Coming Clean (for CaptainL)

[Pegasus]

The Ashworth-Ostberg Ranch

William’s Volkswagen Bus

It had been less than a month since William and Astrid tied the knot becoming husband and wife. Three days after Christmas, Astrid would begin to pack up some belongings and mail them from Stavanger, Norway to Great Falls, Montana in America. Astrid packed some clothes, business suits, old antiques, Christmas decorations, and some
old family photos which was a very light load considering some other important things were in Japan, but she would get those later at some point. William had adapted to the farm life quite quickly as he got up at 5AM where Astrid would have her normal jog around the stone track and gaze at the mountains while Will fed the chickens, pigs, Felix, and Winston. His normal morning duties included scraping the dirt, collecting fresh eggs, milking the cows, grooming the two horses they had, and grouping the bisons up so they didn’t roam too far into the fields. Astrid handled cleaning the horse stalls, scraping up horse manure, collecting corn stalks, cooking meals, doing laundry, mowing the fields, and giving the mud pits fresh new mud. They definitely worked their fair share of jobs around the farm.

Today would be a special day as the couple finishes their chores by the afternoon and got inside William’s bus to drive to the airport to pick up some friends visiting them. Jonathan, Brianna, Sheila, Meiyun, and Molly decided to finally visit the couple to see them and check out their new ranch. Harmonia had to stay behind to watch the dogs at the Eagle’s Nest, but lent her friends her private jet so they didn’t have to spend so much on tickets. The plane made stops in England so Molly could visit her parents while the jet refueled, West Virginia to pick Jonathan and Brianna along with their American Eskimo Jewel so Winston had a play mate, and then they made landfall in Montana. William and Astrid pulled up to the airport parking in the lot as their friends soon made their way out of the building with their luggage since they were staying for three days.

“Welcome guys! It’s been a little bit!” William greeted as he gave big hugs to everyone he came across.

Jewel hung her tongue out and sniffed the ground before going over to the two Young Lionesses in order to sniff at their shoes. William is shown to be wearing a red and tan t-shirt, blue jeans, and brown combat boots while Jonathan wore a large denim jacket, orange camouflage shirt, blue jeans, and black sneakers.

[CaptainL]

It had definitely been a hectic life for Astrid since she and William moved into their new home, but she didn't regret a single second of it. She was already in LAW's good graces enough to not need to wrestle every night, in order to maintain her hype - so she had plenty of time to spend on the ranch, and after what was often a fraught line of work with many would-be challengers making threats or going after her, she found it relaxing to head back to a simpler life, a life where she could expect things to stay consistent and to work out how they were supposed to, when she didn't have to worry about living up to her status or her family name or putting her body on the line - even if the animals could sometimes give her more than she bargained for. She still found time to keep up with her workout routine, and she was quite pleased to find that working barn chores worked just as well to help her build her strength as lifting weights in the gym. But most of all, Astrid was happy for her new life because she got to spend it close to her new husband, knowing she'd taken a big step forward in their relationship, and that from here on out they could enjoy newly-wedded bliss.

That wasn't to say, of course, that Astrid would ever leave her old life behind - now that was just about unthinkable! She wasn't going to turn her back on the wrestling world when it still meant everything to her; she was still determined to be the strongest she could be, and to give it her all in all her matches. And of course, Astrid wasn't about to forget any of her old friends, either. She would find whatever time she needed to keep up with them not only as coworkers and business partners but also as personal friends - when she'd known them as long as she had, it was only natural. Just now, in fact, they were pulling up to the airport just in time to greet the crew.

"Thanks again for letting us take the plane over, Molly," Meiyun said, turning to the Englishwoman with a bow as she and Sheila headed out close behind her. "It's really a big honor, I've never gotten to ride in a private jet before, so-"

"Really, don't mention it," Molly replied with a smile. "If I know one thing about Moni, it's that she's going to come through on things like this." Then, she looked up at Astrid and William, and she flashed a bright, toothy grin, practically vibrating with excitement. It really had been a while since they'd last seen each other, and with all of them so far apart, it made moments like these special when they could finally meet up at each others' homes. "William! Astrid! I'm soooo happy for you guys," she said, running up to the two of them to greet each with a hug.

Brianna nodded to them, stepping up close behind. "Congratulations, you two. I know it means a lot. And how are things at the ranch, anyway?"

"Oh, a lot of work, but in a good way!" Astrid chuckled. "I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. I can't wait to show you guys around."

Perhaps no one was quite as excited, however, as Sheila Chihara. She and Meiyun had been patting Jewel as she came over to investigate, but as soon as she saw the opportunity, she dropped her bags to run straight toward William, jumping up and pulling him into a hug. "I really missed you guys!! And I'm so excited to see your new place! Is it big? I haven't been on a farm in ages, so it'll be just like visiting my family! Only not as warm..."

"Don't worry, I think we get the idea, Sheila," Astrid replied. Meiyun, meanwhile, had gotten down to Jewel's level, ruffling her fur. She looked back up at Jonathan with a grin as he came close. "I think she likes me."

Astrid Ostberg

Molly Forster

Brianna Steele

Sheila Chihara

Meiyun Lai

[Pegasus]

“There’s my kangaroo pal!” William exclaimed as he scooped up Sheila like a little kid and started giving a nice big hug.

Sheila definitely loved seeing William and Will looked down on her as a little sister to have adventures with much like how Harmonia and Finella did when they first saw Sheila. She reminded him so much of how he loved living in the country and gaining the ranch brought back wholesome memories for him. Not to mention, both have questionable IQs, but their wrestling sure makes up for it. William accepted the hug from Molly so glad to see all their friends again as he shook Jonathan’s hand.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve kicked it in the country, but a nice change of scenery from seeing the residential neighbors and those skyscrapers in Tokyo is a warm welcome,” Jonathan stated.

“Godzilla can’t come around and stomp through our ranch. I might have installed a weapons defense bunker somewhere,” William joked.

“And I’ll win the lottery by the end of the month. You’re smart in your own right, Will, but that’s too much credit to give out,” Jonathan teased as both men shared a hearty chuckle.

Meiyun mentioned how Jewel seemed to like her as the little white cloud pup puts her paws on Meiyun’s knees licking her chin as Jonathan chuckled.

“She loves everyone. Eskies are particularly sociable dogs,” Jonathan mentioned.

“So, our ranch has plenty of space for all of you. There’s three guest rooms on the top floor and two on the bottom floor. Jon and Bri can take on, Sheila and Meiyun can have one together, and Molly, though you are alone, you can keep the pets in line,” William explained as he popped the trunk of his bus and started helping Jonathan load in the bags.

After getting packed up and settling into the retro feel of the bus, William drove his friends 20 minutes into the countryside as everyone got to see the plains as they passed by along with a sight of a cow or two. William pulled up to the mailbox just located at the bottom of the hill they lived on checking out the bundles of postal mail that came in this morning.

“Bill, bill, bill, garden magazine for Astrid, bill, bill, even more bills…..what’s this?” William asked as he sorted out the mail in his hands tossing the bills in the glove compartment for later sorting and passing off the magazine to his wife.

In his hands, William had a manilla folder as he quickly opened it seeing the contents inside revealed a birth certificate, a DNA test, a medical report, some photos, and a letter folded and sealed inside an envelope. He adjusted his glasses looking over everything and a lot of the documents mentioned some girl named Sarabeth. Upon closer inspection of the DNA test, it confirmed a 100% match between William and Sarabeth having the same blood type along with hair samples provided by a woman named Kary Jenkins. William widened his eyes as he shoved the folder closed and stuck it in the glove compartment sitting back
In his seat with frightened expression.

“What’s up, Will? Have to pay the IRS back a fortune? What was in the folder? “ Jonathan asked as he leaned up to the driver’s seat.

“Nothing special. Uh…just my tax returns….yeah, the IRS….must’ve done its….investigation thingy with them,” William replied with a nervous smile.

“But you’re usually suppose to mail tax returns, not receive them back,” Jonathan corrected.

“Well, maybe Congress passed a new law allowing them to be sent back? You watch the news more than I do,” William retorted as he began the drive up the hill towards the ranch trying to push the DNA test result out of his mind.

[CaptainL]

Sheila let out a cheer as William swung her through the air, only tightening her hug in response. Some things never got old for her - and even when she was a high-flyer who pulled off many an acrobatic move off the top rope, she always got excited when William scooped her off the ground. She was still listening into the conversation between Jonathan and William with a grin on her face - and she felt the need to chime in at the right time. "Hey, don't get too cocky now...how do you know that Godzilla doesn't stomp through the country all the time and we just don't know about it because he squishes everyone!?"

Astrid looked over at the Australian girl with a puzzled look on her face before she decided to attend to her fellow Young Lioness, crouching down to where Meiyun giggled as Jewel licked her face. She gave Jewel a few pats of her own as she addressed her student. "How have you been doing, anyway? I know it's been a while since we last checked in," she noted - after all, the last time she and Meiyun had had much of a heart-to-heart was following the girl's humiliating loss to Rose Gold, where Astrid had to step in to end her torment at the champion's hands. Fortunately, Meiyun looked back at her with a smile on her face. "I'm doing fine! I've got a new neighbor, and she's really fun to hang out with," she said.

The group settled into their places on the bus, with Molly and Astrid also joining in making sure all the luggage got stashed away safely. Molly agreed to the plan - "It's alright - Moni's taking care of Riley and Will while I'm gone, so it's only fair," she said. As they drove off through the countryside, she, Sheila, and Meiyun watched out the window as the scenery rolled by, occasionally chiming in with their comments - "Wait, so is everything all just flat around here?" "Pretty much." - but soon enough, they pulled out at the bottom of the hill, in front of the mailbox. Sheila looked up at the ranch with a gasp, glancing this way and that at the scene unfolding before her. "Whoah...you guys own all this?"

"That we do," Astrid replied, "and we'll be happy to give you the tour once you're all settled in." She took the magazine from William, but after flipping through a few pages, her eyes still lingered on him, where she raised an eyebrow in thought. He seemed to have received quite a bit of mail, and from how unusually quiet he was being, it seemed like it had his interest. She only managed to get a brief glimpse of the papers as he shoved them into the glove box, but it left her with more questions than answers. What, she wondered, could have been that important? And why was it all coming in now?

Leaning over in her seat, Astrid whispered softly to her husband. "William..." she began, "is something the matter? We can talk about it in private once we get up the hill, if you want..."

[Pegasus]

William kept to himself even as his wife offered a private conversation when they got to the ranch. Son of a bitch….not now….how did these papers even get over to his address? The one thing he’s been holding back all these years was a reach away for Astrid to dig into them, but he knew Astrid wasn’t the snooping type and would just force it out of William if she needed to. However, he didn’t want to do this now. Not when their friends were here. If he had to wait until they were gone to tell Astrid, he would consider coming clean. Unbeknownst to the couple up front, one single photo had slipped out of the folder when William put it in the glove box hastily. It slipped under Astrid’s seat, under the middle seats, and wounded up at Jonathan’s feet. He noticed it as Jewel growled a little bit going to investigate it and sniffed at the photo, but he patted her head and picked it up.

The photo showed a 3-year old girl with short black hair sitting at a table celebrating her third birthday and a cake placed on the table for her to blow out her candles. Jonathan raised an eyebrow and noticed his wife looking at him concerned.

“Not a word. I’ll talk to him later,” Jonathan instructed as he put the photo in his left denim pocket.

Everyone saw the ranch up close as William parked his bus and shut off the engine as doors opened so everyone could get out to stretch their legs and see the ranch for themselves. The first thing they noticed were the red fences cornering off the pigs, sheep, and the two brown horses Will and Astrid owned. Bags were carried over to the porch as Will unlocked the door and let everyone in. Of course, Jewel being the dog she is started sniffing around the place and eventually bumped into Winston as they wagged their tails upon seeing each other. Will and Astrid let the pets play around and sniff each other while the big guy gave a tour of the place.

Living Room

Kitchen

Downstairs Bathroom

Lounge/Pool Room

Pool Area

William and Astrid’s Master Bedroom

Molly’s Bedroom

[

Jon and Brianna’s Bedroom

Meiyun and Sheila’s Bedroom

Upstairs Bathroom

[CaptainL]

Despite Astrid's questioning, William didn't say a word. He remained focused on the road ahead of him, driving the bus up toward the ranch in silence. Astrid stared after him, a frown on her face. It wasn't hard for her to surmise that something had to be very wrong for William not to speak of this, not even to her. She didn't want to pry into what was surely a private matter for him, but she cared about William. And it was hard for her to see the people she cared about struggling and to not want to do something about it.

Brianna noticed the photo as it fluttered to her. When Jonathan picked it up, she raised an eyebrow in confusion - she had no idea what such a picture would be doing here. Who was this girl, and why did William have her picture in the bus? Was she a relative? But if so, why didn't he say anything, when he could have easily laid any concerns they might have had to rest? She turned to her husband, starting to whisper a few words. "Who's..?" But as soon as Jonathan told her to let him handle it, she fell silent and nodded her head. She knew that Jonathan and William went back longer than anyone else on the bus. If anyone could handle it, he could.

Soon, the bus arrived at the top of the hill, and everyone filed out to explore the ranch. Several of the guests flocked to the fences, getting a look at the animals - Meiyun grinned at the sight of the pigs running up to them, sticking her fingers through the fence to try and pet them before Astrid steered her away. "Your fingers look like carrots, you know."

When they went to enter the house, they were no less amazed by how big and elaborate the rooms were, looking through each one with wide eyes and mouths agape. "I never really realize how big these places are," Molly said; "we don't have anything like this back home." The moment they entered the living room, Sheila ran over to the nearest couch and flopped down on it, letting herself sink into the leather. "Nice place you guys got here! We can visit more often, right?" she asked.

"That...might depend on our training schedule," Meiyun noted.

"I do have to say, though," Brianna added as she looked back at the couple, "you two have done well for yourselves. It's quite a success story. You must be proud."

Astrid nodded her head, beaming with a proud smile. "Oh, certainly. Thank you - it means a lot." All the same, she glanced back at William with a pause. Everyone was enjoying themselves. They were happy to be back in touch with old friends, and to celebrate what was a big step forward in Astrid and William's lives. But she still couldn't help but think back to how tense William had been on the bus, and wonder what was going through his head...

[Pegasus]

Soon, William thought a little dip in the pool would be refreshing for the afternoon as everyone got settled into their bedrooms and put on their swimsuits in order to enjoy themselves. Jonathan wore some navy blue swimming trunks and William wore bright red swimming trunks as they both had taken some big jumps and flips into the pool. Jewel and Winston even jumped in the pool as the little white dog swam around Molly and Jonathan mostly before taking breaks here and there. Jonathan would see Brianna and Astrid chilling out in the small hot tub while Shiela, Meiyun, and Molly joined the older guys in the pool.

“So, how much was this place to buy exactly?” Jonathan asked as he threaded water.

“$460,000, but I put a down payment on it and will pay back the rest with the salary coming in from LAW and WFPW,” William replied.

“Shit….Astrid must love you for going through all the trouble,” Jonathan teased.

Winston shook his fur clean and looked over to Astrid strolling over whimpering for attention as he licked her face.

[CaptainL]

Once everyone had the opportunity to tour the ranch, it was time to hit up the pool. As soon as everyone had changed, Sheila was the first to burst into the room, taking off for the pool as quickly as she could. "LAST ONE IN'S A ROTTEN EGG!!" she cheered, waving back at the others as she printed for the water.

"Hey, no running in the pool-!" Astrid cautioned, but it was too late for Sheila. She slipped on some water and began to skid across the floor, waving her arms in an attempt to slow herself. When that didn't work, however, she decided she was just going to make the most of it, and she jumped from the edge of the pool to splash into the water with a cannonball, sending up a splash the others had to shield themselves from. When Jonathan and William followed suit, she just threw her arms in the air with a cheer, splashing water around with glee.

"Er...at least she's having fun," Molly muttered to herself, sitting at the edge of the pool and dipping her toes in the water. Then, she looked over at Meiyun, who was swimming laps from one side of the pool to the other and back; she had already crossed the pool once in both directions, and she didn't seem to be stopping any time soon. "Mei, uh...you okay there? Don't tire yourself out..."

"I'm fine! Swimming is good exercise, you know!" she replied. Molly shrugged her shoulders, hopping into the pool, where she was soon joined by Jewel. "Hey, Jewel..." she said, patting the little dog on the head. "I hate to think of all the hair that's going to get in here..."

Over at the hot tub, things were a little calmer between Astrid and Brianna. The Norsewoman let out a contented sigh as she sank lower into the tub, her hands behind her head. Brianna, too, took a moment to stretch. "I will say, the warm water feels good after the plane ride," she said. "So, how's it feel moving to such a big place?"

"Oh, it's definitely an adjustment," Astrid replied, "but we're settling in well enough. Really, being with Will makes it worth it." Winston ran over to jump up and greet her, and she laughed, scratching the back of his head. "Hey, boy! I don't think you can join us in here..."

Meanwhile, Sheila sank low in the water, listening in on the conversation between William and Jonathan. It was all about boring things she couldn't follow all that much, but that didn't matter. A grin was spreading across her face as she awaited the right moment to strike - she would get behind William, prepared to send up a big splash of water to hit him from behind!

Sheila Chihara

Meiyun Lai

Molly Forster

Astrid Ostberg

Brianna Steele

[Pegasus]

William felt something ripple behind him and then saw the big splash of water barreling down on him as he screamed getting soaked. The bubbles arose in the pool as he wiped his eyes of water and turned to see a mischievous look on Sheila’s face. The bigger man chuckled and placed his hands on his hips thinking up a possible revenge plot against his little pal. William stroked his chin in thought before snapping his fingers and hoisted Sheila out of the water and over his shoulder. He then made his way for the stairs and got out of the pool.

“You wanna play with big splashes, Sheila? Well, get ready to go flying!” William exclaimed as he threw Sheila high into the pool.

“Hey Will! I heard Meiyun talking smack over here about you as well,” Jonathan called out to his friend helping to instigate the taller man.

William perked up before he went over to where Meiyun stopped swimming laps hoisting her out of the pool before throwing her high into the pool as well. Both guys laughed getting a kick out of this game as William laid eyes on his wife. He leaned down and whispered a plan over to Jonathan as the two separated as Jonathan used the metal ladder to climb out.

“Hey Astrid! How’s about you and Brianna….have a little challenge with us? First team to knock both members in the pool don’t have to cook dinner tonight,” William offered to his wife knowing she wouldn’t be able to back down.

[CaptainL]

As Sheila watched a torrent of water come flying up from the surface of the pool, drenching William, she fell back in the water, doubling over in hysteric laughter. He didn't even see it coming! "Oh, man-!" she giggled, pointing a finger in his direction. "That one really got you, didn't it-!?" Her legs kicked at the surface of the pool, bringing up even more water. She was so lost in her amusement that she barely even noticed William closing in on her - that was, until she felt him hoist her out of the water, and found herself draped over his shoulder!

The Australian girl's eyes went wide, her jaw dropping as William carried her out of the pool. "Huh!? Wait, wait, wait, I was only joking-! Where are you-HEY!!!" She kicked her legs and flailed her arms, squirming back and forth to try and escape, but the next thing she knew, she was being hurled through the air! A scream broke through the room as she came crashing down into the middle of the pool, sending water flying everywhere. But Sheila broke up from the surface of the water anyway, laughing. "Okay, that was fun-!"

Meiyun had stopped to watch the commotion herself - only to hear Jonathan accuse her of getting involved as well. At that, she did a double take. "WHAT!?" she said with a gasp, shaking her head and holding her hands out to try and ward William off. "Hey, I never-!! WHOAH!" Soon, she too felt her feet leave the water, letting out a yelp as she was dragged into the air - and she too came down right after Sheila!

"Well...as long as they're enjoying themselves," Molly muttered, shielding herself from the splash. Little did she know, Meiyun and Sheila were whispering to themselves with their own plan - and they struggled to keep themselves from laughing too hard, lest it give away their scheme. While Molly's back was turned, the two Young Lionesses came up on her too, hoisting her out of the water! Molly screamed even louder, just before she too was thrown into the pool!

While all this was going on, William approached Astrid and Brianna in the hot tub, and the Norsewoman turned around to listen to his offer of a challenge. Brianna tilted her head, raising a curious eyebrow. "Er...you sure that's such a good idea? Roughhousing around the pool can be dangerous," she began - but Astrid had no such hesitations. In fact, she was already jumping up from the tub, her hands on her hips as a confident grin crossed her face. If William knew anything about Astrid, it was that she was never one to back down from a challenge, and this was no exception! "You're on!!"

Brianna shrugged, getting up after her. "Well...not like it'll be any riskier than what they're doing!" she said, looking toward the younger girls, who had now broken into a splash fight as Molly chased after Sheila and Meiyun to get revenge.