We Are The Queen

Reid smiled at Charlotte with the kindest smile she’d ever seen.

“Don’t worry, Ash, it’ll all be fine. I’ll be back before you know it.” Charlotte shook her head. Only Reid was allowed to call her by her first name. Everyone, even her father, had to call her by her middle name. Charlotte knew better than to believe Reid when he said business with their father was no big deal.

“If it’s all gonna be good then why won’t you let me go with you?” Charlotte was exasperated with the situation. She needed out of the house, anyway. What harm could it be?

“For starters, you just had a big match and you need to rest up. Secondly, not to be rude Ash, but you’re a bit emotionally unstable.” Charlotte scoffed. Emotionally unstable? She was fine.

“And before you say anything, you smashed a mirror yesterday because you found her lipstick in your bathroom. Don’t pull the being fine shit with me.” Okay maybe she was just a teensy weensy bit emotional right now. Reid gave his big sister a kiss atop her head and promised he’d be back before sundown. Charlotte knew better than to believe him though. She made quick work of throwing her shoes on and jumping on her bike. Unfortunately, she knew the ins and outs of her father’s business. In result, she knew every location of every meeting sight in town, but there was only one Ric Flair would personally turn up at: The Lot.

Of course when Charlotte parked her bike behind a nearby building, she could see her father talking to her baby brother. She could see his goons, too.

“I did everything you asked for, pops! What more do you want from me?”

“Oh Reid...You should know, once you’re in, you’re never out.”

“Well not me. I’m not like you and I never will be.” Reid turns on his heels and starts to head for his car.

“I wish it didn’t have to be like this, Reid.”

BANG.

“NO!” Charlotte sat upright in bed, glistened with sweat. Today was the day. Finally, her brother would get the proper burial he deserved. Reid would never admit it, but Charlotte always knew that he had a taste for the lavish side of things, and a funeral would be no different. She glanced next to her, remembering the sleeping bodies next to her. Charlotte had asked the girls to stay with her last night, in fear of being alone. The four had spent the night laughing and telling stories about their journey to where they are now. Bayley’s stories were probably the most interesting, as she had told the others about her (somewhat illegal) adventures with her friend Mella. Sasha told them about all the traveling she had done and where her “hobby” took her. Becky gushed about wrestling and fitness regimens. Charlotte told stories of when Reid was alive. They had laughed so hard that Paige and Daria had come out of the guest room to see what was going on. Paige quickly joined in on all the stories, telling the group about all the girls she had gotten Becky with. Charlotte felt a twinge of something in her stomach as Becky laughed along with Paige and told even more stories of her “conquests”. Two could play at that. Charlotte told the story about how she and Daria had met and all the stupid dates they had gone on together, from mini golf to the Pride Parade. Funnily enough, it didn’t hurt Charlotte to reminisce like she thought it would; in fact she felt rather comfortable laughing with Daria about their young adventures.

At around 12, the four bid good night to Paige and Daria, who promptly went back to the guest room. The girls had decided to cram themselves all in Charlotte’s bed. At least ,they had while Charlotte was awake. Now, it was just Charlotte and Becky in the bed, Becky grunting at the sudden movement.

“Mmm, five more minutes, babe.” Charlotte felt her cheeks warm up. Babe? God, if Becky kept sleeping over Charlotte would be dead before McMahon Labs could lay a finger on her. Charlotte gently shook her friend. Friend. That’s all they were, right? Sure, there was occasional flirting and Charlotte was very attracted to the Irish woman, but they were just friends.

You wish you were more, though, Charlotte.

She hated to admit it, but The Queen was right. Charlotte did want more. She wanted lazy days with Becky where they’d watch Hercules and snuggle on the couch. She wanted movie dates where they snuck in kisses every now and then. She wanted to cook with Becky and laugh as they threw flour at each other. She wanted to take care of Becky when she was sick. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t bare ruining things with her, so she had to be content with friends.

“Hey, Bex, wakeup, we gotta get ready.”

“But I’m so comfy…” Becky whined. She flopped over and pouted at Charlotte. Wow. Well, Charlotte knows what her kryptonite is now. Charlotte just shook her head and gave Becky a grin. “Fine..” Becky sat up and stretched.

“Where did Sasha and Bayley go?”

“Living room, maybe?” Charlotte shrugged and grabbed her phone from the nightstand. The pair shuffled out of the bedroom. The funeral was at 10am but Charlotte had to be there at 9am. It was currently 6, so they had about 3 hour to get ready and stuff. When they rounded the corner out of the hall, Charlotte couldn’t help but giggle. Sasha was curled up basically on top of Bayley. Their legs were tangled together and Bayley’s arms held Sasha in a tight embrace. A blanket was draped over them but it was too short for Bayley. They looked so peaceful and domestic. So, Charlotte did the logical thing: she whipped out her phone and took a picture of the two.

They greatly remind me of my friends. We would often wake up to them in the same manner. Quite endearing.

“Aww, look at the lovebirds!” Charlotte jumped at the chippy British accent behind her. Paige. “Yeah, love must be in the air.” From behind Paige, out came Daria who promptly planted a kiss to her girlfriend’s cheek. Charlotte agreed, love was in the air-and she was in dire need of a gas mask.

“Yeah, who knows, next me and Charlie will be canoodling in a coffee shop.” Charlotte’s cheeks got warm as she nervously chuckled. That would be perfect for Charlotte, “canoodling” with Becky. But she had to cover that up. No one could know.

“Seriously, Bex? Canoodling?”

“It was either that or shagging in a broom closet and trust me, you’d want to start with the canoodling.” Paige playfully poked Charlotte in the ribs as Becky started laughing like a mad woman. In all honesty, Charlotte didn’t know which one sounded better to her.

You have it bad, Miss Flair.

“Ssh, she’s trying to sleep guys!” Charlotte turns her head to see a wide awake Bayley on the couch. Charlotte approached the coach with a smirk and cocked eyebrow. “Well, well, you ditched my room to canoodle on my couch?”

“Canoodling? How old are you, Char?”

“Besides the point, we have time for a short breakfast and the we have to get ready so you’re going to have to take a break from the canoodle sesh.”

“Can’t a girl snuggle in peace?”

“Not in my living room.” Bayley sighed, slightly nudging Sasha. It takes a bit, but finally the hot tempered girl was awake, and unhappy about it too.

“I couldn’t have had five more minutes?” Sasha whined as Becky passed her a bowl of cereal. The 6 girls all sat around the island, eating their cereal in peace, aside from the occasional whine from Sasha. As her bowl emptied though, Charlotte felt reality hitting her more and more. As the cereal drained, so did her time. How would she say goodbye? This was Reid, her baby brother, and she was burying him today. Or, what’s left of him. After her father had, well, taken care of him, he also got rid of the evidence. So today, she would be putting an empty casket in the ground.

Finally, the cereal was gone. The milk was, too. Now, Charlotte had to really face to music. Face the reality of today. Charlotte stared at the bowl with disdain. She felt a hand on her thigh and she looked up. Becky was giving her a sympathetic smile as if to say “you’ve got this”, and gave her thigh a reassuring squeeze. Charlotte heaved herself from her seat and shuffled her way to the bedroom.

I am sorry for your loss, Charlotte.

It’s okay, Queen. Thanks. Charlotte smiled; maybe having The Queen around wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe, just maybe, Charlotte would get through it all; survive the impossible.

“Hey,” Charlotte jumped at the voice, relaxing when she saw it was just Becky, “sorry if I spooked ya’, I jus’ need to grab my clothes.” Becky chuckled as she strode to the closet and grabbed a backpack.

“Thank you.”

“What for, Charlie?”

“For staying.”

“It’s nothin’! We all wanna be here for you, and it’s gonna stay that way if I got any say in it.” Charlotte smiled. Maybe she really wasn’t alone. She wanted to run up and hug Becky, just hold her, but instead she walked to her closet and grabbed her clothes. She was careful to pick something that Reid would’ve picked out for her. Whenever she had a big event, a show to go to or even just a date with Daria, Reid would always have to approve of her outfit or even pick out for her. If Charlotte was being completely honest, she was definitely fashion challenged. Charlotte walked briskly to the bathroom to change into the outfit she knew would be Reid approved.

Charlotte took a quick shower, trying to wash out all of her grief and sadness so she could put a brave face on for the funeral. She tried to wash away the hope that Reid would come back. It didn’t work, of course, but it helped at least a little bit. Charlotte was quick to get dressed and dry out her hair, as she didn’t want to keep the others waiting. She forwent makeup, deciding the outfit would be enough for the day. It was rather simple, a white button up, a leather jacket, and black slacks. Reid liked her in black, whereas Charlotte was inclined to pick out bright colors, but Charlotte had grown to trust his judgement.

When Charlotte was done, it was about 8am, giving them another hour. The rest of the “horsewomen” took their showers in the guest bathroom, Daria and Paige promising to be there when the services officially started. Bayley and Sasha decided to wear plain black dresses, something simple yet tasteful. Thankfully, when Sasha came out of the shower she looked a lot more awake then she had when she had been shoveling cereal into her mouth. Bayley was as peppy as ever, giving happy reassurances to Sasha that she looked fine and happy chats with Charlotte. Becky was the last to come out. Charlotte almost forgot where she was when she saw Becky. She wore form fitting pants with a button up tucked into them and to tie it all together, she had black suspenders clipped to her pants and looped over her shoulders. Becky nervously gripped onto her own leather jacket as Charlotte’s mouth gaped.

8:40am. They had 20 minutes to get there so Charlotte really didn’t have time to ogle at the Irish woman. Sasha and Bayley had decided to ride together, meaning Becky would ride with Charlotte. Charlotte quickly grabbed her keys and helmet from the counter, and out the door she and Becky went.

“Y’know,” Becky started, slipping the helmet on, “we should probably invest in my own helmet, since I ride with ya’ so often and all.” Charlotte smirked as she revved the engine.

“Do my ears deceive me or did Becky Lynch just inadvertently admit she liked riding on my bike?”

“Just drive, Flair.” Becky huffed as she squeezed Charlotte’s waist. Charlotte couldn’t help but laugh as she pulled out of her driveway and raced into the streets.

The pair made it to the cemetery with 4 minutes to spare. She couldn’t believe it. It looked just like the plans she had made. See, it wasn’t that Charlotte hadn’t planned anything for her baby brother, no, it was that she didn’t have the means to give him what she knew he’d want. Everything was already set in place for McMahon Labs to follow through on. And follow through they did. The plot was decked out in Blue Hydrangeas, Periwinkles and Oxford Blues. All of his favorites. There was a casket in front of a 6 foot hole, where Charlotte knew his soul would finally be free. Next to it was framed picture of him and Charlotte on his 25th birthday, both of them smiling brightly. This was it, this was actually happening.

“Ashley Flair?” A tall man in an all black suit approached the women. His hair was slicked back neatly, but the man seemed run down and sad. “I’m Mark Calaway, I run this here funeral home and cemetery. On behalf of me and our staff, I am sorry for your loss.” Charlotte nodded at the man, giving him a quiet thank you. And just as he came, the man went in silence.

Charlotte looked back to Becky. God, she was really glad to have her here. Without her girls, even Sonya and Paige, she’d be all alone. This whole McMahon Laboratories shitshow was a real predicament, she had an alien inside of her for crying out loud, but she was somehow content with being with The Queen and her newfound friends.

Thank you, Charlotte. We will get through this.

“Hey, Charlie, don’t go cryin’ on me just yet.” Charlotte hadn’t even noticed the tears flowing down her face as she stared at the picture of Reid. She sure was glad she decided against makeup today. Becky gingerly cupped Charlotte’s face and wiped the tears from her face. She was doing what, Charlotte thought, she did best: Comforting the tall girl.

“It’s gonna be okay, lass. I promise. We’ll get through this together. All of us, I mean.” The thing about Charlotte and emotions was once she started, she really couldn’t stop. So tears continued to stream down her face until Becky finally wrapped her arms around Charlotte’s shaking body. Becky traced circles along her back, in some sort of attempt to calm her down slightly.

“Yeah, Char, we have your back!” Charlotte feels Bayley join in on the hug. It was nice, not like Becky’s hugs, but it felt like she was just put under a warm blanket.

“You’re stuck with us now, Crazy Girl.” Sasha wiggled her way into the group hug, too. Charlotte sobbed into the girls’ embrace. In an odd sort of way she felt protected by the girls she had grown to know as friends.

“Mind if I join in, Ashley?” Charlotte stopped dead in her tracks. No. No no no no no. This couldn’t be. She hadn’t heard a peep from him for 4 months, she hadn’t even sent him an invitation, how did he know to come here? Sasha and Bayley pulled back from the embrace, Charlotte refusing to let go of Becky’s waist. Why was he here?

“Who the Hell are you?” Sasha stepped up. Sasha as quick to get in the older man’s face. He was dressed in a white suit with with a blue button up shirt, which he probably paid far too much for, underneath. Atop his crooked nose was a pair of aviators that seemed to reek of malice. His pearly white teeth contrasted horribly with his spray tanned skin but matched perfect with his white and thinning slicked back hair. The man screamed black hat.

“Aw, you don’t know me? Guess I haven’t been doing my job right, then.” The older man waltzed his way around an irate Sasha Banks and a looming Bayley, to a cowering Charlotte and a cool and collected Becky.

Do not fear, Charlotte. I can take this man. WE can take this man.

But Charlotte knew in her heart that she couldn't. She’d never be able to face him after what he did to her. After what he did to her family. As far as she was concerned, there was no Ric Flair. He simply didn’t exist to her any longer.

“What time do services start, Ashley?”

“10am. You’re a wee bit early, sir. 40 minutes ta be exact.” Becky puffed up her chest as she spoke to the man in front of her. Charlotte slowly let go of the only thing keeping her grounded; Becky’s waist. As she began to stand upright, she felt her hand trail down Becky’s side and find her balled fist. Before she knew what she was doing, she carefully spread the tensed fingers and laced their hands together. Charlotte felt comfortable, not like how she did when Becky held her, but at ease.

“Oh, my apologies, Miss….?”

“Lynch. Why don’t you have a seat while we wait for the services to begin?”

“Will do, Lynch.” If Charlotte didn’t know her father, she’d be surprised a person could speak with such venom with only three words. Then again, Ric Flair was known for his big talk. That was a real close one for Charlotte. She didn’t know what she’d do if she’d actually had to say anything. Hell, the last time someone spoke ill of Reid they ended up with a broken nose and some bruised ribs. Now, there was no knowing what she could do with the new found power of The Queen.

You will learn soon, Charlotte.

Everyone else arrived in a  timely manner. Thankfully for Charlotte, the girls hadn’t pressed her at all about the awkward encounter with the sleazebag. Charlotte’s heart swelled as she watched the people pour in for Reid’s ceremony. She invited everyone she know he would’ve wanted there. Particularly, his friends Dean and Roman showed up. Charlotte wasn’t too sure about them, especially since they seemed to bring along a mystery man with a blonde streak in his hair, but Reid considered them family. Finn was there, too, along with a couple of old friends of Reid’s from high school. Reid would have loved it. By the time Sonya and Paige showed up and promptly sat down, Charlotte knew it was time for her to begin.

Charlotte reluctantly let go of Becky’s hand, which she hadn’t realized she didn’t let go of after Ric sat down, and approached a small podium in front of the chairs. Charlotte looked out at the faces in front of her, some new and some old. Some she was happy to see and some she wish hadn’t shown up at all. But they all had one thing in common: Reid Flair. Well, except Ric. Ric wasn’t there for his son, no, he was there for Ric Flair. It sickened Charlotte, but she had to move on.

Reid had never been a religious person, so Charlotte knew that it would only be a few eulogies and then it would be off to the reception place. Reid’s and, subsequently, Charlotte’s favorite place: The Rooftops. Reid took everyone he cared about up there. The building itself wasn’t anything too special; it was an apartment complex his friend, Dean, owned. But whenever Reid was upset or just needed a good old time out, you could count on finding him sitting up there watching the sunset. Reid always loved sunsets. Charlotte used to, too. She’s never been able to watch the sunset after that day.

“Good morning, everyone. Thank you for showing up, Reid would have loved to see you all here.” Charlotte began with a shaky breath. She hadn’t ever been all too good at public speaking, and to make matters worse she was speaking about her baby brother.

“I don’t even know where to begin. I don’t know where to end, either. So, I guess I’ll just tell a story. Reid had always been a kind and compassionate man, no doubt about that. There are so many stories I could tell you all, but there’s one that’s really calling to me.”

“When I had first moved into my house, I called Reid to help me decorate. Paint mainly. Reid came in a heartbeat. He always did. Reid was the type of person to help you before you even ask. I remember opening the door and getting crushed in one of his bear hugs. At the time, it was annoying, but now I would kill for him to hug me like that again.”

“We spent the whole day painting my bedroom ‘peacock blue’. He insisted that we keep the white paint out, too. ‘Just in case, Ash. You never know when you’ll need something.’” Charlotte gave a wry chuckle as she wiped at her eyes.

“It took us the whole day. We only took breaks to eat. Back then I was all about going as fast as I could. I would never stop to smell the roses. Reid always told me to slow down. He was right. You never know you’re out of time until it’s all gone.”

“We finally finished the room. I was quite happy with our work, even though it did take a while for it to be done, it was perfect. Something seemed off to Reid, though. He kept looking at the wall, puzzled. I wasn’t sure what was wrong with the paint so I just watched as he tried to figure it out for himself. Then his eyes lit up the way they did whenever Reid got an idea in his head. He grabbed the white paint bucket and cracked it open. I had no clue what he was doing at this point. He carried the bucket over to the doorway and sat down. I followed him, of course. I watched in horror as he dipped his hand into the paint. He then promptly stuck his hand onto the wall, leaving a handprint as he removed it.”

“I remember just screaming. I don’t know why I was so angry over a handprint. I mean, it was just a handprint. He didn’t scream back, though. He never did. No matter what, Reid would never yell, no matter the situation. He would just stay quiet and wait for you to calm down. It always worked for me, too. He just stayed quiet as I yelled, soon the yelling became talking, talking became laughing, and the laughter turned into me dipping my hand into the paint and pressing my hand next to his. We spent the rest of the night flinging paint at each other and laughing. One thing remained the same, though. I never slowed down. I wish I would’ve slowed down.”

Charlotte rubbed at her eyes as she stepped down from the podium. There was somber clapping from the seated people. Charlotte walked as briskly as she could to her seat next to her friends. She took her seat as soon as she could. She felt a strong arm wrap around her shoulders. And for the bajillionth time, she broke down in the arms of the girl she was beginning to think was her best friend.

“You’re so strong, Flair. So strong.”

She is correct, Ashley. You are a strong individual. This partnership will be very beneficial to the both of us.

Charlotte listened dully to the rest of the eulogies. She really wanted to listen carefully, she really did, but she couldn’t bring herself to focus on something. At the end of the day, Charlotte was glad that so many people seemed to care about Reid just as she had. She watched as Dean, the man who owned the apartments, tear up as he talked about when Reid moved into his complex. She listened when a woman she knew as Ruby talked about being his neighbor and when he’d help her out with repairs. What really shocked her was when Sonya went up and talked about Charlotte’s brother.

“H-Hi. Now, I didn’t know Reid as well as any of you, but I was around him a lot. When I first met him, I was scared as hell. I mean, any sane person would be scared to meet their girlfriend’s family. Reid was the first person I saw. He basically crushed me with a hug and welcomed me into the family.” The people around gave a resounding chuckle.

“It was such a relief to have an ally in the family besides Charlotte. Reid took me out every now and then. Most notably, the night I was going to propose to his sister.” Charlotte winced. She didn’t know Reid had spoken to her before. Charlotte remembered the night well, too well. Everytime she thought about it was just another jab into an open wound.

“I went to his apartment because I was totally freaking out. He looked so worried when he opened the door and I was standing there ballin’ my eyes out. He took me up to the roof of the building and we just talked. That’s what I loved about Reid. He never really expected you to respond, he’d just talk about anything. It was crazy how just him talking could make you feel so much better. He calmed me down, eventually. I remember him telling me, ‘I really like you, Daria. I can tell my sister does, too. Do me a favor and never break her heart.’ I promised him I wouldn’t. I broke his promise and never apologized. It was horrible, the last time I saw him. He looked at me with such disdain. I’d never seen him look at anything like that. I never got to apologize to him.” Sonya turned to the casket with a sniffle. She ran her fingers over the creases, and finally kissed the lid. “I’m so sorry, Buddy. This world didn’t deserve ya’, you know?”

She walked back to her seat with hot tears streaming down her face. Paige enveloped her in a tight hug as the woman fell apart in her arms. Charlotte had no idea how much Reid actually meant to Sonya. Well, he meant a lot to everyone he knew, she supposed. Charlotte knew he would have accepted her apology. He almost always did.

Charlotte now truly felt the ceremony to be over. Everyone seemed to be at peace with the words spoken of their late friend. She stood up, just about ready to tell the men standing behind the crowd that they could go ahead and lower the casket, when he stood. Not only did Ric Flair stand, he walked his way up to the podium. How dare he do that? How dare he even show up to the funeral let alone speak at it!

“Now, I know I’m cutting it kinda close but I would like to see a few words about my son.” Charlotte grinded her teeth and balled her fists. How dare he call Reid his son. Reid meant nothing to him.

Usually I am all for violence, but do not do something you will regret.

Trust me, Queen, I won’t regret it.

You know what I meant.

Charlotte felt a hand on her wrist. She looked back to see Becky’s face with a soft expression, begging her to sit back down. So, she took a deep breath and slowly sat back down next to the fiery haired girl.

“Reid, as you all know was a kind soul. Almost too kind for his own good. He valued family quite a lot. He also always stood up for what he believed in which lead to a handful of disputes. Most importantly, Reid was my son. He was a Flair. Although we had our differences, I loved Reid with my whole heart. I know that he’s lookin’ down on all of us right now all happy that we’re here. Thank you.” There was small applause as the eldest Flair stepped off the podium and walked down the aisle of chairs, presumably to his car. The men from the back finally came forward. She watched as the lowered all that she had left of her baby brother into the ground. She knew now that he had been set free. He could rest.

“I love you.” Charlotte whispered as she began to walk away from the site.

The rest of the night was celebrating Reid’s life on the rooftop. Just as it should have been. Everyone, for that night at least, came together and felt at peace for once. It was like a breath of fresh air as Charlotte sipped on her lemonade (provided by Dean) and listened to Ruby tell the story about the time she had gone to a tattoo parlor with him and them both coming home with fresh ink.

”Genuinely, it’s the worst one I’ve got, but at the same time it’s the best.” Ruby giggled as she showed the group a small tattoo of a rubber duck on her forearm. Charlotte remember Reid’s tattoo. She laughed at him harder than she’d ever laughed when he showed her the shitty cross on his shoulder. She, somehow, laughed even harder when he said it was supposed to be the Guns n’ Roses cross.

The night ended and everyone dispersed. This same group of people were likely to never gather again, but they had today. They gathered for Reid. For Charlotte’s baby brother, and she couldn’t be happier. She felt overwhelming peace as she and Becky began their walk to Charlotte’s bike.

“Good night, Reider.” Charlotte whispered as she slung her leg over the bike. As soon as she felt Becky squeeze her waist, she tore off into the night.