Prologue:

Leaning against the door of the small locker room she shared with Sarah, Katie Holmes watched her partner finish up some last minute match preparations and said, “Ya know Sarah, if you should by some miracle happen to win the belt this evening it means the two of us might finally get an actual locker room as opposed to the locker closet that Rich has us in now.”

Tightening the laces on her boots, Sarah looked up at the brunette and chided, “What’s this WE stuff Holmes? WHEN I beat Charlize tonight, I’m gonna get a room all to myself.” She paused for a moment and then added, “God, how sad is it that room space is one of the perks I’m looking forward to?”

Katie’s tone got a little more serious as she asked, “You really think you’re going to beat her? I hate to be the harbinger of reality Gellar, but Theron’s got seven inches on you and most of that is leg. She ain’t gonna go quietly.”

Finishing with her boots, Sarah straightened up and threw a few shadow jabs. Glancing at Katie she replied, “I beat you didn’t I?”

Katie smirked openly. “Only in your head Slayer. Last time I checked, you still don’t have a singles victory over little old me. Speaking of which, even if you win this title, you know I’m gonna take it from you right? I may not hate your guts like I used to, but I would definitely derive supreme satisfaction from beating you with gold on the line.”

Sarah stopped her workout and stared levelly at her partner. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you’re capable of Katie. Just cuz the fans cheer you now doesn’t mean I wouldn’t mind kicking that smug little smile off your face. Keeping the title would only be a bonus.”

The slender brunette rolled her eyes and shot back, “Whatever helps you sleep at night Sarah.”

“I sleep very well thank you. Oh, I almost forgot? Could you deliver something for me?” The blonde turned away from Katie for a moment and rummaged around in her locker for a moment before pulling out a yellow envelope. Passing it over to Katie she said, “It’s a welcome back card for Alyson. She’s gonna be making her return at the show next week; I was going to do it myself, but I forgot and I’m afraid she’ll be gone by the time I get done with my match.”

Sighing heavily, the brunette answered, “ We used to be arch enemies and now I’m delivering your mail? What the hell happened to me?”

“It’s what you do when you’re on the side of light and order. Aren’t you the one always telling folks how you’ve reformed?”

“Yeah but when you put it like that it makes me sound so nauseatingly sweet…”

Katie was about to continue when there was a brisk knock on the door and a muffled voice said, “Two minutes to bell Sarah!”

Rocking on her heels, Sarah said, “That’s my cue.” She turned towards the door and had just opened it and was about to step into the hall when she looked over her shoulder and asked, “Aren’t you going to wish me luck?”

Katie smiled slightly. “Luck is for suckers Sarah. You’re a short, irritating, little squirt, but you’re no sucker. Now, go kick her ass.”

Absurdly touched by the brunette’s statement, Sarah responded, “And you’re a skinny psycho beanpole. But thanks anyway. And thanks for passing the card along to Alyson. I owe you one.”

As the Slayer stepped out of the door and headed towards the gorilla position, she heard Katie call back, “Just win Sarah. I’d rather take the gold from you!”

Rolling her eyes, Sarah said nothing and continued down the hall towards her impending battle with the World Champion. After giving Sarah a minute or two headstart, Katie waited until the opening chords of the Slayer’s theme start to rumble through the R’lyeh Club, then slipped out of the locker room and turned left whereas Sarah had turned right toward the gorilla position and the ring.

Quickly reaching the stairs that would take her to the other locker rooms, Katie ambled up the creaky wooden steps and looked at the card but didn’t really see it. In actuality, the brunette’s mind was far away, poring over all the minuscule details involving the appearance of the enigmatic ‘Hood’ over the last few months. A few weeks ago, Katie had let Sarah in on her suspicions regarding Rachel McAdams and her connection to the soft-spoken Richard Pickman but since then the Hood hadn’t made any more appearances and the brunette’s tailing of McAdams had come up with nothing. If the auburn haired beauty was the one tormenting Katie she had either taken a break from her work, knew that Holmes was on to her or was innocent of the whole thing. The idea that Rachel was nothing more than an innocent bystander bothered Katie, yet her instincts told her McAdams was trouble and Katie had learned not to ignore her first impressions. Reaching the top of the stairs, Katie was no closer to an answer than she had been when she’d started up.

Shaking her head slightly, she looked at the card in her hands and said, “Too bad Hallmark doesn’t make ‘so you’re having problems with a psycho’ cards. I could use one right now.”

The words were barely out of her mouth when the stillness of the hall was broken by a muted but very heavy THUD followed by the sound of someone crying out in pain. Holding her position at the far end of the hallway, Katie waited for a few seconds to see if anything else would happen. She was about to write off the noises as an auditory phantasm when it came again. Several muted THUDs and CLANGs interspersed with cries of anguish. Starting to move forward quickly, Katie’s face went from curious to concerned; She knew the action sometimes spilled outside of the ring, but thus sounded like someone on the bad end of a mugging. She had made it about halfway down the hall when there came a final, louder, CRUNCH!

At the end other end of the hall, one of the locker room doors smashed open and a figure was propelled through it, landing hard against the wall. A split second after that, another figure, this one clad in a shapeless black robe, complete with hood, stalked out of the room and loomed over the girl on the carpet. Even though the girl was still several feet away, it didn’t take Katie long to realize the pale-skinned, redhead moaning on the floor was Alyson Hannigan and that the Hood had done a serious number on her.

Forgetting all about her delivery, Katie dropped the card onto the carpet and screamed, “HEY BITCH, I’M THE ONE YOU’RE AFTER!”

The mysterious interloper looked up, saw Katie and whirled around on her heel, bolting to the stairs that led to nowhere but the unused attic of the Club. Tearing down the hall, Katie almost tripped over Alyson’s sprawled legs but she managed to regain her balance at the last possible moment. Kneeling beside the redhead, Katie was chagrined to see a nasty series of welts and bruises marring Alyson’s fair complexion.

Leaning down, Katie said urgently, “Are you OK Alyson?”

Hannigan groaned and muttered, “Lights were off in my room, she jumped me when I turned them on. She kept screaming about a message to you and Sarah.”

Snarling her fury, Katie muttered, “That bitch is mine. Stay here red; there’s no way out of the attic and I’m gonna drag her out of there and down to Fannin’s office. And if she hits every wall on the way there, well I can’t be held responsible.”

Holmes got up to leave and Alyson grabbed her by the ankle. Looking up at Katie she winced and said, “Give her one for me will ya?”

Katie nodded and answered, “I’ll give her several.”

Katie left the wounded redhead and sprinted up the rickety attic stairs two at a time. Only about fifteen seconds had passed during Katie’s brief conversation with Alyson, but it seemed that was enough time for the Hood to secret herself away in the attic of the R’lyeh Club because when Katie exploded into the dark, dusty space, there was no sign of her quarry. Casting her gaze around the room, Katie fumbled around for a light switch, hoping some better illumination would aid her search.

While she did this she called out, “I THOUGHT YOU WERE SMARTER THAN THAT HOOD! THERE’S ONLY ONE WAY OUT OF THIS PLACE AND I’M SURE AS HELL NOT LETTING YOU BY ME! SO COME ON OUT AND LET’S SETTLE THIS FACE TO FACE? WHAT’S THE MATTER? YOU SCARED ALL OF THE SUDDEN?”

A stealthy rustle came from her right and Katie whirled to find the source of the noise. There in the dim light thrown by the attic’s solitary window was the Hood, watching the brunette silently. Grinning with savage delight, Katie sprang at the faceless girl with murder on her mind. But just at the moment when Katie believed she would encounter flesh and bone she grabbed hold of nothing but fabric and wood and crashed face first to the floor with the empty garment underneath her. Realizing she had been tricked, Katie let out a moan that was part frustrated scream and pushed slowly to her feet. Kicking angrily at the empty thing under her feet, she felt something brush her head. Looking up quickly, she saw the dangling thread of a light bulb and tugged it hard, almost ripping it out of the ceiling.

Weak yellow light flooded the attic and Katie saw that she’d managed to deliver a wicked tackle to an old hat-rack that had been draped with the discarded hood. Disgusted with herself, Katie looked up and realized the window to the attic was open. Walking over, she looked out into the dark and saw that it would have been quite easy to go through the window and scramble down the window ledges to get to the ground.

Knowing the Hood had eluded her again, Katie smacked the sill with closed fists and muttered, “You can’t run forever. I told you I’d find you and I meant it. And when I find you…when I find you…” She trailed off as she thought about all the things she was going to do to her newest nemesis. Nursing the aches from her fall, Katie turned around and was in the process of reaching for the dangling light bulb when she saw the message that had been left for her. Letting her eyes play over the words, Katie’s anger went past rage in a second and was moving deep into fury territory. Taking a few steps closer to the wall, she whispered, “You fucking crazy bitch…”

Scrawled on the wall in six inch black letters, the Hood’s greeting read:

a poem for katie ~ by the hood
I AM the savioR of foxes And the sCourge of HuntErs,
I AM bLood of the MaChine god And muse to o’henry.
I AM fooD for the body And torMent for the mind.
most of all, I AM not who i Seem.
who am i?

Katie’s eyes passed back and forth over the message several times, trying to decipher its meaning. After several more seconds, something in the words began to stand out and her dark eyes narrowed to slits. Stalking towards the steps, he growled, “You made it too easy bitch. Now you belong to me.”

Heading down the stairs, she arrived just in time to see Alyson struggling to her feet. Assisting Hannigan towards her room, Katie asked, “How are you feeling?”

Alyson winced and replied, “Better. Did you find her?”

Katie shook her head. “No, but now I know who she is. And I’m going to find her before the night is over.” Settling Alyson onto a bench, Katie headed back towards the door to continue her search. Before she left, Holmes looked over her shoulder and said, “I’ll find Rich and have him get Straker up here.”

Alyson nodded and replied, “Just find the hood. You’re not the only one who wants a piece of her.”

“I’ll save you the scraps!” Katie said coldly. The words were still hanging in the air as she headed down the hall with a purposeful, angry stalk in her step. Whoever the Hood was, she better be careful. Katie was on her trail and she had evil intentions on her mind.
*****************************
Main Event: Charlize Theron vs. Sarah Michelle Gellar

Tax day had just come and gone and the good folks of the small Florida town of Darkside couldn’t be happier. As was always the case this time of year, tempers tended to flare as everyone scrambled to figure out just how much they had to fork over to Uncle Sam or at least, how little they could fork over to him without getting in trouble. Yes the middle of April always tended to be fairly rough on the denizens of Darkside and it was with a great sigh of relief that the paperwork got finished, but afterwards everyone was looking for something to take their minds off all the hard earned funds they’d had to part ways with and as you may well know, there wasn’t a whole lot to do in Darkside this time of year.

However, even though there wasn’t much to do, the few choices available to the folks living in the tiny town were quite good. In fact, for patrons of the oddly named R’lyeh Club, there was only one place to be this weekend because as luck would have it, Richard Fannin and his women’s wrestling promotion were back in town for the first time in a long while and it turned out that the young promoter had brought one hell of a main event to their preferred watering hole. Indeed on this night, the capacity crowd at the small club were going to see a World Championship match in which Champion Charlize Theron (known as ‘The Scissor Queen’ to her multitude of fans) would face a very determined challenger in the form of one Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Down in the ring, the Announcer had just stepped into the spotlight and brought the mic to his lips. Taking a deep breath he greets the crowd for the last time this evening, "Ladies and gentleman the following contest is scheduled for one fall and it is for the World Championship! Introducing first, she is the challenger; she stands five feet three inches tall. Please welcome The Slayer.... Sarah Michelle Gellar!"

'Man in the Box' roars to life and Sarah comes through the curtain. The opportunity to compete for a title hadn’t changed her fashion sense any as she is still wearing her trademark red leather one piece outfit and the high black boots that go with it. The look is completed with a pair of fingerless black gloves. The ovation for the small blonde is thunderous, but Sarah seems to pay it no heed. She stalks down the aisle like a woman on a mission, sliding under the bottom and popping to her feet before stalking to her corner. The Slayer’s determination is unmistakable; she’s been waiting a long time for this night, gone through countless opponents to get her and she’s not going to let anything or anyone stop her from leaving Darkside with the gold around her waist.

Letting the buzz for Sarah die down The Announcer begins again, “And her opponent, she is the current world champion, she stands 5 feet 10 inches tall; she is The Scissor Queen, ladies and gentleman….I give you Charlize Theron!”

‘Legs’ rolls through the club as Charlize makes her appearance. The tall blonde looks every bit the goddess as she stands at the top of the ramp, letting the audience bask in her presence. For her first ever battle with the Slayer, Charlize was clad in her trademark two-piece gold bikini that clung like a second skin. Her boots and pads were of the same golden hue and her hair hung loose on her shoulders. Reaching the edge of the ring, the statuesque blonde hopped up on the apron and bent slowly at the waist going through the middle rope and giving one lucky side of the club a glimpse of her mythic butt and muscular thighs. Removing her belt, she handed it to the ref and went to her corner.

DING! DING! DING! The bell sounded and the dull roar of the patrons inside the R’lyeh quickly built to a thundering crescendo as the Title Match officially began as Sarah rocked back and forth on her heels for a few seconds before striding forward to the center of the ring. Bouncing nervously as she waited for the champ to join her, it was obvious to all that Sarah was anxious for despite all her success in Fannin’s promotion, she’d never earned a shot at the World Title and she wanted forcibly silence the naysayers who claimed she was ‘too small’ to ever be a viable World Champion.

Still waiting patiently in her corner, Charlize gazed out at the crowd one last time before slowly sauntering out of her corner to join Sarah in the center of the squared circle. Looking every bit the champ in her gleaming gold two-piece, Theron stopped several inches from Sarah and looked the shorter blonde up and down a few times. Letting her eyes meet Sarah’s, Charlize’s face broke into a knowing, slightly predatory smile.

Putting her hands on her hips, the Amazonian blonde asked her foe, “You don’t really think you’re going to beat me, do you?”

Refusing to be intimidated despite the rather large size differential (seven inches for those of you playing along at home) the Slayer stepped forward and glared right up into Theron’s silently smirking face.

Holding her voice steady, Sarah replied, “There’s no ‘think’ in the equation Charlize. I KNOW I’m going to beat you. It won’t be easy, but I’ve girls just as tall and twice as mean as you. I hope you kissed the belt goodbye, because tonight’s the last night you’re going to wear it.” She was silent then, waiting to see how the lithe beauty would respond.

Inwardly impressed and outwardly aggravated by the challenger’s gall, Charlize shot back, “You better think again Sarah. All that David and Goliath bullshit you hyped yourself up on in the locker room might sound good in a promo, but the fact of the matter is, in the real world Goliath always wins and the Giant Slayers get crushed under foot. I don’t expect you to just lay down, that wouldn’t be any fun at all, but I fully expect you to STAY down once I put you there. And if you don’t, well you’ll get to feel all your ribs crack when I wrap my legs around your delicate little waist.”

In what was arguably the most open show of contempt Charlize had ever been shown during her tenure at the top, Sarah smiled glibly and purred, “Prove it champ.”

Theron was opening her mouth to respond when Sarah reached up and flicked the taller blonde on the point of the nose, staggering her back a half step. Recovering in a split second, Charlize couldn’t decide if she was more infuriated at the blatant disrespect of such a tactic or the fact that the move caused the audience to burst into wild cheers of support for the challenger.

Her green eyes narrowing to slits, Theron hissed, “You won’t live to regret that, bitch!” Stalking forward, Charlize shot her left hand and quickly thrust it palm first into Sarah’s surprised face. In the next instant, she shoved as hard as she could, sending Sarah sprawling head over heels with a spectacularly disrespectful pie-face that sent Sarah halfway across the ring. Watching smugly as Sarah got to her feet, Charlize put her hands back on her hips and sneered, “That was just one hand Slayer. Just wait til I until I decide to use both.”

Easily regaining her equilibrium, Sarah brushed off Theron’s taunts and cut the distance between herself and the champion. Amazed that Charlize was so arrogant to not even assume a stance as she approached, Sarah taunted, “See how you like getting put on your lanky ass…champ!”

The word ’champ’ came out as more of a snarl than anything else and it was still hanging between them when Sarah slammed both hands into Charlize’s chest meaning to return the shove of a few moments before. Much to her chagrin, even though she had hit the taller blonde at full speed, Charlize only staggered back a step or two and didn’t even come close to losing her balance.

Smirking openly at the diminutive Slayer now, Charlize cocked an eyebrow and asked, “Is that all you’ve got little girl? Because if it is, you might want to give up now before I start to get boEEERRGGHH.”

Theron’s admonition was cut off by her own grunt of pain and brisk THWAP when Sarah drove a brutally stiff kick into her right thigh. Grimacing at the lighting running up her leg, Charlize staggered back a few steps this time only to have Sarah lash out at her again and again, each short, sharp kick connecting solidly of Theron’s toned gams with an audible THWAP! The fourth kick dropped The Scissor Queen to one knee for the first time in the contest, a fact that certainly did not sit well with her. She had just brought her hands up anticipating warding off the fifth kick, one that never came.

Surprise played across her face and Theron looked up quickly only to find Sarah smiling vindictively at her. Tensing up, Sarah explained, “I wanted you to see me coming.”

As anger and indignation blossomed on the champ’s face, Sarah left her feet in a gorgeous vertical leap and tucked her knees in tight against her chest. In the split second before gravity reclaimed her, the Slayer drove both legs back out and slammed them directly into Theron’s breasts with a textbook Drop Kick. WHUMP! The simple maneuver caught Charlize off guard; Sarah’s heels struck her right in the forehead and knocked her flat on her back, dazed and looking up at the lights. But the Scissor Queen certainly wasn’t a paper champion and she wasn’t going to be undone so easily. Regaining her senses rather quickly, Theron rolled off her back and got her ands and knees under her before rising gracefully back up to her full five feet ten inches.

Glaring daggers at her newest challenger, Charlize dropped into a slight crouch and advanced on the Slayer, who by this point had assumed the Martial Arts stance she favored for her matches. Hoping the smaller girl would be foolish enough to lock up with her, Charlize wasn’t disappointed as Sarah lunged into her and engaged the champion in a tight Collar and Elbow Tie-Up.

Groping at Sarah’s shoulders, Charlize ground her forehead into Sarah’s and snarled, “Big mistake Slayer.”

Not letting the challenger get a word in, Charlize simply plowed forward and started marching the other blonde back towards the nearest corner. The valiant quiver in her hips and legs bespoke of Sarah’s attempt to keep from being out-muscled but Theron wasn’t going to be denied and within a few seconds, the Slayer felt the small of her back ram painfully into the middle turnbuckle. Breaking the clinch, Charlize grabbed the ropes on either side of her opponent and leaned in close arrogantly grinding the smooth plank of her abdomen and the modest swell of her chest against the Slayer’s squirming frame.

Looking down at Sarah, Charlize chided, “The bigger they are… the harder they can kick your ass!”

Taking a breath, she suddenly pulled back and shot forward, bringing her knee up to slam it deep into the pit of the challenger‘s stomach. Grinning smugly as she felt Sarah gasp for breath, Charlize ground forward for another second before pulling back and repeating the Knee Lifts several more times, each rib cracking blow impact driving another panicky wheeze from Sarah’s lungs. Knowing the official was soon going to start nagging for a clean break, Charlize pulled away from Sarah for a few moments, but when the smaller blonde tried to leave the corner, Theron put both hands on her chest and shoved her right back into place. Grabbing the rope to the right of Sarah in both hands, Charlize brought her left leg up and placed the sole of her boot under Sarah’s jaw.

Fully extending the toned limb, Charlize choked the shorter girl with the brutally simple maneuver, taunting, “C’mon Sarah try to kick my legs now! Looks like all you can do is kick your feet in the air you sawed off little bitch!”

Charlize was leaning forward to out even more pressure on the Slayer’s windpipe when she heard the referee start to begin his five count behind her. Sighing in exasperation, Charlize put everything she had into the blatant choke for four more seconds before languidly pulling her foot back to let Sarah drop to her knees, gagging and retching for breath. Visibly pleased at how easily she had begun to dominate the once arrogant challenger, Charlize tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ears, adjusted her skimpy gold bottoms and gave her butt an appreciative slap after doing so (there was really no point to such a display, except getting the crowd on her side, and Charlize was the absolute best in the business when it came to getting a crowd on her side.)

Returning her attention to the gasping blonde kneeling penitent at her feet, Charlize kicked dismissively at the Slayer’s head and purred, “Giving up on me already Sarah? What kind of a Slayer are you? Aren’t you at least supposed to give these people the ‘impression’ that you might be able to win? Guess you’re not gonna live up to the hype. Doesn’t bother me though, squashing an overrated poser like you is only gonna make my reign even more impressive.”

Adding a final nudging kick to punctuate her statement, Charlize then bent down and hauled Sarah to her feet with a double fistful of blonde hair. Shaking the shorter girl by her roots for a moment, Theron easily adjusted her grip so that she was holding the Slayer tightly under both arms. Looking over her shoulder to make sure the ref wasn’t in the way, Charlize muttered, “I always heard you were an excellent high-flyer. Let’s see just how high you can fly.”

Getting nothing but a groan from Sarah, Charlize took three loping steps towards the center of the ring and then simply twisted her torso hard to the right, tossing Sarah over her hip and all the way to the other side of the squared circle with a ring shaking Beal Toss. Theron’s confident grin got even wider as she watched Sarah arch her back in pain and roll onto her side the second she slammed into the mat. Seeking to further dismantle her opposition, Charlize strutted over to where Sarah was laying and grabbed her around the wrists. Pulling Sarah into the center of the ring, Charlize dropped her foe’s captive limbs and simply stood over her. Bending down, the Scissor Queen slapped Sarah’s cheeks a few times, forcing the other blonde’s eyes to open and acknowledge the reality of her tormentor.

Seeing she had the Slayer’s attention Charlize purred, “I’m not even gonna bother scissoring you out Gellar. I’m just gonna beat you to a pulp and then sit on your face. Let’s see how courageous the great ‘Slayer’ looks with her nose jammed in my ass.”

Slapping the downed blonde again when she tried to reply, Charlize took off towards the ropes at a dead run and bounced off them. Heading back towards her prey, Theron ducked low and executed a flawless Cartwheel that brought her to within inches of Sarah’s defenseless midsection.

Temporarily in a handstand right next to her foe, Charlize dropped to the mat and landed belly first across Sarah’s abs, completing her ingenious modification on the basic Splash. Resting leisurely across Sarah’s groaning form, Charlize hooked the far leg and went for the first cover of the match. The referee had just gotten past ‘ONE’ and was on his way to ‘TWO’ when the tenacious Slayer shoved the champion off of her.

Mildly irritated, but not truly surprised, Charlize scrambled behind Sarah and pulled her to a sitting position. Resting her knee against the small of the other blonde’s back, Theron reached forward and snagged one of the challenger’s wrists in each hand. Hesitating for just a moment, the Scissor Queen threatened, “What you just kicked out of there was the last free pass I’m going to offer. From now on, your suffering doesn’t stop until I want it to.”

Waiting no more, she jerked back violently on the hold, wrenching Sarah’s arms nastily with the kneeling Surfboard. Holding Sarah’s arms in that awkward V shape, Theron dug her knee deep into the smaller girl’s back and asked cruelly, “You wanna give up shorty? I must just have some pity on you if you start blubbering like the quitter you are right now?”

Humiliated and infuriated over the way Charlize had been walking all over her up to this point, Sarah shook her head ‘no’ and spat back, “You’re the one that’s going to be blubbering Charlize when this is all over. You’ll be sobbing in the locker room with all the other has-beens about how a short girl tied you in knots and took your title; not to mention made you kiss her ass in front of a whole legion of fans! Hope you’re ready to ARGGHHHH!” Sarah’s last words were cut off as Charlize yanked back on the Surfboard even harder.

Digging her nails into Sarah’s wrists, Theron snarled, “You don’t know anything about humiliation yet Sarah. When I’m done with you though, you’ll know more than you ever thought possible.”

The Golden Goddess was about to continue her diatribe when Sarah suddenly started pounding her feet on the canvas in a steady rhythm. Caught off guard for a moment, the Amazonian blonde quickly realized her foe was trying to garner crowd support and she attempted to quash this uprising with an especially vile tug on Sarah’s arms. But though her machinations brought another cry from her trapped rival, Sarah’s feet didn’t stop their staccato tattoo and very soon a large chunk of the audience was stomping in time with her. Keeping her eyes glued shut so she couldn’t be distracted; Sarah fed off the energy of the crowd and ever so slowly got one knee under her. Not pausing for an instant, she continued her upward trek and got the other knee under her. With the hardest part out of the way, she twisted her hips into Charlize and pushed up to a standing position. She wasn’t entirely free of the Surfboard (Charlize still had her by the wrists) but the champ’s knee was no longer digging into her spine and that was a major battle won.

On her feet for the first time in a few minutes, Sarah opened her eyes and glared coldly into Charlize’s angry, incredulous face. Finding her voice, Sarah spat, “That title’s coming home with… UNNNGHHH!”

The wind rushed out of her lungs as Charlize released Sarah’s wrists only to immediately boot the Slayer in the gut. Stalking forward, Charlize reached around the left side of Sarah‘s body and then wrapped her arms around Sarah‘s abdomen, completing the Waist Lock. Flexing her knees a bit, Charlize lifted up and then fell back tossing Sarah three quarters of the way across the ring with a high and hard Gutwrench Suplex.

Smiling evilly as Sarah crashed into the mat from a height of several feet up, Charlize got to her feet and said, “That title’s coming home with me? Yes I know it is. I didn’t need you to tell me. There’s not a woman in this promotion that can take it from me and you are deep within the rank and file of their multitude Sarah.” Arriving at her destination over the smaller blonde’s head, Charlize lifted her right foot and placed the sole of her boot against Sarah’s face. Pressing down lightly she smirked, “You aren’t even good enough to lick my boots.” Simultaneous with the last word she stepped down hard on the Slayer’s forehead and twisted in a tight little circle, viciously grinding the material into Sarah’s delicate features.

Holding her hands out at her shoulders like a queen basking in the adulation of her subjects, the champ reveled in her domination over the challenger for several seconds before returning her attention to the heretofore rather unchallenging form of Sarah Michelle Sarah. Grabbing the short girl by the nape of her neck, Charlize hauled her to her feet and stood back to back with her. Reaching both arms over her left shoulder, she cupped her hands across Sarah’s chin and pulled her in close.

Grinding her butt tauntingly against Sarah’s bare back, Theron said in a rather sad tone, “I’m disappointed in you Sarah, I really thought that this whole Slayer reputation thing you’d built was going to mean a good fight, but so far all you’ve proved good for is soaking up punishment. I wonder just how much more you can take?”

Receiving no answer, Charlize suddenly leaned forward, pulling Sarah off her feet and onto the champ’s back in a neck-snapping Hangman. Feeling the smaller blonde squirm on her back, Theron worked the hold like the champion she was, taking several staggering steps forward and jostling her victim up and down to increase the agony. She had been torturing Sarah with the hold for a good fifteen seconds when she asked, “Ready to find out what a human skull sounds like when it pops SarAAAARRHHHGGH!”

Her taunt devolved into an unintelligible shriek as Sarah suddenly stopped flailing helplessly and sank her teeth deep into the meat of Charlize’s right hand. Gnawing frantically, the challenger was able to wrench free of the hold after another few seconds and she landed heavily on her feet behind the shocked champion. Not hesitating for a second, Sarah whirled around on her heel and drove three scintillating Snap Kicks to Theron’s side, ‘PAK PAK PAK!’

Charlize’s face clenched in pain as a cold numbness radiated out from her side with a frightening rapidity. She was still down on one knee when the revitalized challenger came around in front of her and grabbed her by the roots of her hair. Yanking Charlize’s head so the taller blonde had to look up at her face, Sarah said acidly, “I don’t know what a human head sounds like when it pops champ, but I can tell you what one sounds like when it lands in the third row. It makes a noise kinda like this!”

Dropping Theron’s hair with a disgusted sneer, Sarah stepped back two paces and dropped into a martial arts stance. In the blink of an eye Sarah shared her knowledge of bodies in motion with Charlize, shooting out her right leg in another short arc, the buzz saw like kick clipping crisply against the lithe blonde’s temple. Charlize let out a low groan and went limp, falling forward on her face to come to rest twitching at Sarah’s feet. Grinning for the first time in the match, Sarah allowed herself a quick breather before she resumed her assault on the body of the stunned champion. Carefully lining up in front of Theron as the much taller blonde got to her hands and knees, Sarah turned around and sprinted off the ropes, using the taut cables for a much appreciated boost in momentum as she bore down on the Scissor Queen.

Waiting for the exact moment when Charlize lifted her head, Sarah left her feet in a beautiful leap and soared at her, ending the short flight by lashing out her left leg and smashing her calf directly across Theron’s nose. There was a sharp WHAP as Sarah’s toned gam snapped the champ’s head back and sent her sprawling in a moaning, confused pile on her back. After her Calf Kick connected, Sarah rolled backward on her shoulders, then nipped up and assumed her battle stance, drawing many an appreciative cheer from the audience. Pleased at the notion of getting the fans back on her side, Sarah kept her game-face on, as she knew that Charlize wasn’t even close to being finished yet.

Stalking around behind the Amazonian blonde this time, Sarah flipped a few strands of hair out of her eyes and muttered, “You can’t beat what you can’t catch Charlize. And you’re never even gonna see me coming. You’ll feel it though. I can guarantee you’ll feel it.”

A moment later, a woozy Theron rolled onto her side and roughly pushed to her feet. Looking around in front of her, Charlize got real nervous real quick when she didn’t immediately find the Slayer. Growling under her breath, the champ whirled on her heel, dropping into a crouch as she did so. On completion of her about face, the Scissor Queen located her located her challenger but she was much to late to intercept the boot Sarah fired into her belly, doubling her over with an angry, gasping wheeze.

Backing away from Theron at a rapid hike, Sarah ran the ropes again and admonished, “Don’t ever lower your head to me Theron, otherwise I’ll take it off at the shoulders!”

Less than a second after she completed her sentence, the Slayer was coming to within grasping distance of Theron’s head and she did just that, greedily clasping her hands under the taller beauty’s chin with both hands. Still moving at a great rate of speed, Sarah shot her feet out in front of her and dropped to the mat on her back in a short, tight arc. Charlize was taken along for the ride with her head in the lead and she moaned loudly when the back of her shoulders and skull slammed into the canvas thanks to the Slayer’s running application of the classic Swinging Neckbreaker. Resting on her back next to Charlize, Sarah was down and up again before the audience even had time to start cheering. Riding the wave of their applause she surveyed the situation and determined that Charlize was gonna stay down long enough for her to try something a little more impressive. Moving purposely towards the ropes, the Slayer slipped out onto the apron and turned back to face the downed champion all in one liquid motion.

Grabbing the top rope in both hands, Sarah leaned all her weight back and called out to the crowd, “She’s gonna find out that height doesn’t mean shit when she can’t pick her flat ass up off the mat!”

Right as the roar increased in its intensity, Sarah jerked forward and leapt onto the top rope; balanced precariously on the lightly thrumming cable for a split second, she launched forward in a higher and longer jump, at the apex of which she shot both legs out in front of her to prepare for her landing. Her landing came shortly thereafter and it was remarkably easy on her thanks to the fact that her right leg came down thigh first directly across the prone throat of the champion. The electric way in which Theron’s body jackknifed off the canvas was a dead giveaway that Sarah’s Springboard Leg Drop had been more than effective and Sarah didn’t waste any time in draping herself across Charlize’s chest and hooking the far leg. Leaning all her weight into the pin, Sarah counted silently in her head only to have the Scissor Queen deny her the title by a solid second.

Rising to her knees, the Slayer muttered, “Damn” as se got the rest of the way to her feet.

Refusing to give Theron anything resembling breathing room, Sarah kicked the lanky blonde onto her belly and stood over her back. Cracking her knuckles ominously, the extremely motivated challenger leaned down and grabbed a double handful of Charlize’s sweat dampened locks. Digging her nails in deep, Sarah pulled the champion to her knees and yanked her head back at an awkward angle. Glaring coldly down into Theron’s flushed face; Sarah was thrilled to see a large degree of concern in the once supremely confident woman’s eyes.

Jerking Charlize’s head from side to side, Sarah asked angrily, “You starting to sweat me now Charlize? You think this is giving everyone the impression I can kick your sorry ass?” Watching closely as the kneeling blonde started her response, Sarah cut her off by releasing one half of her grip and snaking the arm across the champion’s neck. Hold almost complete, Sarah released the other hand from Charlize’s hair and looped it under her arm, then locked her hands. With Charlize’s chin resting snugly in the crook of her armpit, Sarah snarled, “It’s been a long time since you tapped out champ. That changes tonight.”

Sarah dropped to one knee and pulled back with all her might bending Charlize’s head and torso backwards with a potentially crippling Dragon Sleeper. Keeping her hands locked tight against Theron’s side, Sarah grinned savagely as the Scissor Queen started to writhe and scream in her grasp. Trapped helpless in the agonizing submission hold, Charlize reached forward with one free hand, blindly groping for the sanctuary of the ropes. But her instinct proved correct when they told her Sarah must have applied the hold in the center of the ring and forcing a break with the ropes would be impossible. Biting her bottom lip to keep from screaming when Sarah leaned back on the hold again, Charlize cleared her mind as best she could and tried to think of a way out. Knowing that she had to act fast before the Dragon Sleeper could choke her out, the champ braced herself for the pain she knew was coming and suddenly rose to one knee in a drunken stagger.

Pleased at the surprised indignation of the challenger’s yelp, Charlize brought up her free hand and pumped it in the air a few times, rallying the legions of fans that were cheering for her to escape the torturous predicament. Feeding on the energy of the mob, she hesitated another few seconds and then pushed up again, trying to get her other foot under her. As she was rising up, she twisted violently to the right and managed to wrench her incapacitated arm free of Sarah’s grip, turning the Sleeper into a more garden variety Front Face Lock.

Back on her feet, Charlize afforded herself a small smile and then lurched forward fast, bulling Sarah backwards until she was stopped by the bouncy confinement of the ropes. Arriving at her goal, Theron shot both hands out and gripped the middle cable and, shaking them violently, demanded, “MAKE HER BREAK IT REF!”

More than a little aggravated that Charlize had been able to so emphatically power out of the Dragon, Sarah ignored the drone of the ref for a moment and cooed, “Break what? The hold or your jaw? How about I do both.”

Before Charlize could even attempt to pull away, Sarah bore down on the Face Lock and drove her barely padded knee straight up into Charlize’s jaw, not once, not twice, but three times. The final Knee Lift actually managed to knock Charlize back up to her vertical base, a position she enjoyed for a grand total of about three seconds before she collapsed on her back in moaning, discombobulated heap. Rolling her eyes at the zebra’s rambling warning, Sarah stalked towards her downed adversary and prepared to continue her attack. Relishing the image of her shadow thrown long over the battered Amazon, Sarah knelt down and grabbed Charlize’s ankles, one in each hand. Pulling the lithe limbs up and out, Sarah didn’t even bother to look into Theron’s face as she brought her right foot up an snapped a Toe Kick to the captive left leg. Stone-faced as Charlize squirmed, Sarah repeated the move again and again, alternating her kicks so Theron wouldn’t be able to use them to full effect. After the tenth kick, Sarah let Charlize’s right leg fall and gripped her left ankle in both hands.

Locking eyes with the wounded champion, Sarah said, “You may not respect me yet Charlize, but lets see what you think of me after I rip one of your legs out of socket.”

Springing into action while Charlize tries to gasp an incoherent response, Sarah tucked Charlize’s foot under her armpit and fell to the canvas. Before the champ could blink, the Slayer Scissored both legs around Charlize’ trapped gam and cinched tight. Pulling back hard, Sarah squeezed her Scissors tight, the brutally simple Leg Bar putting hideous pressure on Theron’s thigh and knee. Charlize had been in a lot of fights, but the sort of instant agony the Leg Bar sent racing up her spine was unlike anything she’d ever experienced!

Screaming in agonized fury, the trapped beauty shook her head wildly ‘NO’ when the referee asked if she wanted to submit. Refusing to let her reign as champion end like this, Theron roared hoarsely and brought her free leg into play, curling it up into her chest as best she could. Not caring about her aim, Charlize kicked out, connecting solidly with Sarah’s hip and drawing a grunt of pain from the challenger in the process. Refusing to stop kicking until she was free, Charlize kept thrashing, her foot slashing blindly at Sarah’s torso and hip until she felt the grip on her left leg ease enough to yank the limb free. Though she was still in a very vulnerable position, at this point, Theron was satisfied just to have her leg free of the diabolical vise Sarah had been subjecting it to. Curling her wounded leg up and into her torso, the champ cradled it with both arms and tried to will the pain to subside.

A few feet away, Sarah was nursing a few wounds of her own and glowering of the Scissor Queen’s ability to free herself from some of the nastiest holds in the Slayer’s arsenal. Deciding she’d stretched the champion enough (at least for now) Sarah rolled to one knee and pushed up onto her feet. Working out her next move, the Slayer stepped around behind the recovering blonde and made her way to the apron where, after slipping out of the ring, she turned to face the squared circle. Once again Sarah grabbed the top rope in both hands, leaning back in preparation of her impending leap.

She waited until Charlize was on her feet and looking around, then called, “I’M OVER HERE YA BIG BLONDE DITZ!”

Theron whirled around (favoring her left leg the Slayer noted with much satisfaction) and Sarah leapt onto the top rope for a second time, hurtling herself towards the champ at an angle perpendicular to Theron’s chest in a breathtaking Springboard Cross Body Press.

Unfortunately for the Slayer, alerting a grappler the caliber of Charlize Theron to your whereabouts is not the smartest thing to do and Charlize demonstrated as much when she held out her arms and plucked Sarah out of the air with no discernible effort. Holding the futilely struggling challenger across her chest, Charlize was silent for a moment and then panted, “Didn’t anyone tell you Sarah. All flights are grounded til I say otherwise. Now you get to crash and burn ya filthy little troll.”

Tossing Sarah up onto her shoulders into a rude Fireman’s Carry, Charlize began to spin in a quick circle, picking up speed with every revolution. The mob cheered its appreciation for the move because as dumb as it was, everyone loved the Airplane Spin. After several nauseating circles were completed, Theron began to felt her left knee start to give way so she stopped very fast and hurled Sarah off her shoulders, letting the smaller blonde CRASH face and belly first into the canvas.

Taking the time to catch her breath, Charlize gingerly put her left foot on the mat and leaned forward, testing it to find out how much weight the leg could bear. Frowning, Charlize was distressed to find that the Slayer had done a pretty good job of wrenching her knee, but she could still maneuver around without too much trouble. Running both hands through her hair, Charlize returned her attention to the challenger and almost immediately all the poise and swagger tat had made her a hugely popular wrestler flooded back into her stride. Drawing to within inches of the recovering Slayer, Charlize leaned down and helped Sarah to her feet with a cruel yank of her hair. Quickly shifting her grip from Sarah’s locks to her wrist, Charlize stepped back and twisted the limb in a tight circle, torquing Sarah’s shoulder and elbow with a painful Arm Wringer.

Keeping her hands clasped tight, Charlize bent Sarah’s wrist at a wicked angle and taunted, “You think you’re the only one in this match that can throw a kick? Short stuff, let me show you how a true champion can kick a girl’s face in.”

In the next instant, she tensed her feet and then brought her left leg slicing up to crash heel first into Sarah’s chin. Unable to defend herself, Sarah took the blow full force and crumpled limp to the mat, her arm still firmly in Charlize’s hands. Smiling triumphantly, Charlize kept one hand on Sarah’s wrist while her other tugged her battle attire back into the proper alignment. Favoring her fans with a courtly smile and wave, Theron hauled Sarah back to her feet and tossed her easily into the nearest set of turnbuckles. Strutting toward her, Charlize chested right up into the tinier girl and grabbed the ropes on either side of her.

Grinding the modest swell of her breasts on Sarah’s dazed features, Charlize purred, “I know I did this to you earlier in the match, but then it was only for fun. This time you deserve it. No one tries to break my leg and gets away with it.”

Not caring that Sarah didn’t (or couldn’t) respond, Charlize stepped back and lunged forward, bringing her healthy right knee up hard and fast into the Slayer’s sternum. Laughing haughtily as the Slayer went several shades paler, Charlize pulled back and then administered another Knee Lift, this one even more jarring than the first. After the second impact, Theron dropped any illusion of pacing or timing and simply drove a relentless fusillade of punches to Sarah’s chest and stomach, each one forcing a silent but tortured scream from her captive prey. After more than a dozen of these heartless shots connected, Charlize finally peeled away from her victim and allowed Sarah to stumble out of the corner. The tenderized blonde would have collapsed face first onto the canvas if the champ hadn’t caught her, but the landing probably would have been preferable to what Charlize had in store for her!

Pointing the punch-drunk Slayer towards the ropes, Charlize grabbed her by the wrist and whipped her forward with all her considerable strength. Waiting patiently for Sarah to return to her, Charlize held her arms out in front of her and when Sarah drew close enough she lunged forward and wrapped both arms around Sarah’s trim waist, slapping on a loose Gut Wrench. Locking her fingers, Charlize lifted Sarah high into the air before spinning her around in a dizzying 270-degree arc and dropping to one knee, slamming the pit of Sarah’s stomach down callously across the posted joint in a vomit inducing Tilt-a-Whirl Gutbuster. Pushing the weakly flopping Slayer off her knee, Charlize muscled the challenger onto her back and laid across her chest, hooking the far leg in a nonchalant cover as she did so. The rather pleased look on her face went away when Sarah was able to get a shoulder off the canvas right after the referee had passed ‘TWO’ on his count.

Glaring at the zebra with undisguised scorn, Charlize pulled free of Sarah and then scooted around so that she was sitting behind the Slayer. Grabbing another handful of hair, Charlize yanked Sarah to a sitting position and slowly extended her legs out around the challenger’s waist. Moving forward a bit, Theron made sure her crotch was resting snugly against the small of Sarah’s back. Through with the preamble, she put her lips right against Sarah’s ear and cooed, “You’re gonna be even shorter after I cut you in half Sarah. Your next title shot is gonna be for the midget belt.”

Charlize brought her legendary legs together around Sarah’s trim abdomen and squeezed, giving the challenger her first taste of Theron’s deadly Leg Scissors. The crowd came to life as Sarah started to writhe, locked in the blonde’s almost mythic grip. Sarah went to work trying to free herself, clawing frantically at Charlize‘s thighs and calves. Changing tactics, she started firing quick punches into Theron’s thighs, hoping to loosen the scissors. But Charlize merely soaked up the blows and gave Sarah another python-esque constriction. Theron placed both hands on the mat and pressed up, rocking up and down while still squeezing Sarah. Grinding her thighs against the Slayer’s waist, Charlize kept rocking the hold as she demanded, “Give up and give up now; or I start cracking ribs.”

Understanding that the champ was not making some idle threat, Sarah knew she had to escape the Scissors quickly or Charlize would be retaining her belt, no questions asked. Focusing on the one chink she had opened up in Theron’s armor, Sarah turned her attention from the champ’s thigh to her knee and started driving methodical, hard-hearted elbows into the weakened left. When Sarah started hitting her knee, Charlize let out a small but clearly audible gasp of pain. She stoically bore through the first few assaults, but it soon became clear that Sarah wasn’t going to stop until she was free and Charlize feared that the tenacious challenger might do some real damage to her before she could choke her out. Hating to give up on what would normally be a guaranteed submission, the champion settled for a final squeeze and a quick rake of her nails down Sarah’s back before releasing the Scissors. Despite the beating her legs had just taken, Charlize still got to her feet before the Slayer, but she helped the other blonde catch up with a sturdy two-fisted yank on her tights.

Standing behind Sarah, Charlize pulled the smaller girl into her and snarled, “Try to elbow your way out of this one bitch!”

Not waiting for Sarah to respond, Charlize reached around the challenger’s body with her right leg so it looped around Sarah’s side and between her legs, hooking Sarah’s right leg with the entangling limb. Then, using both hands, she pushed down on Sarah’s head and neck, bending her foe’s torso painfully across Charlize’s knee. Working the Abdominal Stretch with gusto, Charlize kept one hand pressing down on Sarah’s neck while the other engaged in a different kind of torture. Looking to humiliate the challenger, Theron tweaked Sarah’s nose and then slapped her across the face a few times.

Smirking as Sarah yelped and struggled in her grasp, the Scissor Queen wrenched down on the Abdominal Stretch again and said, “Where’s all that fancy karate and high flying shit now Sarah? Huh? Where is it? Give up now or I’ll break you in half!”

Mortified at the condescending way Charlize was talking to her, Sarah gritted her teeth and spat back, “No fucking way Charlize! I’m gonna tie your long legged ass in a knot right before I sit on your faAAAHHHHRRRHHH!”

Her threat was cut off rather sharply as Charlize used her free hand to yank down the front of Sarah’s red one-piece and secure a nasty claw-hold on Sarah’s exposed right breast. Pinching and mauling Sarah’s nipple, Charlize chucked and taunted, “Looks like all the black belts in the world couldn’t help you stop me from ripping your tits off. That’s real pathetic Slayer.”

Through toying with the injured blonde, Charlize gave the Abdominal Stretch and the impromptu Breast Claw a final yank and then released them both, letting Sarah fall to her knees in front of the champion. Looking to finish off Sarah in a big way, Charlize ambled around in front of the penitent beauty and rudely wedged her head between Charlize’s thighs. Applying a loose Standing Headscissors, Charlize wrapped her arms around the Slayer’s waist and muttered, “Seems you’ve forgotten how to fly Sarah. As an honorable champion, I believe it is my duty to help you remember how to do what you do best.”

Smiling glibly at her cruel humor, Theron tightened her grip around Sarah waist and then hoisted her off her feet and into the air, bringing the smaller girl to a stop caught in the stall position for a Powerbomb. Suddenly remembering that Sarah’s outfit had been peeled down almost to her waist, Charlize added insult to the impending injury by turning in a slow circle, making sure everyone on all four sides of the club would have a shot at seeing Sarah’s uncovered assets. Completing her revolution, the champ sneered, “Now that you’ve mastered flying, you’ve got to learn how to land properly. Hold on tight.”

Charlize rose up on her toes and tossed Sarah down as hard as she could. WHAM! Sarah hit the canvas and was nearly folded in half by the strength of Charlize’s Powerbomb. Relishing the embarrassing matchbook position Sarah had folded into upon impact, Charlize positioned herself at the smaller blonde’s head and dropped to her knees, pinning Sarah’s ankles over her head with her thighs. With free reign over the Slayer’s defenseless rump, Charlize pinched her victim’s butt HARD as the ref counted, ‘ONE… TWO…’

Somehow, Sarah managed to kick free of the unorthodox cover and Charlize, thrown off balance by the Slayer’s unexpected escape, scrambled back to her feet, her face twisted in frustrated anger. Quickly securing a handful of Sarah’s hair, Charlize yanked her to her feet and stepped around behind her, determined to make the challenger submit in the most demeaning way possible, Charlize reached around Sarah’s chest and gave each boob a callous, groping squeeze.

Mauling the soft flesh with both hands, Charlize chided, “God, they love seeing your boobs don’t they? Not every day a good wholesome loser like you gets stripped down and paraded around in front of them. Say, how about you and I give them a much better view of these non-existent tits?”

Laughing at Sarah’s humiliated groan of a reply, Charlize hooked the Slayer’s arms, pulled them back and then lifted up, jerking Sarah off the canvas and holding her aloft. The Double Chickenwing Lift put agonizing pressure on Sarah’s arms and shoulders, (not to mention put her breasts on open, lewd display for the redlining crowd) but the challenger would not give up when the ref asked for her surrender. Kicking her feet wildly, Sarah fought to escape, but Charlize held her secure and for several moments and she was forced to scream helplessly as Charlize bounced up and down, putting more pressure on her twisted arms. Finally, Sarah’s weight began to wear on the Scissor Queen, so Charlize threw Sarah down, letting the decimated blonde land hard on her stomach and chest.

Believing it was just about time to put Sarah away, Charlize stalked around to Sarah’s head and derisively nudged at the challenger’s head with the toe of her boot. Not getting much in the way of a response, Charlize snapped her briefs back into place along her hips and sat down on the canvas. Extending her legs at a rough 45-degree angle around Sarah’s head, Charlize leaned forward and grabbed hold of the Slayer’s right wrist. Pulling the limp arm towards her, Charlize made sure she positioned the arm at such an angle that the uppermost part of Sarah’s arm was resting tightly under the challenger’s chin. Closing the vise of her legs around Sarah’s neck, Theron jutted her hips forward, making sure her crotch was only inches away from the challenger’s flushed face.

Holding Sarah’s wrist, Charlize purred, “Gonna choke you out now sweetie. Enjoy the view while you can.”

She punctuated the statement by squeezing her thighs together with all her remaining strength, instantly putting diabolical pressure on Sarah’s head, neck and arm with the Triangle Choke. The smaller blonde’s eyes popped open almost immediately and wild thrashing and gurgling as she fought to escape extremely simple, extremely deadly hold quickly followed that. Cranking back on the hold, Charlize thrust her hips up, forcing Sarah’s reddening, humiliated face to be ground against her groin. Theron was having so much fun torturing Sarah with the Triangle Choke she didn’t notice Sarah had managed to get her feet under her until she began to slowly rise to her knees. Once the Slayer pushed to her feet, Charlize realized the angle was all wrong and looked up in surprise; astounded that Sarah had the wherewithal to get that far. Before the champ could pull her back down, Sarah bent her knees and sprang forward, executing a makeshift Somersault of sorts that landed her in a tight bridge with her back directly over Theron’s face. Charlize didn’t understand the point of Sarah’s little display (she was after all, still trapped in the Triangle) until she began to hear the ref count a pin. The Scissor Queen’s eyes widened in shock as she realized the sneaky bitch had put her shoulders on the mat and was attempting to pin her!

Releasing the coke as quickly as she could, Theron kicked forward as hard as she could and managed to break the pin a microsecond before the ref’s hand came down for ‘THREE!’ Rolling to her knees, Theron was enraged and a little frightened by the fact that Sarah had come so close to stealing her title. Getting to her feet, the Amazonian blonde took several steps back from the slowly recovering Slayer and measured the distance between them. Waiting until the exact moment when Sarah pushed to her feet, Charlize sprinted forward (the astute observer noted later that she was heavily favoring her left knee) meaning to take Sarah’s head off with a high impact Clothesline. Things were going pretty well for the champion until the very last minute when Sarah suddenly came to life and dropped to the canvas right in front of her! Before Theron could put on the brakes, Sarah scissored her legs out and tripped the taller blonde up with a Drop Toe Hold.

Charlize cursed loudly and tried to get her hands in front of her as she went down, but it wasn’t her face she should’ve been trying to protect - it was her throat! Her neck landed across the tightly stretched middle rope and the Scissor Queen suddenly found herself retching and gasping for air as she stayed slumped in that awkward position. Behind the incapacitated champ, Sarah was getting to her feet taking several much needed deep breaths. Still furious at the way Charlize had exposed her to the crowd, Sarah nonetheless raised her arms high over her head and shouted, “TAKE A GOOD LOOK! THIS IS THE WOMAN THAT’S GONNA KNOCK CHARLIZE THERON OFF HER THRONE!”

Ignoring the enthusiastic and slightly lecherous response of the crowd, Sarah pulled her top back into proper alignment and surveyed the scene. Much to her relief, Charlize was still hung up on the middle rope and that was just where Sarah wanted her. Lining up behind her foe on the opposite side of the ring, Sarah said quietly, “I never forgot how to fly Charlize. You’re about to learn that for yourself.” Breaking her reverie, Sarah bounced off the ropes and charged across the ring, heading for Theron. When she was less than a foot from the champion’s prone backside, Sarah left her feet and stunned the crowd by actually running up Charlize’s butt and back before executing a perfect leap that sent her sailing high into the air. As she passed over he top rope, Sarah pivoted her body in midair, turning so that she was facing parallel to the ring apron. As she began to fall, Sarah shot out her right leg and watched it come crashing down on the back of Charlize’s head. Sarah’s mind-numbingly innovative twist on the Guillotine Leg Drop forced Theron’s neck down viciously against the rope and then propelled the gagging champ up onto her feet for a moment before she collapsed gracelessly in the center of the ring.

On the outside, Sarah pulled herself up from a moderately uncomfortable landing on the thin blue mats on the floor and slowly climbed back onto the apron. With equal parts adrenaline and anger flowing through her veins, Sarah lined up with Charlize and merely waited for the taller blonde to roll onto her belly and start to get up. The moment Theron had regained her vertical base, Sarah took to the air again, landing perched on the top rope for less than a second before hurtling forward and driving both booted feet hard into Charlize’s chest with a Springboard Missile Dropkick. All the air left the champion’s lungs as she was knocked of her feet and sent sprawling by incredible force the Slayer was able to put behind her strikes. Hopping to her feet, Sarah stalked over to where Charlize was splayed across the canvas and yanked the Scissor Queen to her knees. Looking to repay a little debt from earlier, Sarah grabbed Charlize’s top by the straps and yanked it down, baring her bounty much to the delight of the crowd. Grabbing Theron by the hair again, Sarah yanked the other blonde’s head up, forcing smoldering eye contact with the dazed and embarrassed champion. Finding her voice, Sarah taunted, “They already saw the next champ’s tits. It’s only fair that you show them the last champ’s tits.”

Watching Charlize open her mouth to formulate a reply, Sarah took great pleasure in using her free hand to deliver a vile forehand slap to Charlize’s face that stopped the taller woman’s response dead in its tracks. Still standing before her foe, Sarah ran the ropes yet again and hurled herself back at the kneeling champ. At exactly the right moment, Sarah hopped up and lashed her right leg out in a fast, vicious arc that culminated in her smashing her shin into the side of Charlize’s face, thus completing the Shining Wizard. Theron’s eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped over on her side, breathing weakly as Sarah scrambled over and shoved her onto her back. Hoping that her last shot had knocked Charlize out cold, Sarah hooked both legs this time and bore down with all her strength. Seeing the cover made, the ref dropped to his knees and counted, “ONE… TWO…”

Charlize rolled a shoulder off the mat and, after slapping the mat in frustration, Sarah got to her feet and tried to decide on her next move. Looking Charlize’s battered form up and down, Sarah’s gaze came to rest on the Scissor Queen’s injured right knee and a plan came to mind. She began by grabbing a handful of hair and tights which she used to haul Charlize to her feet. Standing in front of the tall blonde, Sarah bent and grabbed Charlize’s left ankle with both hands, then lifted, forcing the champ to hop on one foot as the supple limb was stretched out fully extended.

“Give up Charlize or I’ll break your leg!” Sarah demanded.

Trying futilely to tug free of the challenger’s grip, Theron took a shuddery breath and answered, “You don’t have it in you!”

Sarah’s dark eyes got very hard as she snarled, “Wrong answer.” Sarah twisted violently to one side as she fell to the mat, wrenching Charlize’s leg viciously with a Dragon Screw Leg Whip. The champ howled and grabbed at her knee as she hit the mat, but if she thought Sarah was done with her after one, she was in for a nasty surprise. Because Sarah maintained her grip on the blonde’s ankle and she forced her way back up, bringing a hopping and mewling Charlize Theron along with her. Sarah had been on her feet for less than five seconds when she administered another Dragon Screw, this one even quicker and more violent than the last. Charlize’s cry of pain was even louder when she hit the mat a second time; she clutched and clawed at her injured knee, trying to pry it free of Sarah’s machinations, but the challenger was not to be denied and she pulled Charlize up for a third and final time to administer one more leg shredding Dragon Screw.

Still holding her grip on Charlize’s ankle, Sarah took a deep breath and got to her feet, allowing Charlize the small mercy of staying on the mat. Tucking her prey’s ankle snugly under her armpit, Sarah wrapped her arms around Charlize’s thigh and lifted up before turning her over and sitting down, applying a Single Leg Boston Crab. The Slayer had been holding this position for less than five seconds when she let Charlize’s leg fall from her hands. In the same move, she shifted her position so that she was laying on the blonde’s back facing her head, while at the same time scissoring her legs together, keeping Charlize’s injured left leg bent and trapped between her thighs. To complete her hold she looped her left arm under Theron’s chin and locked her hands together.

Once the STF was locked in place, Sarah pulled back as far as gravity would allow, now putting pressure not only on Charlize’s knee and back, but her neck as well. Feeling the champion squirm helplessly in the STF, Sarah spoke softly to the captured blonde, “Told you I was gonna tie you in knots Charlize. And this is only the beginning. If you don’t submit right now, I’ll wear you out with this and then slap the Sharpshooter on ya when you can’t defend yourself. You had a long reign at the top, but your time is over. Give up now or I’ll make sure you’ll have to kiss my ass before you leave this ring.”

Being tortured both mentally and physically by the Slayer, Charlize’s mind would not even comprehend the thought of submitting, let alone the thought of having her face ridden by a girl seven inches shorter than she was. Reaching her hands out in front of her, Theron clawed the mat desperately and croaked, “FUCK…YOU… BITCH!” Shelving any and all thoughts not involving her escape from the STF, Theron poured all her reserves into dragging her way across the mat towards the sanctuary of the ropes. The going was painful and much slower than she would have liked, but after several seconds, the cables were in sight and se reached for them the way a drowning person seeks a lifeline. Her grasping fingers had just brushed the bottom rope when Sarah released the hold and got to her feet.

Grabbing Theron by the ankles, Sarah dragged the protesting champ back towards the wasteland that was the center of the ring. Letting Charlize’s legs fall to the mat, Sarah scrambled around to the bigger blonde’s head and yanked her up with a double handful of hair. With Charlize still woozy from the STF, Sarah had little trouble in doubling Theron over with several hard Knee Lifts to the abdomen. Making sure Charlize didn’t lose her balance, Sarah held Charlize in that position and then slapped on a forcefully grinding Front Face Lock. Holding on for dear life as Theron tried to wrench free, Sarah tightened her grip even more and then rose up on her toes before falling backwards as hard as she possibly could. The champ was jerked violently off her feet and the top of her skull was spiked brutally into the mat, the force of the Slayer’s Snap DDT, actually leaving her in a rather elegant looking headstand for a second before she collapsed limp to the canvas. Hoping the brain-rattling maneuver had dimmed Charlize’s lights for good, Sarah rolled the Scissor Queen onto her back and went for the cover yet again. The crowd counted along with the referee but both were interrupted a moment before ‘THREE’ when Charlize got her shoulder off the mat. Glancing angrily at the zebra, Sarah quickly refocused on the champion and hauled her to her knees.

Assuming her traditional stance in front of Theron, Sarah’s eyes went cold and flat as she said, “That title is mine Charlize. Even if I have to tear you apart to earn the right to wear it, so help me god, that’s what I’ll do.”

Sarah unleashed a lightning fast barrage of kicks, each one finding their target, the blows slamming into everything Charlize couldn’t guard. Face, shoulder, chest, gut, knees, nothing was safe as the Slayer just banged away at her taller rival. Seeing Charlize’s defenses melt away, Sarah tensed herself and fired one more shot, a stiff Round House that smashed against Charlize’s ear. The Amazon only offered a groan and fell back, looking up at the hot lights above. Reaching the brink of exhaustion, the Slayer didn’t go for the cover right away, she wanted to make sure there was no way for Charlize to kick out of her next pin attempt so she stumbled back around to the champ’s head and yanked her to her feet once more.

Dropping into a deep crouch, Sarah caught her breath for a moment and then executed a gorgeous vertical leap. As her reached the apex of her momentum, Sarah scissored her legs open and wrapped them around Theron’s head. Instantly the red clad girl snapped her thighs shut and fell back, preparing to complete the Hurricanrana by rolling Charlize up for the win. But as she fell back, something went wrong and instead of taking the champ off her feet, Sarah found herself dangling upside-down; her hands brushing the canvas, as Charlize held her legs in a death grip.

Theron’s green eyes glowed with malicious intent as she held her foe aloft. Shifting her grip, she snaked both arms around Sarah’s left leg before taking a step forward and sitting down, turning the awkward looking predicament into a sadistic Single Leg Boston Crab. Bouncing viciously on Sarah’s wildly thrashing lower back, Charlize leaned waaaaayyy back, trying her damnedest to rip the captured leg off of her challenger’s body. Listening to Sarah scream, Theron lifted up and then brought her butt crashing down several times, each impact bringing the Slayer closer and closer to submission. After keeping her in the hold for a good twenty seconds, Charlize finally tossed Sarah’s leg down and slowly got to her feet.

Taking a moment to pull her top back into the correct position, Theron placed one booted heel on the back of Sarah’s neck and snarled, “You’re not good enough to take the belt from me Sarah. You put up a hell of a fight, I’ll give you that, but now it’s time for you to go on the scrap heap with all the other wannabes that thought they could take me.”

Relinquishing her perch, the champion bent down and slowly lifted Sarah to her feet. Standing behind the spaghetti legged challenger, Charlize bent her painfully backwards, forcing the Slayer’s head into the crook of her armpit, the perfect position for a Dragon Sleeper of her won. But instead of repaying her own torment from earlier in the match, Charlize used her free hand to grab a hold of Sarah’s bottom before pulling the diminutive blonde up and lifting her off her feet, holding Sarah extended over her head.

Then letting gravity do its thing, Charlize simply fell back to complete the Inverted Vertical Suplex. Sarah was driven into the mat, her already tenderized chest and ribs taking the brunt of the landing. Gagging and close to nausea, the challenger was completely at her opponent’s mercy as Charlize slowly rose to her knees and then to her feet. Very much enjoying the boneless way Sarah was curled up on the mat, Charlize helped the smaller girl to her feet and faced her toward the ropes.

Grabbing hold of Sarah’s wrists, Charlize tightened her claw-like grip and taunted, “You’ve shown a lot of spine tonight Sarah. Too bad I’m about to drive it right through the canvas.”

She whipped Sarah into the ropes and waited wearily for the Slayer to come back within range. When Sarah was only a few feet away, Charlize dropped into a crouch and lunged forward, wrapping both arms tightly around Sarah’s hips and locking her hands together just under the Slayer’s butt. In the same motion, Theron rose up onto her toes and drove herself forward and down, slamming the full length of Sarah’s back, head and shoulders into the canvas with a Spinebuster that shook the ring. Laying loosely across her spread-eagled victim, Charlize hooked both legs and leaned forward, applying the tightest Matchbook Pin she could muster. Truly believing the match was over, the ref dropped to make his count and was thoroughly shocked (along with everyone else in attendance) when Sarah was able to roll off her shoulders and break the count at the very last possible second.

Sitting on her knees, Charlize could not believe that this five foot nothing pipsqueak was still able to keep kicking out of her offense. Brushing hair out of her face, Theron sidled up alongside the semi-coherent Slayer and shoved her onto her side. Grabbing Sarah by the hair, Charlize lifted her head just high enough off the mat to slip a leg underneath her. Dropping the small blonde’s head down onto the sweating curve of her thigh, Charlize laid her other leg across the Slayer’s neck and slowly crossed her ankles. Resting her palms tiredly on the mat, the Scissor Queen began to apply her signature maneuver, using nothing more than a simple Headscissors to squeeze the Slayer into unconsciousness.

Putting unbearable pressure on the other blonde’s head and neck, Charlize rocked up and down while hissing, “Tap out Sarah! Tap out or I’ll pop your head right off your shoulders!” Getting nothing more than an erratic twitch from the challenger, Charlize glared sternly at the ref and demanded, “Check her!”

The official did as he was told, kneeling beside Sarah and taking her left wrist in his hand. Raising it up high, he held it for a moment and then let go. It fell limply to the mat. Nodding, the ref grabbed Sarah’s wrist and lifted it for a second time. When he dropped it the result was the same. Duty bound to try a final time, he grabbed Sarah’s wrist once more and lifted it up When he let go, the arm started to drop, but before it could hit the mat, it jerked back up into the air, holding steadily in place, a bold yet silent contradiction to Charlize’s assertion that the Slayer was beaten.

Sneering with disdain at Sarah’s wavering arm, Charlize put another squeeze into the Headscissors and said, “That was your last gasp bitch. Now I break your scrawny little neck.”

Before Charlize could accomplish her goal, Sarah twisted in her grip, managing to get her hands and feet flat on the mat, despite having Theron’s scissors wrapped around her skull. Tensing noticeably, Sarah bent her arms and then bucked with everything she had, popping her head free from Charlize’s debilitating hold. Landing on her feet in front of the sitting and quite incredulous champ, Sarah took a single breath before chiding, “That might have been my last gasp bitch, but it was all I needed.”

Before Charlize could get her hands up, Sarah dropped down and slammed both feet forward, driving the heels of her boots into Theron’s forehead with a scintillating Low Dropkick. BANG! There was a sound like a gun going off and the champ was knocked flat on her back, lying dazed and hurting right next to her decimated challenger. After the referee passed ‘EIGHT’ on the ten count, both Slayer and Scissor Queen started to show signs of life, rolling first to their sides and then to their knees. In the next moment, both ladies let out low groans and worked their way to a vertical base.

Regarding her rival with cautious, hateful eyes, Sarah and Charlize circled one another for a few seconds before lunging in for the final lock-up of the contest. As their fingers were brushing, Charlize pulled back and fired her knee up, catching the unassuming Slayer right in the crotch. Sarah let out a scream and went limp; she would have fallen flat on her face if Charlize hadn’t wrapped her up in another standing Headscissors. Holding Sarah in place for her finisher, Charlize shot her arms out to the side in a rather emphatic ‘that’s it!’ as she called out, “Time for Sarah to experience the Golden Bough!”

Collecting her strength, Charlize hoisted Sarah off her feet, bringing the small blonde over her shoulder into the position for a Canadian Backbreaker. But everyone knew that Theron’s finish was no mere Backbreaker. Working quickly Charlize muscled her foe around so that the back of Sarah’s neck was resting against the back of Charlize’s skull. Then she shifted her grip, lacing first one hand and then the other under Sarah’s chin. Holding the Slayer aloft and helpless, all Charlize had to do to win the match was sit out, unfortunately for her this process got much more complicated when Sarah shot both hands up and raked her viciously across the face.

Blinded by the desperation counter, Charlize cried out in pain and dropped the challenger so she could tend to her scored features. This proved to be a serious mistake because the second Sarah’s feet hit the canvas; she backed up a half step and shot her right leg up and out, cracking the sole of her boot against the base of Theron’s skull with a wicked Super Kick. Still blinded, Charlize let out a low cry and dropped to one knee, trying in vain to tend to the differing pains in the front and back of her skull. Huffing and puffing behind the stunned champion, Sarah was shocked and appalled when Charlize began to get to her feet again.

Slipping back into her stance again, Sarah growled, “No you don’t!” and fired off another Super Kick, this one going low and snapping into the back of Theron’s tortured left knee. The Scissor Queen’s limb folded beneath her as she dropped to one knee, sobbing quietly as she tried to massage the agony out of her abused joint. Understanding that her chances of winning this match were decreasing by the second, Sarah limped around in front of the hobbled champion and took several steps back. Not caring in the least if Charlize saw what was coming, Sarah sprinted forward, eating up the distance between them very rapidly Charlize had just started to raise her head when Sarah left her feet and lashed her left foot out, catching the champ across the side of the face with a wicked Running Enziguiri. WHACK! There was loud snapping retort as the bridge of Sarah’s foot slapped Charlize’s face and the statuesque blonde was immediately knocked for a loop, her lithe legs coming unhinged as she was knocked flat on her back once again.

Recovering from the Enziguiri, Sarah got to her feet and limped over to the smoldering wreckage of Charlize Theron. Bending down very slowly, Sarah grabbed one of the champion’s ankles in each hand and pulled them up. Holding Charlize’s legs in a rude V shape, Sarah drew air into her lungs and roared, “IT’S OVER!” Proclamation stated, she stepped through with her right leg, planting it firmly on the mat next to Charlize’s left hip. Then she crossed the captive limbs over her right leg and pulled her grip tight. Almost done now, she turned Charlize over onto her stomach and sat down, locking in her finisher of choice, the Sharpshooter. Charlize flailed wildly as the Sharpshooter destroyed her legs and back, but the lithe blonde wouldn’t give in just yet. Getting her hands under her, she pulled desperately towards the ropes and was within inches of reaching them when Sarah rose up and marcher her back towards the center of the ring. Settling back down onto Charlize’s stretched out back, Sarah pulled back as far as she could go, nearly bending her victim in half. Flipping hair from her eyes, the Slayer drove her butt down into the small of Theron’s back one more time and screamed, “GIVE UP! GIVE UP OR YOU’LL NEVER WALK AGAIN!”

With her back and knee in shambles and her face being forced against the mat, Charlize choked back a sob and made one final attempt to reach the ropes. Still several feet away from freedom, she let her hand hang in the air for a moment before she started slapping the mat to signal her submission.

Sarah heard the tap and she heard the bell start to ring, but she wasn’t going to be satisfied until she got one more thing from the former champion. Leaning back even further on the Sharpshooter she demanded, “SAY IT! TELL THEM ALL WHO BEAT YOU!”

Unable to keep the tears from running down her face, Charlize sobbed, “I QUIT! SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR MADE ME QUIT!”

Hearing that, the Slayer tossed down Charlize’s legs and released the hold. Resting on her knees, Sarah’s eyes filled with tears as she heard the Announcer proclaim, “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOUR WINNER BY SUBMISSION… AND NEEEEEEWWWW WORLD CHAMPION, SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR!”

The roof came off the R’lyeh Club as Man in the Box roared to life and the Slayer was handed the title belt. Holding her newly won gold high; Sarah posed on all four turnbuckles, holding the belt high overhead as the capacity crowd cheered the new champ. After nearly two minutes of celebrating, Sarah climbed down from the buckles and strutted over to where Charlize Theron lay stretched out dazed on the mat. Tossing the belt down beside her, Sarah nudged the taller blonde over onto her back and straddled her waist. Standing tall over her beaten opponent, Sarah grinned knowingly as she reached down and pulled the red leather of her outfit tightly against her groin, especially savoring the tiny snap the briefs made against her hips when she pulled her hands free. Properly situated, Sarah dropped to her knees and scooted forward several inches before settling back down, making sure her womanhood was resting tightly on Charlize's mouth. Looking down at the flushed expanse of her opponent's forehead, Sarah lightly slapped Charlize’s cheeks and then tweaked the blonde’s nose rudely. The sudden lack of air coupled with Sarah’s taunting brought the beaten Amazon back around and her eyes fluttered open weakly, only to bulge in horror when she realized Sarah was astride her face.

Theron began to thrash frantically in a last ditch attempt to save herself from the impending indignity but Sarah held her place stoically, letting Charlize tire out before she bothered to say, "I took your title Charlize. Now I‘m gonna make you my throne."

Charlize tried to protest, but her cries for mercy were cut off as Sarah grabbed a double handful of hair and yanked brutally upwards, forcing the blonde's face into her steaming center. Mashing Charlize's face energetically, Sarah added to the Scissor Queen’s humiliation by grinding her hips forward in a slow, sultry lap dance. Listening to Charlize sob in shame and rage only motivated Sarah further and she increased the pace of her ride, totally absorbed in the wicked pleasure of feeling her former tormentor’s nose and mouth forced against her groin. Knowing the end was near; Sarah kicked the face ride into overdrive. She was mere moments away from her first ‘coronation’ as World Champ when the crowd’s roar increased exponentially.

Sarah realized something was wrong and her eyes flew open, trying to spot the trouble. At first she saw nothing and thought that she was just being paranoid but then she saw the shadow that was looming over her. Breaking her perch on Charlize’s face, she scrambled forward and looked over her shoulder. Silhouetted plainly against the glare of the overhead lights, a street clothes wearing Selma Blair said, “Congratulations Champ!”

Sarah’s eyes went wide and she tried to get to her feet but Selma intercepted her with a heinous kick to the crotch that doubled her over instantly. Stepping forward, the slender brunette trapped Sarah in a Standing Headscissors and wrapped her arms around her waist. Not bothering with a taunt, Selma bent her knees slightly and then executed a tight front flip that culminated in her spiking the top of Sarah’s head into the mat with the flipping Piledriver known as The Blair Raid. The force of the ingenious maneuver actually brought Sarah up onto her feet for a second before she collapsed face first onto the canvas in an unconscious heap.

Still sitting on the mat, Selma got to her feet and looked back and forth between the wreckage of current and former champion. Grabbing the belt off the mat, Selma looked at it for a long moment and then took a step towards Sarah. Kicking the Slayer onto her back, Blair looked down into Sarah’s face and said, “It would be rather sad if you got your face ridden after such a valiant effort Sarah, so I guess I’ll save that for another evening. But there’s no reason I can’t end this evening with a gesture that’s equally dominating.”

She placed the sole of one boot against Sarah’ throat and pressed down very slightly, letting everyone in attendance see that the new champion was completely at her mercy. Raising the belt over her head, Selma glared out into the audience and then dropped the title across Sarah’s slowly rising chest. Taking a quiet breath, Selma whispered, “Keep the title safe Slayer. I don’t want to take it from anyone but you.” Message delivered, she slipped out of the ring and headed slowly up the ramp, leaving both Sarah and Charlize decimated and unconscious in her wake.

******

Epilogue

Over the course of the last half hour, Katie Holmes had stalked through every inch of the R’lyeh Club looking for her elusive quarry with no results. At some point during the course of her search it occurred to her that she was missing Sarah’s title fight, but she kept one ear tuned to the various lulls and roars in the crowd noise and could visualize what was going on in the ring at any given time without too much difficulty. As she continued her methodical stalking of the Hood, the slender brunette heard an especially massive roar go up from the crowd followed immediately by the clanging of the bell. Stopping, she cocked her head to the side and waited with bated breath. In the next few seconds, ‘Man In The Box’ rumbled through the club speakers and Holmes knew her partner had been successful. Allowing herself a small smile, Katie muttered, “Bravo Slayer, I knew you’d do it.” Shaking off her reverie, Holmes passed through the Club’s lobby and made a sharp left towards the offices that Richard Fannin and the rest of the promotion’s staff used when they were in town.

Moving quickly by the boss’s door, Katie thought about sticking her head in and letting him know about the ominous ‘poem’ that had been left for her up in the attic. She had put one hand against the door and was reaching for the knob when she hesitated. Letting her hand hang in midair, Katie weighed the consequences of letting the boss in on what she knew, ‘He’s already stressed thanks to the attack on Alyson. If I go in there and tell him what I told Sarah, not to mention about the little surprise on the third floor, he’d probably have a meltdown. I’ll wait til I have some more solid evidence to present before I tell anyone else about…’ The brunette’s train of thoughts suddenly jumped the track as a door about halfway down the hall opened up and two figures walked out. Katie’s breath caught in her throat when she realized the first was the sneaking rat-bastard artist Pickman. Finding and confronting the painter all by himself would have made it a good day for Katie, but things got a whole lot better when her gaze fell on the young woman walking out behind him. The girl was pale, with dark blue eyes and a thick mane of auburn hair that gleamed brightly even in the ordinary overhead lighting of the hallway. Katie’s hand pulled away from the knob and clenched into a tight fist. Feeling the pain of her nails digging into her palms, Katie uttered a whisper that was more sibilant hiss than anything else. “McAdams…”

Seeing the pair start to walk down the hall away from her, Katie snarled, “Found you.” Loping down the hall in quick, knifing strides, Katie drew within less than a foot of Pickman and McAdams when she called out, “Loved you poem Rachel.”

The auburn-haired beauty stopped in mid stride and turned to see who it was that had spoken to her. Seeing the brunette, Rachel’s face twisted in mild surprise and she said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about KatEEERRGGGHHHH!”

The taller girl cut off Rachel’s denial by stepping in and driving her fist deep into McAdams belly with a vicious right hand. Watching the smaller girl double up in pain, Katie dug her fist in a little further and smiled coldly. After chasing shadows for the last several weeks it was a very visceral pleasure to get her hands on a flesh and blood opponent. Resetting her stance as she stepped back from Rachel, Katie buried one hand in the winded girl’s auburn locks and yanked her back up to her full height. Going nose to nose with her quarry Katie asked, “What’s the matter? Not so tough without you’re spooky little costume? You’re pathetic.” She lifted McAdams up on her toes with an uppercut that sent her backpedaling in a woozy stagger towards the far wall.

Almost lost in the frenzy of her attack, Katie was in the process of stepping forward when a calm voice to her left interrupted, “Do you always make it a habit to assault innocent bystanders Miz. Holmes? I thought you’d outgrown your more feral qualities.”

Swiveling her head around to glare into the inscrutable face of Richard Pickman, Katie sneered defiantly at the artist and fired back, “You have a lot of gall calling her innocent after the shit she’s done to Alyson and the others. What’s wrong Dick? Your whore can’t win a fight without working your rinky-dink light show bullshHHHAAAHH!”

This time it was Katie’s turn to get cut off as Rachel shook off her initial shock and lunged forward, burying a series of hooks into Holmes’ exposed abdomen. Adding a knee lift to Katie’s misery, Rachel grabbed her attacker by the hair and whipped her hard into the wall, sending Katie into the plaster with a resounding THWUMP! Watching the brunette sag to her knees, Rachel took a ragged breath and spat, “If you’re gonna jump me from behind, you better be ready to make sure I stay down. You got that, you crazy bitch?”

Getting to her feet, Katie wiped a little rill of blood off her lip and said softly, “Loud and clear.”

The words were barely out of her mouth when she was on Rachel again, banging and smashing away with cudgel-like shots to the redhead’s chin and body. For her part Rachel stood her ground and returned the lankier girl’s punches shot for shot, taking special care to focus her attack on the brunette’s long torso. This callous, hard hearted barroom brawling went on for the better part of a minute; both girls circling warily as they soaked up the most vile, unremittingly nasty punches the other could throw at her. After a wickedly meaty left hook to the kidney dropped Rachel to one knee, Pickman decided enough was enough and headed back the way he and Rachel had come. Passing the door they had come out of, he knocked briskly on Fannin’s door and stepped halfway in.

Entering, Fannin and records guru Archer looked away from the large screen television where an uncomprehending Sarah Michelle Gellar was about to get laid out by the advancing Selma Blair. With the sounds of Katie and Rachel’s brawl still echoing behind him, Pickman got the first word in when he said, “Sorry for the interruption gentlemen, but if you know where Mr. Stark is currently located, there’s a situation down the hall requires a man of his particular talent.”

Getting up from the easy chair he’d been sitting in, Richard walked towards the painter and said, “George is on vacation this week Rich, what’s going on?”

Stepping back into the hall, Pickman pointed down the hall towards the brawling girls and explained, “Katie; she just came up behind McAdams and me and started swinging. She’s babbling nonsense about riddles and revenge or something like that.”

Spying the tumbling, snarling mass of female fisticuffs taking place at the far end of the hall, Fannin’s eyes went wide with surprise and dismay. Quickly stepping out into the hall, he called over his shoulder, “Gimme a hand Arch, I’m gonna need some back-up on this one.”

Following on the promoter’s heels, the archivist said, “Where’s the fire? Oh… this isn’t going to be fun.”

Speaking no more, the two office guys and the freelance artist ran down the hall, rapidly cutting the distance between them and the warring women. Getting very close now, Fannin looked to Archer and said quietly, “I’ll get Rachel, you get Katie. Just pry em apart and for god sakes let’s try to keep them that way.”

Archer only nodded and in the next instant they split off in two different directions; Fannin going left to wrap McAdams a jury rigged bear hug around McAdams waist and yank her back, drawing an angry cry of protest for the redhead. Furious at seeing Rachel yanked away from her, Katie started forward only to get caught by Archer and hauled in the opposite direction. Doing as best he could to avoid a clouting from Rachel, Fannin glared at Pickman and shouted, “Hold her back!”

The painter nodded and came forward, grabbing Rachel by the shoulders. Feeling the redhead relax considerably, Rich let go of her and whirled around to face Katie. Getting right up in the brunette’s strained face, demanded, “CALM THE FUCK DOWN KATIE! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, ATTACKING HER LIKE THAT?”

Suddenly deflating in Archer’s grasp, Katie wrenched free and took several deep breaths. Not letting her gaze leave Rachel’s for a second, Katie pointed at the redhead and said, “You wanted the Hood Rich? Well, there she is!”

Surprise blossomed on Fannin’s face and he looked over his shoulder at McAdams. Seeing the question in the promoter’s eyes, Rachel shook her head violently and replied, “She’s crazy! I haven’t done anything and she nailed me from behind!” Looking away from Fannin, she glared murder at Katie and continued, “But that’s the last time you’re ever going to lay a hand on me Holmes. Nobody blindsides me like that and gets away with it. You’re not gonna have to worry about the Hood kicking your ass because I’m gonna tear you to fucking pieces!“

Shoving aside Fannin and Archer, Katie went nose to nose with the redhead and whispered, “You can’t fucking lie to me Rachel. I know all about the shit he’s putting in your head and I know you think you’re invincible but it won’t save you from me. You and that pulp hack over there have shown your hand too soon and when there’s a little more evidence, I’m gonna end your career and use that fucking hood for your funeral shroud.”

Infuriated by the brunette’s threats, Rachel wanted to tear into her newest adversary again but she knew that Fannin, Pickman and Archer would stop her before she got too far, And besides, she was the innocent one here. No reason to lend any credence to Katie’s accusations. Not letting her eyes drop, Rachel sneered, “I’m not the Hood. But the first chance I get, I’ll make you suffer worse than she ever could.” Wanting to get the last word in, she stepped back and stalked down the hall. When she was almost out of earshot, she called, “I want her soon Richard Fannin! Don’t make me go looking for her or she won’t ever headline for you again!”

Sighing at the redhead’s demand, Fannin looked to Pickman and said, “Thanks for the help Richard, I owe you one.”

Nodding gravely, Pickman glanced between Fannin, Archer and Katie before replying. “Think nothing of it. I think that’s enough action for one night though. I’ll see you all next time.”
As he turned to leave, Katie called after him, “Why’d you come back? Didn’t you cause enough trouble the last time?”

Pickman regarded her calmly before answering, “You need rest Holmes; you don’t look well.” Then he was in motion again, heading off in the same direction Rachel had taken.

Sighing heavily, Archer looked quizzically at Katie. “You really think she’s the Hood, Katie?”

Gingerly touching at the shiner that was developing under her left eye, Katie grimaced and replied, “I KNOW she’s the Hood. And I’ve got a plan that will help me prove it, but I’ll need help from the front office.” She glared at Fannin and then added, “That is, if you’re not going to jail me for assault.”

Shaking his head ‘no’ Fannin muttered, “I won’t but if you ever do anything like that again I’ll suspend you for a month. I won’t have my talent beating the shit out of each other backstage like this.” Gesturing the other two towards the still open door of his office, the promoter let them file past as she said, “C’mon I want to be sitting down for this. Something tells me it’s going to be one of those kinda nights.”

He followed them into the office and closed the door behind him. Shortly thereafter, Katie told her story for the second time, and when she finished, a plan for catching the Hood in the act had been formulated. Whether it would work or not remained to be seen!