The unmistakable opening to ‘Cells’ pulses through the Armory as the slender brunette makes her way through the curtain and down the ramp. For her match this evening, Alexis is clad in a bikini the color of a Pacific coast sunset; all gleaming yellows, dull reds and burning oranges. The ensemble is finished off with matching dark pads and boots. On her way to the ring, Alexis gives the fans a small smile before rolling under the bottom rope and heading to her corner. She knew who she was facing tonight and she wanted to be entirely focused on the task ahead.

Catching his breath, the Announcer continued, "And her opponent. She stands at 5 feet 6 inches tall, she is the Seductive Enigma, ladies and gentlemen I give to you, Elizabeth Harnois!"

His words fade only to be replaced by the low, slightly melancholy opening of Creed's What If. In the few seconds before the guitars could come crashing their way in, the lights faded away only to be replaced by a dim blue glow that seems to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once. There's nothing to be seen in this swirling darkness until the song screams to life and when it does, the lights return and there's Elizabeth, standing in the entryway, covered as is her custom in the velvet riding cloak that's become her signature. Waiting a moment, Harnois flashes a knowing grin and begins to make her way down the ramp, giving those in attendance brief, but tantalizing views of the glitter dusted midnight blue bikini that was her battle attire.

When she hit the ring, Harnois undid the clasp at her throat and tossed the cape aside, letting it fall with a flourish. The reaction was mixed to say the least. Not that the view wasn't spectacular, but Beth was... well, it was hard to say what Beth was. With the blonde hair and blue eyes, she had the makings of a classic baby face or maybe an Elisha Cuthbert modeled superbitch, but her tactics were pure tweener. Just when the audience or her opponent's thought they had her figured out, Harnois would do something completely unexpected. Perhaps Archer summed her up best when he'd commented, "Figuring out Beth is about as easy as holding on to a handful of mercury. And probably just as dangerous." Personality quirks aside, she was a great wrestler and tonight, her sights were set on Alexis Bledel.

The bell rang three times and the fans in Haddonfield roared their approval as Alexis strode forward to get her first up close and personal look at the promotion's resident blonde, blue eyed enigma. Alexis got to the center of the ring, fully expecting Elizabeth to be there to meet her there, but the blonde hadn't even left her corner yet. She was still leaning against the ropes and gazing out at the fans, taking them in like an entomologist studying a particularly interesting specimen. Not sure what to make of her opponent's seeming disinterest in the match, Alexis waited several seconds and when there was no immediate response from Harnois, she cleared her throat loudly and said, "You uh... you do know they want us to fight right?"

Elizabeth glanced towards the sound of the brunette's voice and offered her a sly little 'Oh hi, I didn't see you there' smile and sauntered out to meet Alexis with no real hurry in her step. Stopping a few paces from Alexis, Beth smile widened as she offered her hand to the brunette. "It's a pleasure to face you Alexis."

Well aware of the blonde's penchant for mind-games, the good sport in Alexis couldn't help but return the proffered greeting. "Likewise. You ready to get started?"

Harnois nodded. "Just a moment." As Alexis pulled her hand away Elizabeth's other hand streaked up and CRAACKED Alexis across the cheek with a stinging open palmed slap.

Hissing in pain, Alexis' eyes narrowed in shock and anger when she asked, "What the HELL did you do that for?"

The blonde's infuriating smile got wider. " Just keeping you on your toes." Alexis was all ready to offer a more heated response when Harnois leapt at her, tying the slender grappler in a tight Collar and Elbow Lock-up. Caught off balance by the sudden intrusion, Alexis was muscled halfway across the ring before she got her feet under her and shoved back, halting the blonde's march. For several seconds Beth and Alexis worked the grapple in silence, grabbing and prying at the other's arms up top while their legs fought an quiet battle for dominance down below. With their foreheads brushing, Harnois suddenly whispered, "Hey Alexis..." in a highly conspiratorial tone.

On instinct, Alexis looked up, said, “Wha…?" and that's when Beth blew in her face.

No green mist, no water or fake blood, just a breeze of warm air, but it was enough to throw off the brunette's balance and as soon as she stumbled, Beth was pushing her again, Bullrushing her taller opponent into the turnbuckles. As soon as the steel stopped their progress, the blonde released the clinch and strung Alexis' arms over the top ropes, giving her free reign over her foe's chest. Taking a place just slightly to Alexis’ left, Elizabeth lashed out and banged a wide hook off the brunette's jaw. On the follow through, Harnois twisted her torso away from Alexis only to swing back so she could light up Alexis’ modest cleavage with a crisp Knife-Edge Chop.

Alexis grunted, then winced as first her chin and then her chest was cruelly targeted by the eccentric blonde. And unfortunately for her, this cruel exercise in motion management was far from over. Settling into a steady, rocking rhythm, Elizabeth hammered and chopped away at the brunette for the better part of ten seconds while the crowd kept up a running soundtrack of 'UNGGHS!' and 'WOOOS!'

After being struck across the jaw for about the tenth time, the fog in Alexis' head actually started to clear and the perennial good girl got angry. Waiting for the slight pause that came between UNNNGH and WOOO! Alexis lunged out of the buckles and buried her hands in Elizabeth's golden locks. In the blink of an eye Alexis had reversed their positions and now it was her turn to work the corner. Lowering her shoulder, Alexis grabbed the middle rope, reared back and then pistoned forward, burying her shoulder in Harnois' trim belly. The brunette felt the air gush out of her opponent's lungs, but she could also feel her inhale, and Alexis took that as a sign to repeat the process, which she did without hesitation. Over the course of the next ten seconds, Alexis pounded half a dozen Shoulderblocks into her adversary's belly, only stopping when Beth slumped forward to slop across her back. Not willing to believe the blonde was finished just yet, Alexis straightened up, smudging Harnois back against the buckles.

Leaning in close, Alexis grabbed a solid handful of blonde hair and said matter-of-factly, "You like to play mind games Beth, let's see how manipulative you can be after I've punched all that mystery out of you."

Intent on doing just that, Alexis mounted the ropes, forcing Beth’s face against the smooth plane of her stomach. Maintaining her grip on the blonde's locks, Alexis spared a glance at the audience and asked, "Count em off for me would ya fellas?"

The mob roared in response and as Alexis started driving short, stinging rights to Beth's hairline, they chanted, "ONE... TWO... THREE... FOUR... FIVE... SIX... SEVEN... EIGHT... NINE..."

They stopped here, not because Alexis stopped, but because Elizabeth was no longer in the corner. After NINE but before TEN, the slippery blonde pulled out of Alexis’ grip and slipped under her legs to strut back to the center of the ring. Looking over her shoulder, Alexis found Beth staring at her with a look that asked, 'What are you still doing over there?' better than words ever could. Sighing, Alexis rolled her eyes and hopped down from the buckles. Taking a moment to tug her elbow pads into a better position, she muttered, "This is going to be one of those nights, I just know it."

As she stalked towards the blonde, Elizabeth told her, "You're a very good wrestler Alexis, you'll make a fine addition to my list of fallen foes."

Unimpressed with the casual prediction of her failure, Alexis put her hands on her hips and fired back, "No offense Elizabeth, but I beat the real Hood, I doubt I'll have any trouble beating the reduced calorie version."

Beth's lips turned up in that sly smile as she replied, "Ah, so you did. But if memory serves, you had the help of Katie and Kristen. You don't have them tonight, not that it would help you anyway. I'm already inside your head and that's means I've won. Now... are you ready to fight against the inevitable a little bit more?"

Shaking her head in exasperation, Alexis said, "I can't tell if you're a genius or batshit insane."

Beth tossed her head back and laughed. "I walk a fine line." she said. The words were still coming out of her mouth when Alexis surged to catch her in another Lock-up. But Beth was prepared for the tactic and she sidestepped the brunette only to catch the stumbling girl in a tight Side Headlock. Squeezing Alexis' head in the crook of her elbow, Harnois lead her foe on a stumbling circuit of the ring just to show her what kind of control she could exert. Smiling down into the blue-eyed girl's face, Beth brushed a few stray hairs off Alexis' forehead and said, "What a cute little nose! I wonder what you'd look like without it?"

Moving at viper-speed, Harnois lashed out her free hand and clamped down on Alexis’ schnoz in a vicious parody of the 'Got yer nose!' game that everyone suffered through at one point during their childhood. Beth's version was infinitely worse of course; squeezing as tight as she could, she rotated her wrist slooowly, twisting Alexis’ nose one way and then the other. Mewling in a high, nasal tone, Alexis endured this torture as long as she could, then she balled her hands into fists and started peppering the blonde's ribs in a desperate bid for freedom. Grunting a little as Alexis’ shots hit home, Harnois looked down and cooed, "Well if you wanted me to let you go, you should have just SAID something." And then, oddly enough, she did let Alexis go, allowing the brunette a chance to inspect her twisted proboscis.

Finding nothing that would indicate real damage, Alexis pulled her hands away from her face only to turn the full force of her ire on Elizabeth Harnois. Blue eyes blazing she demanded, "What the hell’s your problURRRRK!"

Moving with that same reptilian speed, Beth stabbed her hands out and wrapped them both around Alexis' throat in a blatant Stranglehold. Chucking silently as Alexis started to gasp, Beth was about to say something when the ref tapped her shoulder and said, "Break it up Beth! ONE..." And that's just what Beth did!

Before the official could even reach TWO, she released the choke and asked, "I'm sorry, was that an illegal hold?"

"Of course it was." the ref said sternly.

"Hmmh. Must've slipped my mind." Turning her attention back to Alexis, she said, "My apologies Alexis, I don't know what I was thinkUNNNGH!"

Alexis had had enough of the blonde's mind games and she let her know by lighting up Beth's face with a vicious slap of her own. Baring her teeth in a little snarl of satisfaction, Alexis took several deep breaths while Beth rubbed her cheek. Looking mildly put upon, the blonde said, "Now Alexis, there's no need to resort to violencUNNNGH!"

Alexis slapped her again, harder this time. "There may be no need, but I sure as hell want to." she chided.

Nodding, Beth replied, "Well if that's the way you feel..." she lunged for Alexis, pointing a faceful of claws her way. But this time it was the brunette who was ready and as Beth closed the distance, Alexis dropped down and shot out her legs, scissoring them between the blonde's ankles. With little more than a twitch of her calves, Alexis took Elizabeth off her feet, sending her face and chest-first into the canvas compliments of a simple Drop Toe Hold. Letting loose with a smile of her own as Beth grunted in pain, Alexis rolled to her knees and scrambled into position on the blonde's lower back, facing her feet.

Swatting Elizabeth on the butt, Alexis taunted, "I bet it's really hard to look cool and mysterious with your ass hanging out for the whole crowd to see." Wanting to find out if this was true, Alexis hooked the waistband of her foe's glitter-dusted briefs and tugged HARD, treating the mysterious blonde to a very unmysterious wedgie. Licking her lips as Beth writhed beneath her, Alexis jiggled her foe's bottoms back and forth for a few seconds before letting go and getting to her feet. The moment Alexis was off her, Beth pushed to her knees and pulled her briefs back into place with as much dignity as she could.

When the crowd cheered, Beth usual implacable smile returned and she rewarded her followers with the lightest shake of her hips. Running a hand through her hair, she turned to Alexis and said softly, "You're learning."

Tilting her head to the side, Alexis replied, "Maybe I'll get inside your head."

For a moment, Beth’s smile changed into a predator's leer. "You won't like what you find."

Before Alexis could reply, Beth darted out a hand and grabbed the brunette by the wrist. Yanking the slender girl off balance, Beth threaded her free arm between the brunette's thighs and hauled her off her feet. Lifting Alexis into place over her shoulder, Elizabeth rose up on her toes and tossed Alexis down, starfishing her against the canvas with a textbook Body Slam.

Bouncing lightly as Alexis’ impact shook the ring, Beth sprinted away, bounced off the ropes and hurtled back towards her opponent. When her shadow was hanging over the brunette Elizabeth brought her right leg off the canvas until it was sticking out straight in front of her. To the audience it looked like she was about to hit a Leg Drop, but one thing you were going to learn about Elizabeth Harnois and her offense, nothing was ever what it seemed. In the brief second her gam was fully extended, Beth pivoted to her left, cocked her right elbow and dropped straight down, drilling the spike of the bony joint into the brunette's sternum.

More than a little pleased with the stunned gurgle that poured out of Alexis, Beth rolled to her feet and sauntered to the corner directly behind her foe. Regarding the audience with her nearly patented, "I know something you don't know...' grin, Elizabeth stomped the mat with her right foot, until the mob started to stomp along with her. When the noise filled the Armory, Beth sank into an expectant crouch and purred, "C'mon Alexis, let's see if you're as smart as you think you are." Not too long after that, Alexis rolled onto her side and pushed to her feet. She had just regained her balance when the thundering, echoing chorus of the stomps seeped into her head. Eyes going wide, she spun around on her heel and brought both hands up to catch the foot she was SURE was even then streaking towards her face. When Alexis turned to face her, Beth hopped forward and pulled her right leg up to initiate the Super Kick. But when Alexis brought her hands up, Beth kicked out much lower, striking Alexis just below the kneecap with a move she called Sweet Shin Music.

Now a kick to the shin didn't have the visual flare of a traditional Super Kick, but when your opponent wasn't prepared for it, it still hurt like a bitch. Alexis demonstrated this point admirably by letting out a pained yelp and hopping around on her good leg while she tried to massage the pain away. As Alexis hobbled away from her, Beth swooped in behind her, slithered a hand through the brunette's thighs then dropped to her knees, to roll Alexis onto her shoulders. It wasn't the most effective pin the wrestling world had ever seen (and if she managed to win with it, she knew Rich would grumble about it. The boss HATED roll-ups) but the brunette's shoulders were still down so the ref sank to his knees and counted off, "ONE... TWO..." Alexis snapped a shoulder off the mat, breaking the count.

Digging her hands into Alexis' trunks, Beth pulled her groggy rival to her feet and grasped her around the wrist. Pointing her towards the ropes, Beth bent her knees and whipped Alexis into the ropes. Waiting for the brunette to return, the blonde lowered her head, waiting to take Alexis up and off her feet with a Back Body Drop. But for all her insight and ring savvy, Beth had executed a rookie mistake in lowering her head just a bit too early. It was OK though, Alexis pointed out this mistake by putting on the brakes and grabbing hold of the blonde's head.

Shaking Beth's head back and forth, Alexis purred, "This is for twisting my nose Beth." Falling into a comfortable silence, the brunette bent her knees slightly and then leapt straight up before stretching her legs at a rough 45-degree angle. Gravity pulled her down a moment later and Alexis landed comfortably on her butt while Beth was driven face and chest first into the canvas with the Leaping Facebuster that most wrestling fans would forever identify as the X-Factor.

Popping to her feet with renewed energy, Alexis cheered to the crowd who returned her fervor with equal intensity. Jogging around behind the splattered blonde, Alexis settled into a crouch and waited impatiently for Elizabeth to get to her feet. As soon as she got to one knee, Alexis dashed into the ropes and came sprinting back, timing her return so that she was able to level Beth with a hard Clothesline across the throat. The brunette knew that she'd taken her adversary off her feet again, but she also knew that despite being a possible head case, Beth was a disturbingly resilient wrestler, so instead of pausing to survey the damage she'd done, Alexis simply kept charging toward the ropes on the opposite side of the ring, hoping she could level Beth with a follow-up Clothesline on her return trip.

As it turned out, the brunette's hopes were fulfilled when Beth got to her feet a little too quickly for her own good and she was treated to a second helping of Alexis' forearm across her chin. This time, the blonde wasn't so fast in getting up and it gave Alexis the opportunity to line up her next shot. Setting her sights on the ropes again, Alexis waited til Beth got to her hands and knees before charging towards the cables and leapt deftly onto the middle rope. In the next breath she soared off into the void, flying towards Beth in a high floaty arc that ended with her slamming her elbow into the point of the blonde's chin. Beth groaned and dropped like a rock, a condition Alexis capitalized on by immediately pouncing across her chest to hook the far leg. Acting faster than one usually expected of a referee, the official dropped down and slapped the mat, 'ONE... TWO...' Beth kicked free of the cradle, breaking the pin.

Grumbling a little, Alexis sat up on her haunches and wiped a forearm across her face. "Ya know Beth, something tells me that making you tap will be even more satisfying."

Crab-walking down to the blonde's feet, Alexis took hold of Elizabeth's right foot and pushed to her feet. Holding Beth's leg out straight, Alexis Grapevined both legs around Beth’s gam and fell to the mat. Even before she hit the canvas, Alexis was ripping and tearing at Beth's foot, wrenching the blonde’s joint with a potentially career ending Ankle Lock. Jerking back and forth on Beth's boot, Alexis flipped hair out of her eyes and said, "GIVE UP!"

Sounding remarkably calm for someone in the throes of anguish, Beth rose up on her elbows and asked, "Why? This feels kinda nice."

Alexis knew she was lying, the pain was written all over her face, but that didn't make it any less annoying. Her irritation only increased when Beth dragged herself back a few feet and grabbed the bottom rope. Smiling through gritted teeth, Beth said pleasantly, "Would you mind letting me go?"

Hoping to finally get the last word on the mysterious blonde, Alexis returned her smile and said, "Not at all." then proceeded to crank down on the Ankle Lock until the ref reached 'FOUR' on his count. Getting her feet under her, Alexis helped Beth to her feet only to have the blonde repay the kindness with a swinging Haymaker to her jaw. Grunting as she was staggered back a step, Alexis quickly regained her footing and returned in kind, pegging a short, stubby left hand into the blonde girl's belly. Beth 'OOFFHHED' in surprise and for the next several seconds the ring was almost silent as the two beauties hammered away at one another with a most unladylike exchange of punches.

The audience had just begun to accept that this particular stalemate could go on indefinitely when Elizabeth blocked an incoming Alexis right and tagged the brunette with a stiff European Uppercut under the chin. Alexis’ blue eyes glazed and her brain went foggy, she was unable to stop her rival as Beth stepped in close, grabbed a handful of hair and unloaded with a machine-gunning series of rights to the forehead that quickly split open the thin skin of her hairline.

Giggling happily as Alexis' blood stained her knuckles, Beth chided, "Awww you got busted open too soon cutie. Guess this means it would be overkill to smash your face with a chair. Well maybe not, I'll mull it for a little. While I'm doing that, you can go over there and rest for a moment."

Slipping her hands from Alexis’ head to her wrist, Beth dipped her knees and whipped Alexis towards the corner at her back. The blonde was expecting her brunette rival to simply hit the steel with a dull thud, but Alexis went for something a little showier when she dropped into a low crouch, sprang off her feet and landed on the top rope like a cat.

Making an impressed noise in the back of her throat, Beth whispered, "This one's tricksy..."

Tricksy or not, that didn't stop Beth from sprinting across the squared circle in hopes of shoving the brunette off her perch before she could mount anything like an offense. Several feet away and a few more feet up, Alexis spun around so that she was facing her charging opponent. When she judged Beth to be close enough, Alexis stood up straight and leapt out into the void, coming down in a death-defying plunge from a height of nearly ten feet in the air with nothing but Beth and the canvas to break her fall. Luckily for Alexis, Beth didn't realize what was happening until it was too late and the crowd went absolutely nuts when the high-flying brunette nearly stove in her adversary's chest with a perfectly executed Missile Dropkick.

There was nothing playful or feigned about Elizabeth’s reaction this time; the blonde vixen was instantly knocked off her feet and sent sprawling back head over heels, not coming to rest until she'd nearly rolled back to the opposite corner. Laying stunned on the mat, Alexis let out a low groan and rolled over onto her belly before pushing up to her hands and knees. Running a hand through her dark, disheveled hair, Alexis glared over at Elizabeth's crumpled form and smiled. Getting her feet under her, she stalked over to where the blonde was laid out and pulled her to her feet with a vicious handful of hair.

Forcing the breathless blonde to bend over, Alexis trapped her in a tight Front Facelock and quickly slung Beth's near arm over her shoulders while her free hand grabbed a handful of the blonde's waistband. Catching her wind for what came next. Finding the time to crack a little joke of her own, Alexis muttered, "Beth's face, meet the mat. Mat, meet Beth's face."

As the taunt was still forming on her lips, Alexis bent her knees and then lifted straight up, hoisting Beth off the canvas until she inverted directly over her head. But just when gravity and momentum should have carried the blonde over and back down to the mat, Alexis stepped forward and dropped to her knees to send her adversary crashing face and chest first into the canvas with a Facebuster Suplex.

Beth let out a muted sob as she was slammed into the canvas, but if she was hoping for a respite, she was going to have to wait a tiny bit longer. Releasing her hold on the blonde's head and tights, Alexis jerked her to her hands and knees only to pounce across her back to apply the vicious Sleeper Hold-Body Scissors combo that Mixed Martial Arts fans would know as the Rear Naked Choke.

Rolling onto her side to take all of Elizabeth's leverage away, Alexis locked her ankles and clamped down hard on the scissors, sending shockwaves of pain through the blonde with her long, coltish legs. And if that wasn't enough, she bore down on the Sleeper too, snugging Beth's chin in the crook of her elbow while simultaneously pressing down on the top of her skull with her free hand. Riding out the wriggling blonde's struggles, Alexis nuzzled in a little closer and whispered, "You fought good Beth, but I got you tied up. Now tap out or I'll choke you out." She added to the veracity of her claim by applying another python-like constriction to both holds.

For several seconds, there was nothing, then Beth raised her right hand high and held it in place for a few seconds. Just when Alexis thought she was about to surrender, the blonde simply waved to the watching official.

More than a little miffed that Beth was making light of the situation, Alexis glowered, "Do you think this is FUNNY?"

Chuckling a little, Elizabeth replied, "Not really. THIS is funny." In the next second she jerked her head down, burrowing her mouth and nose into the crook of the brunette's elbow. Normally this wouldn't have been an advisable tactic but all that changed when she opened her mouth and bit down as hard as she could, eliciting a shocked howl of pain from Alexis. Cursing loudly, Alexis tore her hands away from the blonde's maw only to immediately unload on the back of her head with a vile series of clubbing Forearms. Only when Beth groaned and went slack in her grip did Alexis even think about slowing down.

Popping her ankles, the infuriated brunette kicked Beth away from her and spat, "You're gonna wish you'd never had the guts to chew on me after I knock your teeth down your throat Beth." Branding the fallen girl with a single stomp between the shoulders, Alexis went back to the corner and climbed into place. As she reached the top, the crowd started to cheer and Alexis took it as a sign of encouragement. She didn't realize her troubles until she'd turned around and Beth swept her legs out from under her, leaving the stunned brunette to land in an unenviable position on the top rope.

Flipping some hair out of her eyes, Beth mused, "You ARE a clever one Alexis. But not nearly clever enough to match wits or wiles with me."

Whistling a merry tune as she went about her work, Beth grabbed a double handful of Alexis' hair and pulled her forward, only to turn around and place the brunette's chin on the point of her right shoulder. Holding Alexis in place with a loose Three-Quarters Facelock, the blonde stepped forward, pulling Alexis with her until the only thing holding Alexis on the turnbuckles were her ankles.

With the brunette suspended more than five feet above the canvas, Elizabeth held her position just long enough for the crowd to get a good look, then she sat out fast, crushing Alexis' chin against her shoulder with an innovative variant on the infamous Stone Cold Stunner. Savoring the feel of Alexis’ head whiplashing off her shoulder, Beth quickly spun around, took hold of Alexis' wrists and dragged her away from the ropes. Laying across the brunette's mid-section, she hooked both legs and waited for the ref to count, 'ONE... TWO...'

Despite the brutal efficiency of the move, Alexis still had plenty of fight left in her and she kicked out with a good second to spare. Brushing some imaginary dust off her hands, Beth returned her claws to Alexis' ebony mane and tugged her to her feet. Marching the spaghetti-legged girl to the center of the ring, Beth once again took possession of her wrist and cooed, "Are you starting to see Alexis? I can hit you with any move, from any position, any time I want! But I can see you still have your doubts. I guess another demonstration is an order."

Without another word, she whipped Alexis into the ropes and waited patiently for her to return. When the brunette was close enough to touch, Elizabeth surged forward and planted both hands against her foe's pale abdomen. Dropping into a tight crouch, Beth stood up fast and SHOVED as hard as she could, sending Alexis more or less straight up into the lights with a perfect Flapjack. But as the brunette started to descend, Beth put her own personal touch on the move by stepping in and pasting a BEAUTIFUL European Uppercut under Alexis’ chin as she rushed past. The force of the impressively timed shot snapped Alexis' head back in a pain that was almost entirely forgotten the moment she slammed down onto the canvas a second later.

Breathing through her nose, Beth looked out at the crowd and offered them a courtly little bow as they roared their approval. Shortly thereafter, Beth forced a boot under Alexis' ribs and flopped the brunette over onto her back. Taking a place near her midsection, the blonde dropped to one knee and settled her right hand across the brunette's gulping paunch. Placing her left hand across her right wrist, Beth told her foe, "Ya know what I love Alexis? Crack Jack. Not so much the snack itself, but the prize at the bottom. Nothing like digging through that sweet gooey mess to get some amusing little treasure. I hope you've got a prize inside you too, something spiffy like a decoder ring or maybe a kazoo." Simultaneous with the word 'kazoo' Beth dug her long, strong fingers into the brunette's abs; torturing her with a Belly Claw.

From his spot a few feet away, the ref watched closely as Alexis started to writhe and twist, trying desperately to fight her way out of the hold. As the tableau unfolded in front of him, it dawned on the zebra that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Working from the bottom up, he took in the details. First off, Alexis' feet were stomping and banging on the mat, no surprise there, that was par for the course with a Belly Claw. Moving up, Beth's curled hand dug deep into the brunette's abdominal muscles. Again, no surprises, and as long as Beth kept it above the line of Alexis’ trunks (she was) there was nothing illegal about the Claw. Still, he did find it sort of odd that Alexis wasn't trying to pry Beth's wrist away, that was the preferred method of escape. Turning his gaze further north, the ref saw that Alexis' hands were up near her face and he groaned aloud as he realized the blonde had played him for a sap. Very quietly and with no theatrics, Beth had placed one bent knee in the hollow of Alexis’ throat, adding an illegal choke that went unnoticed thanks to the frantic thrashing of the Belly Claw.

Shaking his head in disgust, the official barked, "Get your knee off her neck Beth! ONE... TWO..."

Knowing she'd been found out didn't stop Beth from looking at her knee and asking innocently, "Now how'd THAT get there?" Waiting til he reached 'FOUR' the blonde finally released the hold and pulled Alexis to her feet. Pulling the wounded girl in close, she brushed her lips against Alexis’ ear and said, "No prize this time I guess. But I'm still going to get something valuable out of you. How much do you think your tears are worth anyway?"

When she didn't receive an answer, Beth dug her hands into Alexis’ dark locks and led her over to the edge of the ring. Keeping her victim well away from the turnbuckles, Beth bent Alexis over and forced her upper body through the gap between the top and middle rope before standing her up straight. Pulling the brunette up straight so that she was facing the audience with the back of her neck stretched across the top cable, Beth reached across her chin and laced her fingers, applying a rough Chinlock. Jiggling Alexis' head back and forth, she asked, "Answer me this Alexis. Do you know when five seconds can feel like forever? I'll tell you. It's when I'm doing the counting."

On the wings of those rather ominous words, Beth executed a hop that as just high enough for her to shoot both legs around Alexis’ waist and lock her ankles. Held in place by nothing but the ropes and her hold on Alexis' chin, Beth tensed up and leaned back hard, applying intense pressure to the brunette's waist and ribs with the diabolical combination Camel Clutch-Body Scissors she called The Dreambreaker.

If there was a silver lining in this cloud, it was that the use of the ropes made it illegal and Alexis only had to endure the torture for five seconds. But Beth milked her ride for everything it was worth and by the time she let it go, Alexis felt as though much more time had passed. Having fun with Alexis' back, Elizabeth decided she'd keep softening up that part of her foe's anatomy, that way Alexis would be almost defenseless when she went for the Gravedancer a little later on.

Pulling the mewling brunette out of the cables, Beth led her to the center of the squared circle only to immediately send her careening towards the corner. It was Alexis’ instinct that told her to turn her back into the landing and this would have been good under most circumstances, but her spine had already taken a tremendous stretching courtesy of the Bethbreaker and the collision with the thinly padded steel didn't help matters any. Groaning and clutching at the small of her back, Alexis took staggering baby steps out of the corner and wandered right back into the clutches of her rival.

Taking possession of the brunette's wrist, Beth asked, "Back so soon?" before whipping her into the opposite corner with rib-cracking force.

This time, when Alexis came tottering towards her, Beth slipped in behind her and dipped low. Wrapping one arm around the brunette's waist, Beth forced her head in the space between Alexis’ waist and her arm. Grip cinched tight, Beth lifted straight up and back, hauling Alexis into position for a Back Drop Suplex. But instead of merely falling backwards, the blonde pulled out from under her foe and slipped an arm across Alexis' chest. As gravity took over, Beth fell to the mat, splattering Alexis on the canvas with an inventive twist on the old Rock Bottom she called Gallows Hill. Pushing off her knees, Beth hooked the brunette's legs and leaned across her chest, nearly folding Alexis in half with a cradle. Impressed with how the blonde could hit any move from damn near anywhere, the zebra swooped in and counted off, "ONE... TWO..." Alexis twisted onto her side, breaking the count.

Voicing a small tsk-tsk, Beth grabbed Alexis by the shoulder straps of her bikini and pulled the brunette to her feet. Pulling the injured girl in close, Beth wrapped her left arm around Alexis' throat and clamped down tight while she used the right to cup the top of Alexis’ head and push down, adding even more pressure to the Sleeper. Twisting her hips right and left, Elizabeth crimped her foe's neck and whispered, "Sleep tight baby...."

Gurgling as her face went red, Alexis replied, "I'm not done yeEEERRRRGGGHH LEGGO YOU BITCH!"

In the brief span it took Alexis to form words, Beth reached her right arm down the to the front of Alexis' tights and DUG IN deep, torturing the brunette with a Crotch Claw. Normally this heinous treatment would have ended after five seconds, but in this case, Alexis didn't need that much time. Powered by a righteous, surging fury, the brunette twisted into the Sleeper, turning the hold into nothing more than a simple Side Headlock. In a flash, Alexis locked her arms around the blonde's waist and lifted her up and back just to drop her on the back of her head with a Belly-to-Back Suplex.

Still running on adrenaline, Alexis rolled away and popped to her feet right as Beth was getting to hers, Alexis’ blue eyes were glittering as she sneered, "Come and get it you sneaky slut!"

Smirking, Beth replied, "My pleasure." With no further warning, the blonde exploded forward and extended her left arm meaning to take the brunette's head off at the shoulders with a Clothesline. But Alexis had suckered her opponent in, and as Beth made the lunge, she went low and spun under the charge. Pulling a quick 180 she waited till Beth turned to face her and that's when she struck. Lining up her shot, Alexis took a little step to her right, hopped forward and blasted her left leg at Beth's face, catching the blonde squarely across the cheek with a Super Kick. Beth was stood up on her heels by the scintillating strike, then fell straight back, collapsing like a chopped tree.

Regaining her balance, Alexis glanced out at the crowd, licked her index finger and made a single tick mark in the air. "That's one..." Drawing a deep breath as the mob cheered her on, Alexis turned her attention to the starfished form of Elizabeth Beth and added, "... of many."

Taking a moment to snap her bottoms back into place across her hips, Alexis caught her breath and sauntered over to the flattened blonde. Sinking to one knee, the brunette took hold of her foe's damp gold locks and pulled her to her feet. Leading Beth into the center of the ring, Alexis suddenly released her hand-hold to step back and drive her boot deep into the bit of Beth's stomach. As the blonde doubled over and clutched her gut, Alexis stepped to her left and sprinted towards the ropes. Letting the cables add a little extra zing to her momentum, she shrieked towards the oblivious girl and brought her knee up fast, striking Elizabeth a solid blow to the temple.

Beth’s legs wobbled but instead of collapsing to her knees she was rocked up on her heels, giving the brunette the perfect opportunity to head into the ropes on the opposite side of the ring and hurtle back in close. Reaching the point of no return, Alexis left her feet, tucked both knees up under her chin and then pistoned them out smashing the soles of her feet into Beth’s chin with a stunning Dropkick. Now Alexis wasn't the biggest or strongest girl on the roster, but she did know how throw her weight around and with all five foot seven of her behind the Dropkick it was more than enough to take Beth off her feet and leave her in a sprawled Matchbook on the canvas. Pushing to her feet, Alexis nudged her boot against Beth’s upturned rump, rolling the blonde over onto her back.

Making note of Beth's position near the edge of the ring, Alexis slipped through the ropes and climbed out onto the ring apron. Taking her place above Beth's head, Alexis grabbed the top rope in both hands and asked the audience, "I wonder how good Sabrina the Teenage Wench is at TAKING an innovative offense?"

Coasting on a wave of applause, the brunette leaned back and then leapt forward, leapfrogging over the ropes only to twist her body in midair to come down belly-first across Elizabeth's chest with a Slingshot Splash. Hooking the blonde's NEAR leg when she shuddered beneath her, Alexis leaned into Beth’s shoulders, holding her in place as the official counted off, 'ONE... TWO...' Beth lifted her free leg and placed her ankle on the bottom rope, forcing a break in the count.

Still pinned under the brunette, Beth said, "Just ONE second away..." in a taunting, singsong voice.

Rolling her eyes, Alexis muttered, "Oh shut up." right before she slapped the blonde across the face. Relishing the split second of stunned incredulity on Elizabeth's face, Alexis peeled the smaller girl off the canvas and dragged her away from the ropes. Wanting to keep up this fast paced, no huddle offense, Alexis was in the process of reaching for her opponent's wrist when Beth shot her hands up and raaaaked them down the brunette's face. Suddenly blind, Alexis let out a wounded little cry and staggered back, desperately rubbing her hands across her face in an attempt to clear her vision. Not too far away, Beth watched Alexis' flailing with a knowing, haughty smile. Waiting just long enough for the brunette to turn and face her, Beth backed into the ropes and then charged towards her blinded adversary. When she was still several feet from Alexis, the blonde left her feet in a high, smooth arc that saw her execute a gorgeous ninety degree shift at the apex, putting her on a perpendicular collision course with Alexis. It was a shame this gorgeous Flying Cross Body was going to go unappreciated, but the brunette wasn't about to just sit there and get bowled over. As Beth closed in, Alexis dropped flat to the canvas, letting Beth go sailing through the empty space and go crashing into the mat.

Laughing as Beth doubled up in boozy hurt, Alexis got to her feet and stalked Beth's way. Hauling the blonde up with a rude handful of tights, Alexis spun Beth around and jammed a forearm across her victim's chin. Waiting just long enough for Beth to go limp, Alexis pulled Beth in close, looped an arm around her opponent's waist and threaded the other between Beth’s legs, making sure to get a good solid grip on the waistband of her opponent's briefs. Her grip in place, Alexis popped her hips and tossed Beth up and over. Just as the blonde was beginning to pass over her head, Alexis spun around on her heel and drilled herself into to the canvas, flattening Elizabeth between her own body and the unforgiving mat with a T-Bone Power Slam.

Maintaining her position across the mysterious girl's chest after the slam connected, Alexis hooked her foe's far leg and bore down tight, hoping to seal the victory then and there. Remarkably impressed with the snap and torque the lanky grappler was able to get with just a twist of her hips, the zebra swooped in and slapped the mat, 'ONE... TWO...'

Beth rolled onto her side, breaking the count with less than a second to spare. Resting with her hands on her thighs, Alexis glared down into Elizabeth's weary face and chided, "OK spooky, you're tough, I'll give you that. But I still think you're a lot more annoying than threatening."

As Alexis went to put a hand in her hair, Beth slapped her wrist aside and replied, "You pretty little good girls are all the same. You get the monster down and then turn your back, just long enough for it to pop up and tear your head off. Maybe you should put down the Nicholas Sparks and pick up some Stephen King."

The seeming absurdity of this statement stopped Alexis in her tracks. Unable to help herself, she fired back, "I can't believe you took a potshot at my reading material. That's just taking it too far." Beth started to say something else but Alexis cut her with a clipped left hook. Lifting the blonde by the straps of her top, Alexis yanked Beth to her feet and pointed her towards the ropes. Not giving Elizabeth enough time to regain her bearings, the brunette planted her feet and whipped her towards the far side of the ring. At least, Alexis THOUGHT she hadn't given Beth enough time to recover.

Beth proved her tormentor wrong by actually increasing her pace as she sped into the cables. Moving far more smoothly than she had any right to, the blonde sprang into the air and landed on the top rope. In the span of a few heartbeats, Elizabeth sank into a low crouch, then pushed up and back, pulling a beautiful 180 in midair so she could Scissor her legs open as she roared towards Alexis. Seconds later, the blonde's legs settled across Alexis’ shoulders and she crossed her ankles. It was Beth's intention to fall back and hurl Alexis into the air with a Hurricanrana out of nowhere; it would have worked too if Alexis hadn't realized what was coming. Before Beth could tear her loose of her moorings, Alexis wrapped her arms around the blonde's thighs and locked her hands. Showing impressive strength in her slender frame, Alexis HOISTED Beth back into the air, holding the blonde prone in the stall position for a Powerbomb.

Waiting just long enough to let the crowd start cheering, the brunette dropped to her butt, damn near breaking Beth in half with a ring rattling Sit-Out Powerbomb. Maintaining her grip around Beth's legs after the bomb connected, Alexis leaned forward, putting all her strength into the pin. Wincing in shared hurt as Beth twitched with the after-effects of the Powerbomb, the referee dropped down and counted, 'ONE... TWO... THRNO!' Beth ripped free of the pin, forcing the match to continue.

Smacking the mat in frustration, Alexis rolled away from her victim and got to one knee. Nodding her head in anticipation, Alexis extended her right arm and pointed directly at her oblivious foe, clearly calling for the 'Last Word' that had ended so many of her previous matches. When Elizabeth got to her feet, Alexis leapt off the mat, shot her right arm out and clasped it behind Alyson's neck, trying to pull blonde off her feet and face first into the mat with her lethal finisher. The brunette had just started to come down when Beth shot her hands up and sank them deep into Alexis’ dark mane. Thinking and not acting, Beth stepped back and JERKED down, bouncing the back of Alexis' skull off the mat with a jury-rigged Hair Slam. Breathing hard, Beth ran both hands through her hair and let loose with a tittering laugh. Hands on her hips, Beth leaned down and asked, "I guess sometimes simple is best. Isn't that right dimwit?"

When the brunette didn't answer, Beth put the sole of her boot against Alexis' forehead and stamped down, abrading Alexis’ forehead with the rough material. Heartily amused by Alexis' pained flailing, Beth bent down, buried her hands in the brunette's hair and pulled her to her knees. Forcing Alexis’ neck between the thighs, Beth clamped down on the Standing Headscissors and slowly walked her fingers down the curve of her victim's spine.

Patting Alexis’ butt, Beth bit her bottom lip in a coy smile and said, "You had a lot of fun playing with my tights a little while ago Alexis. I hope you don't mind if I return the favor. No wait, I take that back. I hope you DO mind…that'll make it that much more fun."

Starting her newest amusement, the blonde paused for just a moment and then pulled up as hard as she could, actually lifting Alexis’ feet off the mat with the sadistic wedgie. Yanking back even harder on the brunette's stretched togs, Beth asked, "You wanna give it up Lexie?"

Suffering an equally galling mix of humiliation and agony, Alexis screeched, "When I get out of this, I'm gonna FUCKING KILL YOU!

Unable to contain another laugh, Beth replied, "Baby, if you EVEN get out of this, the first thing you're going to do is find an industrial winch to pull those tights out of your ass." Alexis started to say something else, but Beth paid her no mind. Instead, she wrapped her arms around the brunette's waist and clasped her hands. With no discernible effort, the blonde lifted her victim off the canvas, inverting her as if for a Piledriver.

Of course, that was what everyone was expecting, so she did something different. Rising up on her toes, Beth smiled to the crowd then dropped straight forward and down, pancaking the slender grappler's face, chest and belly against the mat with a modified Faceplant. Pushing up off the trembling girl beneath her, Beth ground her crotch against the back of Alexis' neck and then spun around, taking a high seat on the brunette's back.

Placing her knees flat on the mat, Beth leaned forward and hooked her hands under Alexis’ chin. Digging her fingers into the soft flesh, Beth pulled back, lifting the brunette's torso off the mat just long enough to thread her arms over the smooth expanse of the blonde's thighs. Now most wrestlers would simply wrench back to lock in the Camel Clutch, but as your humble narrator has tried to make clear, Beth was anything but normal and in case Alexis didn't believe her, she proved it once again.

Releasing her hold on Alexis’ chin, she claimed a double handful of damp brown tresses and whispered, "Diamond rope, silver chain, pretty noose is pretty pain.... and you won't like what I've got you hanging from."

Through with her karaoke routine, Beth wound Alexis' hair around her throat and pulled back, actually strangling the hapless beauty with her own hair. For a moment, the ref didn't know what was going on, he just thought Alexis was having an extremely violent reaction to the Camel Clutch. It was only when her face started to go a frightening plum color did he realize that Beth was strangling her again. Groaning his disapproval, the zebra came in close and demanded, "Let go of the choke Beth!"

Beth cocked an eyebrow. "This? This isn't a choke? It's a follicle massage."

The ref wasn't convinced so he started his FIVE count. Pouting, Elizabeth waited til he reached 'FOUR' then let go of Alexis’ mane, letting her head go slumping forward.

Wiping her hands on the back of the brunette's arms, Beth chided, "You really should consider a new conditioner Alexis, whatever you're using now isn't doing that much."

Pushing up off her battered foe, the blonde stepped back until she was standing at Alexis’ feet. Dropping to one knee, Beth leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Alexis' waist. Kneeling with Alexis’ legs loosely Scissored around her waist, Beth whispered, "Betcha can't guess what I'm gonna do next. Don't think too hard, I'm going to show you..."

Gathering her breath for the task ahead, the blonde suddenly pushed to her feet and lifted up fast, lifting the brunette high into the air. When Alexis was at the top of her forced arc, Beth released her grip on Alexis’ waist, allowing physics to swing the lanky girl's legs out in front of her. In the brief span before Alexis started to descend, Beth whirled around on her heel and reached over her shoulder to snag the sides of the brunette's head. Soon as her grip was secure, Beth sat out HARD spiking the back of Alexis' skull into the mat with the Wheelbarrow Neckbreaker she'd dubbed the Walking Contradiction.

The moment Alexis hit the mat, Beth rolled onto her chest and hooked the brunette's far leg. Cold blue eyes sparkling, the blonde nodded in time with the ref's count of 'ONE... TWO...THRNO!'

Despite, or perhaps in spite of the drubbing Beth had given her, Alexis shot an arm off the mat, halting the count. Sighing, Beth’s pretty face twisted in anger but just like that, it was replaced with the same beatific smile she always wore. Glancing down at the brunette, she said, "You're making it very hard for me to like you Alexis." Mumbling through the pain, Alexis replied, "Eat me."

"No thanks." Without another word, she hooked Alexis' tights and pulled her to her knees. Stepping around in front of the kneeling brunette, Beth locked her arms around Alexis’ hips and jerked her off the mat, holding her in the stall position for a Powerbomb. Waiting a few breaths, Beth rose up on her toes and shoved Alexis off her. The brunette fell in what should have been nothing more than an awkward sprawl, but her landing was made several degrees worse when Beth dropped to one knee, drilling the posted joint into Alexis' groin in a crude but effective Inverted Atomic Drop. Alexis let out a watery scream and would have fell over if Beth hadn't grabbed her by the head.

Purring into the crippled beauty's face, Beth whispered, "Poor Alexis. You look like you don't know whether to laugh or cry. Maybe you should do both."

Alexis opened her mouth to answer and that's when Beth struck. Moving faster than most folks could comprehend, Elizabeth whirled around on her heel and sprang into the air. At the apex of her leap, she reached out with her right arm and wrapped it around the brunette's head. After that it was a short ride for Beth and Alexis, but the blonde landed on her butt and the brunette landed on her face.

The crowd 'OOHHED' at the sight, Beth had just STUCK Alexis with her own 'Last Word' and if Beth's was as effective as Alexis’, this match was probably over.

Rather impressed with her application of Alexis' finisher, Beth wasted no time in rolling her prey onto her back and going for the cover. Hooking both legs, she pointed Alexis’ rump towards the sky and waited patiently as the ref counted off 'ONE... TWO... THRNO!' At the last possible second, Alexis jerked her legs out of Beth's grip and flopped onto her side, ending the count.

Though her voice was groggy, there was still some steel too as she mumbled, "No way you beat me with my own move."

Willing to indulge this particular whim, the blonde patted Alexis' cheek and replied, "OK. I'll just beat you with one of my moves." After regaining her verticality, Beth strutted down to Alexis’ feet and assumed a crouch once more. Grasping an ankle in both hands, Beth flipped the weakly protesting brunette onto her stomach. Still seeing no opposition from her opposition, the blonde stepped on Alexis’ left leg below the knee while gripping the brunette's ankle in both hands. Hold secure, Beth pulled up hard, taking Alexis's leg a few feet off the canvas. When gravity took over, Beth turned her pull into a push, slamming Alexis's knee down into the canvas and Beth’s added momentum didn't do anything to cushion the landing. Alexis cried out and tried to pull away, but Beth was relentless, repeating the Stump Puller maneuver several times.

When she believed Alexis' knee had been suitably softened up, Beth spun around, settling into a comfortable perch on the brunette's lower back. Injured limb still under her control, she pulled back on it with all her considerable strength to cinch on a tendon snapping Single-leg Boston Crab.

As Alexis sobbed in anguish, Beth intensified the pain of the hold by first lifting up, then dropping her ass down on Alexis's lower back. Every few bounces, she'd change it up a bit, grinding her derriere from side to side. Elizabeth's gleeful smile said it better than words ever could. She relished Alexis's helplessness just as much as she relished the brunette's pain. This feeling was put into words moments later. "Hey Alexis, could you do me a favor and lean back as far as you can? I want to see if I can make the back of your foot touch the back of your head.

Enraged by the casual cruelty of the demand Alexis grunted through clenched teeth, "The only thing my foot is going to be touching is your fat, sadistic ass!"

"Fat? My ass? Sadistic sure, but fat? That's just hurtful. Oh well, I know pain makes people say crazy things, so I'll forgive you. Besides, I have a feeling the next thing to come out of your mouth will be sheer lunacy." On those cryptic words the blonde shifted her grip she was holding Alexis's leg with only one arm. Mugging for the audience, she raised her free hand over her head, her fingers curled into a crude claw. She held her pose for just a moment so the fans could see what she was going to do, but keeping it a mystery for Alexis. Breaking her self imposed stillness, she brought her hand stabbing down and dug it deep into the thin orange-ish material over Alexis's groin.

The brunette yelped and shrieked as Beth raked and worried at her center but try as she might, she couldn't engineer an escape. Tears formed in the corners of Alexis's eyes as she tried to fight off the urge to submit. 'Can't give up, especially not to this.' Alexis thought. Calming herself as best she could, Alexis lay her free leg as flat on the mat as she could get it. When Beth took a break from her crotch assault, Alexis brought her free leg up, smashing her booted heel into the blonde's forehead. There was a low, dull THUD then another THUD when Alexis’ heel struck Beth’s face twice in rapid succession. Groaning loudly as stars exploded behind her eyes, Beth released both her holds and crawled away to massage the pain from her aching face.

Alexis wasn't faring too well either, despite her newly won freedom. The pain in her back, leg and groin was such that she waited until SEVEN on the ref's count to get to her feet and by that point, the blonde was ambulatory as well. Lurching towards one another, the rivals went in for a weary clinch. Fussing and nudging at the other's shoulders, Beth and Alexis went back and forth for a few seconds before the blonde managed to scoop Alexis onto her shoulder, in position for a Body Slam. But instead of simply tossing her foe to the canvas, Beth trudged towards the nearest corner and shoved Alexis in tight, strapping the lissome beauty to the unenviable Tree of Woe. With Alexis trussed up in front of her, it didn't take long for Beth to regain most of her charming swagger. Ignoring the brunette for the moment, she stepped up onto the middle turnbuckle and called out, "I'D LIKE TO THANK ALL THE BORING, UNIMAGINATIVE PEOPLE IN THE CROWD FOR CHEERING ALEXIS TONIGHT!"

A few feet down, the brunette didn't care about the boos raining down on her adversary. She was only interested in trying to get the blonde's boot out of her groin, and so far as she wasn't having any luck. Hating the plaintive sound of her voice, Alexis looked for the official and gasped, "SHE'S STANDING ON MY CROTCH… YOU DOPE!"

Cursing under his breath, the ref stepped in and started his count. When he reached 'FOUR' Beth hopped down and told him, "Don't you let her go anywhere, I've got one last present for silly upside down Alexis." None too thrilled to hear that bit of news, Alexis could only watch in horror as Beth jogged to the other side of the ring and whirled to face her. Suddenly the blonde was a blur of motion as she charged straight towards the inverted brunette.

Waiting silently as Beth roared down on her, Alexis waited until her tormentress went into the low baseball slide (that would crush her face if it connected) and then PULLED up as fast as she could. Alexis’ time in the gym paid off right then and there. She was able to fold herself in half, doing something like a wacky-ass Abdominal Crunch just as Beth shot underneath her and was nearly split in two thanks to the unyielding steel ringpost. Alexis hissed a cry of triumph that was most lost under Beth's pitiful scream, but that was OK. She had heard it, and that was all the mattered. Pulling herself up a little bit more, Alexis was able to untangle herself from the Tree of Woe and scramble into position on the top turnbuckle. Taking stock of the situation she saw Beth crawling away from the corner in a vain attempt to buy some recovery time. Shaking her head 'no' Alexis stood up and whispered, "No way to wriggle your way out of this one slimy."

Drawing a bead on the back of the blonde's skull, Alexis allowed herself enough time to take one deep breath before leaping off into the void. Controlling her arc of descent beautifully, the brunette tucked her knees up under her and simply waited for the impact. A second passed and she got her wish. Alexis came crashing down with her right knee taking Beth in the back of her head. The blonde let out a single stunned 'UNNNGH!' and then collapsed face-first onto the mat. Rejuvenated by the sensation of Beth's skull bouncing under her knee, Alexis popped to her feet, climbed the turnbuckles and screamed to the fans, "THIS SNEAKY BITCH IS DONE!"

Riding the wave of applause, Alexis hopped down from the corner and stalked over to where Beth was laid out on the canvas. Working in silence, she took hold of the blonde's tights and yanked her to her feet. She wasn't going to waste time embarrassing Beth, she was just going to hurt her. Booting her in the belly, Alexis trapped Beth in a Standing Headscissors, then lifted her into the air; holding her in position a Canadian Backbreaker or possibly even a Holmes Wrecker. But instead, Alexis went with something just a wee bit more esoteric. Holding the blonde across her shoulder, Alexis wriggled her into position, tucking Beth’s legs around her hips. Then Alexis shifted her grip on Beth’s upper half, hooking both arms behind Beth’s arms. Secure, Alexis bounced up and down on her heels, demonstrating Beth’s utter helplessness in the grip of the Gory Guerrero Special.

Enjoying the feel of the blonde wriggling against her back, Alexis asked, "You wanna give it up Beth? Or do I have to get nasty?"

Giggling through the brain searing pain of the hold, Beth answered, "Oh please, get nasty, I'd like to see that."

Granting her victim's wish, Alexis suddenly released her grip on Beth’s upper half and grabbed her legs as the blonde began to fall towards the mat. As Beth descended behind her, Alexis sat out, adding her momentum to the fall that drove Beth’s face into the mat, a sort of sadistically ingenious Inverted Powerbomb. Ignoring the cheers of the fans for now, Alexis muscled Beth onto her back and hooked both legs. In an instant, the ref was beside her and slapping the mat, 'ONE... TWO... THR--NO!' The tenacious blonde rolled a shoulder off the canvas, forcing the match to continue.

Growling her frustration, Alexis got to her feet and murmured, "All right, no more piddly crap. Time to empty both barrels into this bitch."

After pulling Beth to her feet with an unceremonious yank of her hair, Alexis stood to the blonde's left and slightly behind her. Stepping in close, Alexis used her right arm to grab hold of the back of the blonde's head while she used her left arm to grab Beth’s left wrist and pull it flat across her chest. Finger on the trigger, Alexis finished by hooking the blonde's left leg with her right and SHOVED forward, slicing Beth's legs out from under her to slam her face-and-chest first into the mat with an Inverted Russian Legsweep.

Beth only moaned as she bounced off the mat, and normally Alexis would take this as a sign to go for the cover, but at this point, she didn't want the blonde pinned, she wanted her screaming. So, acting on that impulse, Alexis scooted down to her foe's feet, grabbed her ankles and folded Beth’s legs up, pressing them roughly into the wounded girl‘s backside. Placing a knee the blonde's crossed ankles, Alexis lay down on her victim’s back and proceeded to lace her arms around Beth’s head and left arm. Almost done, Alexis locked her hands across her captive’s mouth and nose in a painful cross-face. Leaning back as much as physics would allow, Alexis pulled Beth’s torso up off the mat, bending her prey’s neck and back at a hideous angle. The vicious STF variant that Alexis' fans knew as 'Crystal Blue Persuasion' had just been locked in and it was locked in TIGHT. Summoning everything she had left, the brunette pulled sadistically, intent on forcing the blonde to concede.

Trapped in a firestorm of anguish, Beth's unflappable calm threatened to disintegrate as she realized there wasn't much time between now and when the pain of the hold would be too much for her senses to bear. Unwilling to let her battle with Alexis end this way, Elizabeth stopped trying to tear Alexis’ hands away from her face and instead placed them on the canvas. All the muscles in her arms stood out clearly as the gutsy beauty clawed and scraped her way across the mat towards the ropes. Many grueling seconds later, the crippled blonde finally felt her fingers brush the tautness of the cables and she gripped them like a lifeline. Impressed that Beth had been able to escape the brunette's favorite finisher, the ref started his count, which Alexis grudgingly broke at 'FOUR.'

Breathing hard, Alexis got to her feet, grabbed Beth by the ankles and dragged her back into the center of the squared circle. When the blonde was right where she wanted her, Alexis stalked around to the blonde's head, dug her hands into her hair and peeled her off the mat. Without warning, the brunette spun around and leapt into the air, the telltale beginning of the Last Word. But somehow, Beth got her hands up and shoved hard enough to break the brunette's grip and sent her staggering into the ropes. When Alexis came wandering back towards her, Beth saw that she wasn't moving with her usual sure-footed confidence and that was all the blonde needed. Stepping in close, Beth planted her right leg behind Alexis while simultaneously wrapping her arms around the brunette's neck. With her hands clasped between Alexis’ shoulders and the brunette's right arm Scissored up under her left armpit, Beth leaned down, bending her foe across her planted knee in a dip that looked like it would be more at home in a ballroom dancing class.

Smiling into Alexis' panicked face, Beth asked, "Care to da…EEERRRGGH!"

Powered by little more than desperation at this point, Alexis balled her free hand into a fist and punched Beth in the side of the head. Beth grunted and her hands popped open, allowing Alexis to avoid disaster for the moment. Knowing that Beth was still woozy from the blow to her head, Alexis sprinted around behind her and dropped to one knee. Extending her right arm, she beckoned Beth to turn around. When the blonde obliged her, Alexis whispered, "Third time's the charm...:" and leapt into the air. At the height of her jump, she shot her right arm out and clasped it behind Beth's neck, trying for the third time that night to connect with the Last Word Neckbreaker.

The brunette was starting to come down when Beth got her hands on Alexis’ back and shoved her forward. Alexis’ grip was broken and the slender beauty was launched forward into the space that happened to be filled with the referee at that particular point in time. Alexis and the ref collided head on, their skulls clacking together with a muted but vicious THUNK before they both crumpled to the mat in a heap.

Watching Alexis and the ref go down, Beth wearily pushed to her feet and took a deep breath. Taking the time to collect her thoughts, she said, "Well this is an intriguing development. I suppose a good person would wait quietly while they recovered and then continue the match from there." She paused to blow some loose hair off her forehead, and when she resumed talking, she was smiling. "Luckily... I'm not that good."

Setting her sights on Alexis, the blonde sauntered forward and scooped Alexis off the mat. Backing the semi-coherent girl into the ropes, Beth leaned in and taunted, "I was going to say something clever right now, but it looks like you're too out of it to comprehend anything funny, so I'll just wait til you've recovered your senses to gloat. Of course, that might be a few weeks, but I'm patient."

Receiving nothing more than a pained whimper from the slender grappler, Elizabeth leaned in harder for a second before whipping the brunette across the ring. As soon as Alexis was out of her grip, Beth took a step forward and then back, bouncing off the ropes to gain momentum as she sprinted to meet Alexis’ charge. With less than two feet separating them, Beth left her feet and flew through the air, managing to slip around behind Alexis and loop her arms around Alexis left arm while her legs Scissored up the right arm. For a very brief moment, Beth was suspended across her foe’s shoulders in what would have turned into a simple Crucifix Pin if only Beth had fallen back to the mat. But the enigmatic blonde had something special in mind and on she was determined to deliver. Knowing the time was right, Beth didn't just fall back, she pulled back with every ounce of strength she had left, jerking Alexis off her feet in a whiplash motion that had the lithe brunette dropping towards the mat head over heels. The trip to the mat wasn’t very far, but it was fast and hard, two things that aren’t good when landing on one’s head. That’s exactly was happened to Alexis as she fell victim to Beth's first finisher; Part Crucifix, part Death Valley Driver, it went under the rather innocuous name of 'Greetings from Point Pleasant.'

Letting Alexis slide bonelessly out of her grip, the blonde shoved her victim over onto her back and hooked the far leg. Leaning all her weight into the cradle, she watched the ref crawl over and raise his hand, 'ONE......... TWO......... THRE--NOOO!'

Alexis would have been done if it wasn't for the long count, that much was obvious. Glaring at the zebra with obvious disdain, Beth asked him, "Do you mind?" The ref just grunted and rubbed the back of his head.

Pushing up off the mat, Beth commented, "Well you're no help. Guess that means poor Alexis has to suffer a bit longer." Returning her attention to the brunette, Beth pulled the spaghetti-legged girl to her feet, stood face-to-face with her and went for something Alexis had foiled earlier. Moving as fast as she could Beth slipped her right leg behind Alexis’ feet while wrapping her arms around the brunette's neck in an inescapable loop.

With her hands clasped between Alexis’ shoulders and the brunette's right arm Scissored up under her left armpit, Beth dipped her opponent, forcing Alexis to bend back at an awkward angle. Almost nose-to-nose with her prey, Beth cooed, "This time I lead."

The words were barely out of her mouth when she twisted hard to her left, executing a tight little spin to land on her back while Alexis' face and chest were just MASHED against the canvas. The fans were on their feet and screaming their approval as Beth hit the 'Gravedancer' - arguably the most visually impressive move to debut in the promotion since Billie had first unveiled the UKO last summer.

Rolling onto her opponent's chest, Beth folded Alexis in half with a loose cradle and smiled serenely as the ref ticked off, "ONE... TWO... THREE!"

The bell rang and Beth had won what was probably the toughest match of her career. Taking the ref's hand, she got to her feet and basked in her victory before limping over to her corner to retrieve the cape she had worn to the ring. Fastening the clasp around her neck, the blonde spun around on her heel, strutted over to the beaten brunette and called out, "TIME TO GIVE ALEXIS JUST WHAT SHE DESERVES!"

There was a mixed reaction to this announcement. While there was always a large group that liked to see the loser put through her post-match paces, there was another contingent that believed these antics did nothing but cheapen the battle that had just taken place. Oblivious to the fans, Beth loomed over Alexis, dropped to her knees and took possession of the brunette's wrist. Alexis, feeling she was in for some trouble groaned, "Please Beth, just leave me alone..."

But Beth just tugged her rival off the canvas and proceeded to pull her into the humiliating confines of... a friendly two-armed hug? No one was more surprised than Alexis, who really had no idea how to respond to the embrace. Things got even more surreal when Beth pulled away and said, "Good fight tonight Alexis. I hope we can do it again soon."

Absolutely flabbergasted, the brunette said, "You really are insane aren't you?"

The blonde's trademark smile returned, slyer than ever. "Insanity is relative Alexis. Like I told you earlier, I'm just keeping you on your toes. Ta..." Beth spun around and headed for the edge of the ring, cape swishing behind her.

Watching the blonde make her exit, Alexis nodded once and whispered, "All right Beth. You wanna keep playing? So do I."