cookout salads that don’t belong!”
Xavier Cross: “Act like you didn’t love Momma’s potato salad growing up.”
Jaqwan Cross: “That don’t count. Momma can outcook Gordon Ramsay!”
Chris Cross: “..I literally just introduced you to ‘Master Chef’ you can’t go around making those kind of declarations Jay…”
Jack Cross: “Your mother and I love that Masterchef Junior! Those kids are just so adorable.”
The four men step under a canopy, as we hear a soft wolf whistle. Looking up we see Momma Cross, or Rosaline Cross, sitting there with the Open Weigh Diamonds Champion, Vivienne Rodgers, as well as an unknown woman. The three are chatting it up, but of course, Momma had to wolf whistle at Jack. Which caused the boys to blush furiously. They were in their seventies now but still acted like teenagers at times.
Xavier takes his place, before Vivienne as he leans down kissing her temple.
Xavier Cross: “Having fun yet?”
Vivienne Rodgers: “Your mother may be my new favorite person.”
Xavier Cross: “Oh, is that so?”
Rosaline Cross: “I was just telling Ms. Rodgers here, about the time you got stuck in the bathroom when we went to the Braves batting practice, and how you just cried and cried.”
Xavier Cross: “Mom! I was 9, and that was terrifying!”
Vivienne Rodgers: “That explains why you don’t lock the bathroom door though..”
Xavier gives her a look, as we pan over to Jaqwan sitting next to the mystery woman, as he laughs.
Rosaline Cross: “Don’t think you were getting off any easier mister, I was telling your lady friend here about the time you climbed a tree, and we couldn’t get your down for hours and you cried and cried, and we had to call the fire department.”
Xavier Cross: “Ha! I remember that Uncle Mike and the crew came down to get you out of the tree!”
Jaqwan Cross: “You said there were chicken nuggets in a bird’s nest you jerk, I didn’t realize I was afraid of heights until I looked down!”
Xavier Cross: “So Saleh, when you push out my adorable niece, remember. Jay over here cannot build a treehouse. Keep it on the ground.”
Jay makes a face at Xavier, who stick his tongue out.
Chris Cross: “Easy boys. Simmer down.”
We hear a bell ring, as the group looks up to a smokey grill as two men, one an overweight, a very bearded man with tattoos going up and down his arms, the other a skinny, blonde haired blue eyed young with a smile on his face. The step out of the smoke holding a couple platters of food each as the younger blonde haired man coughs a bit. As we see Chris shake his head grabbing a bottle of water walking over to the young man.
Chris Cross: “C’mon now, you had to go and burn it Russell…”
Russell Jameson: “To be fair, your Uncle Mike was like… ‘a little more jalapenos, and more whiskey!’”
He makes a gesture of just throwing peppers and liquor at the grill, before posturing up before Mike can notice him. Chris gives Russell a quick kiss on the cheek, as they make their way back to the table.
Russell Jameson: “And Saleh, I was able to make sure that some of the stuff we got cooked was, Halah...am I saying that right? I don’t want to be ignorant.”
Saleh Cross: “Thank you sweetie, but Jaqwan and I brought some stuff, but I’ll be more than happy to try it.”
Everyone slowly gets up one by one, as Xavier has to drag Landon over to the table over his shoulder. Vivienne chuckles a bit, as the littlest Cross child, James, tugs on her dress as she turns to see him, he hands her a flower he picked out of Grandma’s garden. Vivienne can’t help but smile as she leans down kissing him on the forehead.
Xavier Cross: “I guess being a little gentleman runs in the genes eh?”
Jack Cross: “I think it skips a generation…”
The group laughs at Xavier’s expense as he’s standing there, shaking his head as Landon slips out of his grip and runs away. He looks over at Vivienne who has the flower in her hair, smiling softly. He can’t help but to smile taking this all in for a brief moment.
********
You pushed this Rook, you made this happen. So I have to applaud you, I have to commend you to pull all of this off. You’ve stuck your head in my business week in, and out, maybe you were curious, maybe I wasn’t as friendly as I should have been. But I accepted your open challenge at Open Fight Night, that match could have been more than what it was, but that was the moment you should have known you were outclassed.
Then, you had to ruin the go home Sacrifice before Night of the Immortals.
You couldn’t just keep your nose out of it, you couldn’t just, fall in line. You had to be you didn’t you. You’re a walking god damn headache, you want to keep getting in my way Rook.
Then fine.
You will be my warm up for the Joker in the Pack match. I will make history by competing in two matches at Night of the Immortals, I will put you in line, and show you just how much respect you deserve.
Then I’m going to take home the Joker in the Pack, and maybe…
Just maybe.
I cash it in.
Competing three times at Night of the Immortals.
Beating Red Cap, becoming the Joker, and then taking home the one title that has eluded me my entire career….
That does sound like a perfect ending doesn’t it?
But Rook, I’m going to put you right in line, and show you, you still got a long way to come before this business accepts you, because I see the talent in you, I see what you can do….But that’s not going to get you far, and part of me almost feels bad for what I’m going to do to you at Night of the Immortals.
***********
We open back up to the house of Jack and Rosa Cross, night has fallen and the party was winding down. Chris sits on a little bench holding Russell’s hand tightly, as Selah is dozing off, resting her head on Jaqwan shoulder. Standing on the deck, leaning against the railing stands Vivienne Rodgers and Xavier Cross. The kids were running around below them, chasing fireflies with jars. Crickets and bullfrogs created a wonderful symphony for the atmosphere.
Xavier Cross: “Thank you for coming with me…”
Vivienne Rodgers: “And miss my chance to hear embarrassing childhood stories of you?! I wouldn’t dream of missing it.”
Xavier Cross: “...I’m gonna read in the dirt sheets, ‘Xavier Cross wets bed until the age of five…”
Chris Cross: “It was seven Xavier, don’t lie!”
Xavier groans a bit, as Vivienne leans on him, a bit the motion catching him off guard for a moment, as he counters back leaning on her. That was their dynamic, and it worked, and god was it wonderful.
Vivienne Rodgers: “I may tease you, but meeting your family, I mean...your the whole family, it was so much fun. I’m glad you asked me to come..”
He runs a hand through his hair, gently touching the flower his youngest had given to her earlier as a smile lights his face up.
Russell Jameson: “We already knew all about you sweetheart, Xavier is always going on and on about how wonderful you are and it’s kind of adorable.”
Vivienne Rodgers: “You talk about me?”
Xavier Cross: “It’s the family group text, I may have said you’re really cute and good to me.”
Rosaline Cross: “More like, ‘Momma, she’s incredible, I get butterflies around her!’
Xavier Cross: “Whoa, that’s not!”
Jaqwan Cross: “I couldn’t sleep last night, all I could do was just watch her. I played with her hair a bit, she looked so cute.”
Xavier Cross: “Now c’mon!”
Jack Cross: “Didn’t you also say you tripped on the sidewalk going into an arena because you were looking at her...ahem...behind.”
Vivienne gives Xavier a funny ‘is this true’ look as Xavier holds his arms up.
Xavier Cross: “I….well, maybe. But y’know I…”
He furls his brow, frustrated, but Vivienne smiles leaning up kissing his lips quickly.
Xavier Cross: “..You are pretty great…”
Well howdy there pardner.