Nerd Paladin, Level Up! | File 010: Nightmare

D e a n | M a t t h e w s

R o s a l y n | F e r n a n d e s

Nerd Paladin, Level Up!

File 010: Nightmare | 悪夢

In the dark of the night, Jessica painstakingly shot up from the bed and finally broke free of yet another nightmare’s clutches. She was, however, covered in a cold sweat and her body was trembling. Her knuckles were white from how tightly she gripped the Avengers-themed blanket and her heart was racing and pounding against her chest.

This nightmare was different from all the others. It was nothing like the recurring nightmares. It was worse. Much worse… The jolt was enough to shake the bed and cause a twinge of pain to shoot up Dean’s side. The pain didn’t show on his face but it was enough to shove him to the edges of consciousness. It was then that he realized she was sitting up and his eyes fluttered open.

“....Baby?”

He whispered and pulled himself up with a groan to sit with his back to the headboard. A hand ran through his hair to brush it from his face before reaching out and laying it reassuringly on her slender shoulder.

“...Sweetheart?”

“?”

She flinched from the touch at first, but as she turned her body to look at him, she tried her best to calm down. Unfortunately, she was still visibly trembling. He could feel her unease and the cold sweat on her shoulder. It was all over her body. When he saw her trembling and felt the cold sweat, a genuine sigh left him and he leaned forward looking over at her.

“Shields or Rivers?”

“...both of them…”

This was new. It was the first time she’s had a nightmare with both Matthew Shields and Michael Rivers. She’s clearly shaken up, lowering her head despite the slight affliction, and she pressed her lips together.

“I don’t understand… I was able to sleep peacefully for the last few nights, and then all of a sudden… oh Gott, why?”

Her hands only tightened their grip on the blanket. Seeing she was in the mode of this where she froze in place, he sighed softly and slid his arm around her shoulders to the outside shoulder and pulled softly. He pulled her across the short distance between them until she was pressed into his left side and lowered his head to touch his forehead to the side of her own.

“You are getting close to the Dissension in Dublin and it’s bound to have flashbacks from what he did. With me beginning to work out, you know I am inching closer to my own return… and you know that means I re-enter the war with the Children. You are bound to have bad dreams, my love.”

She nodded a little and draped her arms around him to gently hug him. She was careful not to draw ire to his right side or his ribs, finally able to take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“...I hate war… My war with Matthew and the Destroyers. Your war with Michael and the Children of Nephilim. I want our wars to come to an end. They’re beginning to overwhelm me. I want our family and friends to be safe. I want us to be able to find real peace in our sanctuary.”

“Jessica...”

There was very little he could say to what she had said. The wars weren’t something that were just gonna go away, but he knew on the other side of that coin how much she wished they would. Hell, how much he wished they would.

“..No one can touch us here, baby. Not Shields. Not Rivers. Not even the negativity of the outside world can touch us here.”

To prove his point he gently turned her face to look at him and pressed his lips to her own in a soft loving kiss. When it was finished he smiled and locked eyes with her.

“Tell me about it. It will help.”

Even though his kiss was very loving, there was still some hesitation on her part. Jessica looked into his eyes, and for a moment, she could see a bloodshot flash within them. Just like in the nightmare.

The tears of blood that ran down his face…

She reached up with a hand to delicately touch his face. There were no tears, just the warmth of his cheek. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. As much as she didn’t want to share the nightmare and reflect on it, she knew she had to.

“...okay. Let me… let me take a quick shower first, okay? You can... join me if you want.”

There was no way that was gonna go over his head. Not even a little bit. When the words left her lips his eyes shot to her and a little grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. It was like a little kid looking at his Christmas presents.

“A shower, huh? That could help work out some of this stuff you have going on and the hot water would relax you.”

Though he only said the nice, romantic stuff there was a shimmer in his eyes as he ran his fingers through her hair.

“...If you want.”

“Please, mein Liebe.”

She kissed him softly and sincerely. She needed a shower to relax, wash away the cold sweat and freshen up. However, she wasn’t going to deny the opportunity to gently and intimately improve their profound bond. Carefully getting out of bed, she moves around to his side of the bed to help him out of bed with minimal damage to his injuries. Her own injury, the spinal cord compression focused on her neck, was still causing her some grief, especially after the recent SAP show. It was only a matter of time before they had to fly out to Dublin for the upcoming NGW Dissension this Sunday.

Jessica hoped and prayed that she wouldn’t be a burden to her tag partner and brother, Adrien.

He kept his stomach and chest tight as he stood with her help. When he got out of the bed he dropped into a kneel as if he was hurting, and when she leaned over to check on him, he stood up suddenly with her draped over his shoulder. One arm around her thighs as the other smacked her on the bottom with a laugh.

“Come. It’s shower time!”

He crossed the room with a laugh toward the bathroom holding her steady with one arm. She let out a squeal as he smacked her bubbly ass, blushing while he carried her over his shoulder to the bathroom connected to their master bedroom. Somehow, she could already feel herself begin to relax.

A temporary peace was better than no peace.


“Jess.”

A young woman with light brown hair and sapphire blue eyes moves around in front of the camera and takes a seat on the loveseat of the hotel suite. She reaches out and retrieves a cup of Irish coffee and the saucer underneath, taking a sip of the hot beverage.

“The camera’s rolling.”

Jessica continues to look out the window, her soft blue eyes taking in the sight of Dublin. The sun is slowly beginning to set on the beautiful city and she knows what this means.

Dissension is going to start very soon.

She sighs softly and turns towards her friend, whom upon closer inspection looks very familiar. Some wrestling fans know her as Rosalyn Fernandes, the wife of Leonardo Fernandes, the daughter of “The Eternal Bastard” Jack Darling and “The Stiletto Knife” Chelsea Pryce. Through her father, she is one-quarter Irish, the rest of her lineage American. Jessica moves to take a seat on the couch across from the loveseat and she folds her hands on her lap.

“Ready when you are, Ros.”

Rosalyn nods and sets the coffee and the saucer on the coffee table between them.

“How are you feeling? The truth.”

Jessica takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

“...The truth is I'm scared, Rosalyn. When I looked back at the Paris Dissension replay, I saw Alex Jones, Martin Karloff, and Mason Moore advance to the Global Cup semifinals. I saw Aurora Graves advance when I was eliminated. I… watched as Matthew Shields ambushed me, insulted me, and toyed with me. I watched as he set me up for the Hellhound’s Bite and hesitated for just a moment when he saw Adrien Cochrane running towards us.”

Slowly, she shakes her head and presses her lips together for a brief moment.

“No… he didn’t hesitate. He delayed the inevitable. He wanted Adrien to know he was too late… and then he dropped me onto the crate with his finishing move. My body crumbled and I lost consciousness immediately.”

Her right hand moves to the back of her neck. To relieve that memory and visually see the damage done, it visibly shakes her.

“...I watched as my sister cried, trying desperately to revive me when the paramedics showed up to Adrien’s call. I saw the way he cradled my sister in his arms as he tried his best to comfort her. Adrien is… he’s very slow to anger. Out of the Guardians, he’s the most emotionally level-headed. He’s so calm and composed, methodical and strategic, so it’s very rare when he’s angry. But at that moment, when he finally reached me, I could see the pure rage in his eyes as he glared towards Matthew. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.”

Rosalyn nods slowly. She keeps up with New Generation Wrestling and Spirit and Pride Wrestling, both companies that her longtime childhood friend works for. She’s well aware of what happened on Dissension and the vicious attack that ensued.

“I was screaming at the TV, Jess. If it wasn’t for Leo, I would have tracked down Matt’s ass and gone to jail for first-degree murder… or attempted murder if I failed.”

Jessica swallows uneasily and moves her hand from the back of her neck. She knows Rosalyn’s resources. She’s an artist by day and a hacker by night. She’s surpassed her uncle Justin’s hacking skills and continues to improve them. She’s the reason why Michael Rivers and the Children of Nephilim can’t pinpoint hers and Dean Matthews’ location in Manhattan, New York. She understands what Rosalyn is capable of.

“I… really worried everyone, didn’t I?”

“We worry about you because we care about you, Jess. You’re important to us. Your life is precious to us. You saw how emotionally compromised Jazmyn, Adrien, and Joshua were. You’re their little Guardian sister. You do matter to the Guardians.”

“I never said I didn’t.”

Jessica shakes her head and looks into Rosalyn’s eyes.

“I know some people still believe the Guardians is nothing but “The Adrien Cochrane Show” and Jaz, Josh, and I are just “bit players” in the group, but that’s not true. The four of us are family and we all know that.”

“Eh, I don’t think Jazmyn’s come to terms with it. She seems to have a deep-seated resentment for the Guardians.”

“...what?”

Rosalyn shakes her head and sighs. Jessica can be oblivious to many things, it makes her realize she hasn’t changed too much from the shy, timid girl she used to be when they were younger.

“Never mind, I’m being over-analytical. Let's just focus. This isn’t about Jazmyn or Joshua. This isn’t about Kayla or Jaxon Richards. This is about you and Adrien versus Shields and Tillman.”

“Jack Tillman…”

Jessica takes a moment to contemplate to herself before she speaks up.

“Even with all of his incredible success at such a young age, there’s still so much I don’t know about him. He’s the most enigmatic of the Destroyers and the unpredictable force of Death Before Dishonor. He’s a force to be reckoned with on his own, so I don’t understand why he’s aligned with the Destroyers or the Dogs of War.”

Rosalyn casually shrugs.

“Who knows?”

She picks up her coffee and takes another, longer sip before she sets it back down.

“For some people, strength comes in numbers. From what I’ve seen, Tillman wrestles every single match with a purpose. That purpose is to be the best in the wrestling industry. He doesn’t talk very much, nor does he have his own Twitter account. Instead, he relies on his in-ring abilities and technical skills to speak for him… You know, besides his spokesman, Chris Constantine. I have a feeling Constantine and my father know each other. Of course, my dad never aligned with anyone in the industry. Let’s face it, he used Scott Free as much as Scott Free used him. He needed a tag-team partner to win the eWo World Tag Team titles and become the third Grand Slam Champion of the company. That sealed the deal for his Hall of Fame status.”

Jessica recalls this wrestling history very well. She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

“I think Jack is a studious man. He takes the time to analyze his opponents and take into consideration everything about them. He’s not the kind of person to underestimate anyone, even if he has the advantage. I’m sure he’s acknowledged my current condition and he’s going to target my head and neck… I won’t deny the fact that it’s a smart strategy. It’s clear to me that Jack and Matthew are going to try and isolate me, keep Adrien out of the ring as much as humanly possible, and focus on my injuries. I won’t be walking out of Dublin with a clean bill of health, but at the very least I want to leave of my own power… and as one-half of the NGW Tag Team Champions with my brother-in-arms.”

Rosalyn nods and leans back against the loveseat.

“Jess, you’re the Paladin of Vengeance in the wrestling industry… I think it’s time you have your vengeance on Matt for everything he’s done.”

Visibly, Jessica’s right hand tenses up and forms a tightly-clenched fist. Her analytical behavior slowly diminishes into one of pure emotion.

“...Right now, that’s everything I want. No, I don’t want vengeance, I need vengeance. The creepiness, the sexual harassment, the persistence to recruit me, even after I said “no” so many times, the invasion of my privacy, and then hospitalizing me… He’s gotten the one-up on me every single time. I can’t let him win again, I won’t let him win again. By far, he’s one of the worst human beings I’ve ever met. I wouldn’t even consider him a human being. He’s…”

“A monster.”

Rosalyn finishes for her. Jessica nods slowly, and for a moment, there is silence between them. Rising to her feet, Rosalyn moves around and positions herself behind the camera. She zooms it in on Jessica whose expression is intense with emotional stability.

“But you know what paladins do to monsters…”

Jessica turns her head towards the camera and shoots a focused glare.

“Smite them.”

And that’s exactly what she’s going to do.