OOC: More formatting later tonight. I hope you enjoy.



"Hey... Ned?"

The Notorious One stays silent, looking over the spitting image of the woman he loved. He twists his hand to hold hers, his words still stuck in his throat.

"You look like you've seen a ghost, Ned."

He chuckles, still in disbelief at the warmth of her hand and the slight redness of her cheeks.

"More like four."

Lilian gazes into his eyes. It was a haunting feeling for Ned. To see the woman he loved here. Like this. It was wonderful in a way, but there was a pain to it. In some ways, it was just another reminder of everyone he had lost. About the family he couldn't see at the time of year designed for it. About his father.

"I could say the same to you."

Ned peered back at the corpse. It was hard to describe the sensation. He had imagined his cadaver before, but witnessing it was an entirely different thing. He felt a tense twist in his stomach.

"What happened...?"

Lilian lowers her gaze, placing a single hand onto her chest, grabbing a ring at the end of necklace, nearly identical to the one Ned wore. Her smile faded as she stared at her fiance's body.

"It was a regular night. Like any other, but we realized we had forgotten something important at the supermarket. I think it was my phone. It was just so mundane, but he offered to go get it. He was like that..."

"You know the rest."

Feeling the same pain, Ned grips his own ring, similar memories rushing back. A simple choice is what stood between him and death. And the truly painful part of it was the guilt Ned felt. Deep down, he knew it could have been him. It should have been him. But despite the image in front of him, he was here. And Lilian was confined to perverse dreams such as this one.

"So, why am I here?"

"Well, to my understanding, you're pretty lost, Ned. I'm here to help. I mean, who else are you going to listen to?"

"I listen to Robert..."

She gives him a skeptically amused look.

"Okay, I try to listen to Robert."

"So, what's going on Ned? What's brought you here?"

Ned sighs, walking over to a pew and sitting down.

"If I'm being honest, I couldn't tell you. I've just been in the mide of a great deal, so I guess my subconscious is finally collapsing on itself."

"So, you needed me to sort all that out?"

Ned shakes his head, letting it fall towards the floor.

"Please... stop that."

"Stop what...?"

"Pretending to be her."

Walking towards him, her face turns to shock, a sadness easily seen behind her eyes.

"What do you mean...?"

"You're not her. You're just my mind deciding to parade her around in front of me. It's not right. I shouldn't be thinking like this. I don't know why I'm having this Charles Dickens experience play out."

She sits next to him.

"I just... it's not easy. I don't want to live without her and I don't know why I can't just move on. I'm trying so hard to be the athlete I have to be or the man I'm supposed to be... but all I seem to really be is a man hopelessly in love with a dead woman..."

He looks to her, desperation seeping from his eyes.

"Why can't I move on?"

Lilian raises a hand and slaps him across the face. She is shaking slightly, but it passes quickly. The sting from her palm adjusts his mind for a moment, but her words do more than that.

"You can. You always could, Ned. You're just afraid."

"And that's okay, but you didn't become the man I love by obeying your fears. You did it by defying them. If you want to go out there and let your perception of yourself be defined by your enemies, that's your choice. But don't you dare imply it's anything else. You never have to listen to a sentence that say. You control you. And you're not Robert or Cent or anyone else. You're just Ned Kaye. And if you think your words are holding you back, then you throw them away! Throw your fears away; you don't need them. As long as you trust that you're worth it, Ned, you will be. But you can't do this anymore. You have to stand. You have to fight. And if you're going to do it, do it for yourself and for Ethan and for your teammates! Not for a gravestone."

Tears drip down Ned's face as he smiles, embracing her closely. He forces out a small laugh before speaking.

"I wish I could tell myself that..."

Lilian giggles gently as she holds her beloved against her.

"You did."

And in an instance, Ned is once again alone in the void. He opens his eyes, seeing the ceiling of the guest bedroom, his cheeks damp. It was still a few days till Christmas. There was still a chance to walk a new path. And in one triumphant moment, Ned realized the chance had never left and never would.




Ned stands on the familiar part of the Brooklyn Bridge, staring out towards the waters. But unlike just a few weeks earlier, it wasn't a look of longing, but a look back. A glance over the shoulder as the path ahead laid in wait.

"Throw it away, Ned."

Her words echoed in his mind. He removed the necklace from himself and placed it in his palm. Ned prepared his arm for a toss, but he stopped himself, looking back at the ring in his hand.

He didn't need it, but he wasn't ready to say goodbye, not just yet. With a heavy sigh, he placed the necklace back on. And walked back towards Brooklyn, frozen winds flowing through his hair.

And despite his belief or not, he was ready.


"You've been uncharacteristically quiet, Hanari."

Ned twists around, walking forward slightly, holding the ring in a closed fist against his chest.

"See, typically I'm used to a whole host of your boasting by way of meandering trash talk by now, but you've chosen to hold your tongue. At the very least, delay your words. One has to wonder why, Carnes. But the answer is fairly simple, isn't it? You think you're set. You're certain you've figured me out and the rest is just a matter of execution. See, you aren't taking this as seriously as I am because you don't have to. I do."

His tone shifts as he begins to speak more softly.

"You see, Hanari, you are an obstacle. An opponent. A threat, even. But you aren't the threat. I know who that is and it shouldn't be a surprise to you or anyone else. My focus hasn't shifted, just realigned. I am going to get that Universal Title and I'm going to set things right around here. Because quite frankly, The Impostor needs to be stopped before any more damage can be done. Now, Chaos bested me because I was dealing with rejection, fear.... all sorts of stuff. I was split in two. But Christmas is a time of togetherness and for the first time in ages I feel unified. Overton proved to be a challenge. You managed to keep up with me fairly well at my worst, but at my best you lost. And with every passing day my focus is getting clearer and clearer. You don't stand a chance, Hanari, not because you're bad. Not even due to your overwhelming arrogance. No, no, I'm just beginning to listen to the crowds again. And not my opponents. To listen to those who support me even when I can't believe in myself. Doubt me, Hanari, go right ahead. Spend all that time you have partying it up and wondering if I can do anything anymore. Or do everything you can to prepare. Hire the greatest trainers; do the hardest workout routines."

"It truly doesn't affect me or the outcome of this match. You could train your hardest for a year and still not know how I hard I push myself in a month. You could learn everything about me and the only lesson you'll be left with is the knowledge that nothing you try will matter. I'm not afraid of Tony Santos. I put up one of the greatest fights of my life against Sarah Lacklan just a few weeks ago. I am working to face a champion many people think is absolutely undefeatable. Do you really think that you, of all people, are going to stop me dead in my tracks?"

"Pray to God. Make deals with the devil. Use magic Blackwater blood. Call upon the strength of every other opponent you have had to stare down and watch in a combination of shock and awe as my own strength overpowers you. Because I never once took the easy way out. That's why I'm willing to face whoever, whenever, however. That's why I was chosen to be apart of APEX. That's why The Engineer, the real Engineer, chose to try and help me face Robert. And that's why Robert pushes me every single day he can to do better. I'm not to be trifled with. We might be fighting in my hometown, but they aren't cheering me for that. They cheer for me because I am like every one of them. I struggle, I hurt, I fail. But I get up Hanari. Every single time. Like clockwork. And the time for your arrogance to mean anything more than white noise is up."

"See you on Sunday, Carnes. Merry Christmas."

"You can't run from yourself."