Victory.

He'd never had it taste as good as it did tonight. For five minutes he'd been on top of the world, electricity running through his veins as he systematically destroyed those two cans.

Now he sat here in his hotel room, turning his outdated flip-phone over in his hands. He did a quick calculation of the hours in his head and decided that it was safe to call his house. The phone only rang once before his wife's excited voice echoed in his ears from half the world away.

"I am so proud of you Ron!"

"Thanks, that means a lot. I can't wait to see you guys so we can celebrate this."

"When are you coming home?"

"I'll rack out here for a few hours, my plane leaves in six hours."

"So soon?"

"Yeah, I don't think it's a good idea for me to stay here overnight. Plus I'm wiped, I haven't had an adrenaline dump like that ever before."

"Well, you couldn't tell Ron. You were magnificent."

A huge smile washes over Ron's face.

"Thanks hun, it felt incredible. I know I made the right choice."

"You did, I love you Ron. You'll be home in what, 18 hours?"

"Something like that I'll let you know if there are any changes."

"Good, 18 hours gives me plenty of time to get to Victorias Secret for your victory gift."

Ron chuckled "I'll start swimming right now."

"We both know you're awful at that, I love you Ron, I'd put Logan on but he's asleep right now. Have a safe flight."

"I love you too. I'll see you soon."

Just like that the conversation was over.

She's remarkable. She's sat behind me all these years, she wasn't happy when he'd left the Patrol and its solid paychecks, cozy retirement, and health insurance. She might not have been happy the entire time, and she sure as hell wasn't going out and being lingerie during that time.

Sure she had done her wifely duties when required but there was always a distance there. He could tell he had cut that gap at least in half just from that phone conversation. She knew the details of the contract he'd signed with the XWF, $5,000 to wrestle and $5,000 to win. His future with the company in serious doubt if he couldn't win the first match of his career.

He had that check being wired into his account by the morning, but more importantly he had a future in the XWF. He had a chance to change his entire family tree. By the time he got back to his home he could finally take care of his financial obligations...the way a man should be able to. Even if it meant tossing a guy by the name of the Crimson Dong onto his head while he wore spandex pants Ron Wilkins was going to build his empire and take care of his own.

That's what made him the most dangerous man in the XWF.

Not his elite wrestling pedigree.

Not his grappling credentials.

It was his family sitting at home waiting for him, counting on him to pay the bills and keep food on the table.

And there was no one in the XWF that was going to keep him from fulfilling those obligations.

----------------18 Hours Later----------------

He was weary, but excited as the cab pulled up in front of his house. He passed the driver a ten for his trouble and hauled his small duffel bag out of the trunk. He made his way up to the front door and fished his keys out of his pocket to unlock the deadbolt. Before he could get the jumble of metal and little plastic tags out of his pocket the door was yanked away from him and his wife stood there in the warm afternoon sun, wearing a full length trench coat and a pair of red, strappy, high heels.

"Let me take that bag for you." She reached across the threshold for his duffel bag, brushing seductively against him, then yanked him inside by the front of his jeans.

He untangled his mouth from hers for a split second "The kids?"

"Your moms, for the whole night."

"I like the sound of that."

The couch, the dining room table, the shower, and finally their bed. Their bodies sang a duet of passion through their whole house and culminated in an explosion of pleasure two hours later.

They hadn't had a night like that since they'd started dating.

Now they just laid on the bed, her head resting softly on his chest...both of them exhausted from the proverbial marathon they'd just run.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too."

Those words and what had just transpired between them was all Ron needed to experience to know that what had nearly ripped them apart over the past two years was finally dead and gone.

Beep Beep!

The sound of an incoming text message chirped from his phone and Ron untangled himself from his wife. He grabbed the phone off the nightstand and flipped it open.

The text message was from a contact labelled "Boss" and he selected it to read its contents.

Stagger Jones, Bloody as Fuck Submission Match, loser must be bleed profusely prior to being locked in a submission hold and tapping out.

"Good or Bad?"

"Good for me, bad for some Tomato Can named Stagger Jones. Submission only match."

A smile rose at the corners of her mouth, they'd met in college and she had seen him star on the mats at Oklahoma State and later watched him dominate elite competition in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournaments.

"I take it you'll be going to see Jeff tomorrow?"

Jeff was the man who ran his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gym, a long time black belt and someone who could cripple most of the worlds population with all his experience in cutting off wind pipes and making joints to directions they were never intended to.

"I think I'll practically be living there this week. Coming home with 10 Grand feels a lot better than five."

She giggled, the way she had when they'd first met "I'd say so, promise me you'll replace that phone of yours though. It still says Cingular on it."

He laughed back and all of a suddenly they found themselves tangled in each other again.

And all was right in Ron Wilkins life.