9After the Octagon
By PD31
Disclaimer: I still don't own iCarly, Victorious, any of the episodes or any of the characters.
Rating: T
Pairing: Sheddie (Freddie/Shelby).
Summary: Sequel to Shelbyvision. Shelby has been at the pinnacle of her career for a few years now but all good things must come to an end. Now she and Freddie have to figure out where the rest of their lives will take them.
AN: Hello everyone and welcome to this new story.
This chapter takes place approximately 18 months after the end of the original Shelbyvision.
Chapter 1
Memorial Stadium,
401 5th Avenue N, Seattle, WA
Saturday, 23rd March 2014
"No, no more," Shelby Marx mumbled hazily, eyes closed (due to both exhaustion and the swelling under her left eye) as she sat in the dressing room, still in her fighting attire, having just returned there straight from the Octagon. "I quit."
The team looked around in surprise, many of them hoping (and privately thinking) that she was merely rambling a little in the aftermath of today's tough, but ultimately successful, championship defence. Of all of them, her fiancé Freddie Benson was alone in hoping that she was serious; the new batch of fighters coming through were proving to be a real handful for Shelby and her friends – who were jokingly referring to themselves as the 'old guard' these days. Shelby was still undefeated but it was a close-run thing; she had been put on her behind a few times, both today and in her last couple of fights, and, in addition to her swollen eye, she had a number of livid bruises on her face and a few more that her form-fitting costume hid. It had been the statuesque brunette's native courage that had seen her weather the onslaught long enough for her raw power to enable her to finally beat her teenage Czech opponent into unconsciousness. Watching her stagger around the Octagon into his waiting arms before she reclaimed her belt, Freddie felt fairly sure, though he would probably never say it out loud, that any rematch against her previously unbeaten and rapidly improving opponent would have a different, and far less optimal, ending.
"Hey babe," she smiled woozily as she tried to focus her one-eyed gaze on him.
"You won again," he wrapped an arm gently around her, loosening his grip immediately as she gasped in pain.
"Ribs, ribs," she winced. They weren't broken but were sore and causing her extreme pain however gently he was touching them.
The door burst open and Shelby's fighter friends Brenda, Maria and Hannah flew in, followed by Sam and, though she hung back a bit, Carly; all looked a little paler than usual (aside from Carly, for whom it would be a practically impossible feat). "Hey girl," Bren began, "you gave us a big scare there."
"Never in doubt," she mumbled with a lop-sided grin, grimacing again as Freddie tenderly placed an ice pack on her eye and gently rubbed salve into the bruises on her face.
"So are we celebrating tonight?" Maria asked; her ginger hair was pulled back into a ponytail in anticipation. Since the girls had a tradition of going out as a group to celebrate their victories they assumed that would be the case this evening (Sam looked particularly eager to hit the town).
"Not sure… I'm up to… party," Shelby mumbled blearily, "don't look… my best."
"Are you ok?" Carly asked cautiously, stepping towards her fellow brunette.
The fighter eyed her lazily and mumbled, "I'll live," before closing her eyes again and slumping back on the bench.
Freddie looked to the girls, reading the disappointment in their faces, though as they were all in the business they could understand the dark-haired girl's reasoning. "Maybe we could have a small get-together at our place," he suggested, "and head out tomorrow night instead?"
The others nodded their agreement, though Shelby said nothing as she seemed to be near catatonic with fatigue. Freddie helped her unsteadily to her feet. "I'll help her get ready and we'll meet you out there in a few?"
The girls nodded again and filed out, followed by her coaches and support staff leaving the engaged couple alone in the locker room; Shelby had sank back down onto the bench; her legs seemed to be struggling to support her. Freddie dropped to the floor and began to gently unlace her glovess, slipping them off her hands; the fighter opened an eye long enough to watch him; cracking a smile she mumbled mirthfully,
"Kneel before me, peasant!"
"I'd gladly kiss your feet while I'm here," he teased back, "but you need to wash them first!"
She sniggered at his comeback; he helped her back to her feet and led her towards the shower. A light seemed to spark behind Shelby's eyes; she snatched up the ice pack again and quickly pressed it around her face, bringing her closer to something approaching consciousness. "You're going to have to help me out here," she informed him coyly, quickly shedding her fighting attire and then beginning to lead him towards the showers. By now Freddie was used to the gleam in her eye immediately following a fight; pleased to see Shelby bouncing back from the tough battle he didn't object at all.
Shelby was massaging her ribs as she and her fiancé left the locker room; Freddie had been as gentle as she'd let him be but she still felt sore as she'd aggravated some of her wounds. Consequently she was walking gingerly as they joined the other girls, all of whom wore knowing grins (apart from a very uncomfortable-looking Carly) as they watched them.
"What?" Shelby asked, immediately holding herself a little straighter and more confidently; she certainly seemed re-energised compared to the person they'd left behind in the locker room though she obviously still wore the signs of her battle.
"Nothing, nothing at all," Hannah smirked, casting a wistful look at Freddie with his still-damp hair; she'd never break 'the code' or make a move on him (not least because Shelby would then break her) but certainly wished she'd met the brown haired producer of Shelby's TV channel before her friend had. The other fighting girls sniggered as well, though none could refute Shelby's subsequent claim that they were just jealous – a claim that caused Carly to take a great deal of interest in the floor of the corridor they were walking down.
1100 Thomas Lane,
Renton, WA
"Foundation will be full of disappointed people tonight," Hannah quipped as the group entered the couple's house.
"Yeah, people know we're always there after a fight; they'll show up and feel cheated," Maria agreed.
"Or just less intimidated because four female fighters and a couple of internet superstars aren't there," Freddie added with a smirk to his guests.
"We only intimidate people who try and make a move on you," Hannah fired back with a laugh, causing the male member of the group to blush.
"Yeah, for some reason a lot of the girls are a bit too scared to approach us," Maria nodded in mock-thoughtful tones.
"The guys never have a problem," Freddie commented, looking to turn things back on the teasing females.
"I don't know about that," Hannah countered, "I've scared a few off in my time." She sidled up to him and continued in a low voice, "There are some guys I encourage though."
"Knock it off sister," Maria gently tugged her friend's black locks, smiling as the other girl allowed her to drag her away.
"I always love coming here," Brenda changed the subject, flopping down on the couch, "you guys have got yourselves one sweet pad."
"Thanks, the money really came in with the channel for the last eighteen months or so, especially when you all came on board too," she smiled at them; the three girls all having their fights and news on the channel to boost its content and popularity had been extremely profitable for everyone, "which is one reason it's a shame it's coming to an end now," the brunette battler noted wistfully.
"Huh?" the blonde fighter turned to her friend, looking confused at the observation.
"Tonight was my last fight; I'm hanging up the gloves," Shelby disclosed quietly.
"You're quitting?" Maria asked in shock; even Freddie was a little surprised as he half-thought it had been a spur of the moment declaration by his love in the immediate aftermath of a tough battle.
"I think it's time," she admitted before continuing with her reasoning, "it's getting to the point where I'm struggling to compete with the new girls coming through. I've made my money – and tonight should have seen a bit more rolling in," Freddie nodded by her side; he knew they'd set a new record for the channel's pay-per-view subscribers for the bout, "I'm not going to keep putting my health on the line when one faster, stronger opponent could now do me some serious damage. I've been champion for a long time, earned my money; I'm going to quit while I'm ahead."
Sam looked horrified at this; her heroine, the invincible Shelby Marx jacking it in. Sam had been a huge fan for years (even after the girl got with Freddie) and the blonde genuinely loved watching her fighting in the octagon. She could see the other girls wearing similar looks and spoke out.
"But you won! You're still unbeaten, still unstoppable. Why are you quitting?"
"Look at me," she retorted simply, "bruised, battered, in pain. I've done well out of the business, Sam, really well, but it's time for me to step aside for the younger generation."
Sam looked like she wanted to press the issue but the looks she was receiving from the other fighters stayed her tongue. Unsurprisingly this development, along with the visual evidence of the punishment Shelby had taken in the bout, dented the party atmosphere; it also had the effect of causing the other girls to reflect on their own careers and wonder how much longer they would be able to continue fighting before they were overtaken by the newer, younger competitors. All three took a fresh look at Shelby and wondered if they'd be next to be pounded like that – and whether they, like Shelby, would have what it took to overcome the punishment and emerge victorious.
Seeing the dip in mood, Freddie took on the mantle of life of the party; he used their state of the art sound system to put some up-tempo tunes on and dancing with their guests (Shelby sat out after the first tune, when she discovered that too much movement too fast still caused her pain). He succeeded in lifting the mood of the girls and ensured that, by the time they left a little after 2 a.m., a good time had been had by all, including Shelby, who enjoyed watching her friends and fiancé have fun. It didn't stop her, however, playing for as much sympathy as she could in getting him to help her to bed (something he was more than happy to do).
Sunday, 24th March 2014.
Freddie felt groggy as he woke; he glanced to his side, happy to see that Shelby was sleeping; she'd struggled to fall asleep all night, which affected his own pattern (not quite enough for either to go to the extent of retreating to the spare room). Seeing that it was daytime, and knowing that he'd have a lot of work to do putting the highlight package of last night's fight together for their viewers and the download audience, he sighed and got out of bed, running a hand through his messy hair as he did. He picked up his clothes from the floor, pulled them on and headed downstairs to the kitchen.
Shelby awoke around half an hour later as her fiancé returned to their room, carrying a tray laden with breakfast items. She hauled herself into a sitting position and smiled at the brown-haired man. He set the tray down on the bed before stripping to his boxer shorts and getting back in; between them they manoeuvred the tray so that he could sit comfortably next to her and they could enjoy their meal.
"Are you still thinking about quitting?" he asked quietly as they ate; Shelby said nothing for a few seconds but took a contemplative sip of orange juice.
"I'm not thinking about it," she corrected him, "Freddie, I'm done with it. I can't keep on taking that level of punishment. It's not just the blows and the bruises – one big shot, one hefty knock-out and it could…" she shivered a little at the thought of some of the horror stories of the effects of head injuries in sports such as hers and boxing, the girl she'd (temporarily) reduced to merely being able to gibber due to the vicious beating she'd handed out in one of her past bouts. "It's not just that I could lose my unbeaten record or my reputation, it's my health that's at stake now, our future," she covered his right hand with her left. "You do understand, don't you?"
He managed to prevent himself from laughing; instead he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. "Shelby, I agree with you 100%. Every time I watch you fight I feel a mix of pride and fear, and with these new girls it's becoming a torture seeing you have to dig deeper and deeper to stay on top, having to compete and battle instead of conquer, kick ass and take names. Last night when you first said you were quitting I was really hoping that you meant it; you'll get no argument from me."
"But what about the channel? Your job? It's not just my career, it's yours as well that would be affected," she protested, surprised at his agreement; she'd expected him to echo Sam, to try and build her up and tell her she was invincible and was now looking at the counter-arguments she had expected him to supply.
"The channel's had a good run," he shrugged, "and maybe someone, one or more of the other girls' teams – or even the CFC itself – will want to acquire it from us. If they do then maybe they'll want to keep me on, maybe they won't. Like you I've earned a good living from it, we've got some money saved. As a shareholder in it I'd make some more if the CFC or someone did buy it but not retain me; I was always planning on going to college eventually, once the channel ended, maybe now is the time to do that if my job there does go."
Shelby thought for a moment as she absorbed his words and his logic; the thought that he already had a plan in place for what he might do with his life made her reflect on how she hadn't given it any thought herself, perhaps naively thinking that she'd go on forever. "What about me?" she asked timidly. "Fighting's been my life, professionally, since my early teens and the training and working out has been part of it since I was even younger. I haven't even begun to think about what I would do after. I guess I should have but I've felt invincible for so long," she gave a hollow laugh, "last night certainly beat that out of me."
Freddie chose to ignore the appropriate if unpleasant choice of phrase. "Well," he began slowly and thoughtfully, "remember the last time we saw Tori?"
Shelby suppressed a chuckle, opting not to mention that she 'saw Tori' every time she looked in a mirror – and Freddie therefore 'saw her' even more frequently; her mind wandered back to the last time the three of them had been together the previous month when she'd seen them during their vacation and what had happened and been discussed on that trip. "Go on," she settled for.
"Well, remember how she said her career was really starting to take off, that she was getting some auditions for parts?" His fiancée nodded. "Maybe she needs a stunt double for some of them?" he suggested. Shelby's eyes (looking better after a night's sleep and the ice pack treatment) lit up a little further at the idea. She pondered on the idea, and on what it would mean; it would give her reason to keep working out, carry on her training and fitness - and it could mean she still got her 'buzz' from the adrenaline of the situations she'd be in but would be something she could do without all of the risks and unpredictability of the octagon.
"That's quite the idea," she complimented. now smiling happily. "If you do go to school then I guess I could as well – I mean, I'd probably need some sort of training before I could do it – but I'll talk to Tori soon; maybe she can shed some light on how I'd go about it."
"It looks like we have some calls to make then," he smiled briefly before his face fell a little. "The hardest part would be selling this place – our first real home." His fiancée looked confused for a moment until he explained, "If you're going to be a stunt double you'd probably have to be based in either New York or more likely LA, where the major players, networks and studios are - rather than Seattle. I probably could go to school up here but it would be far easier to get noticed and involved in things down there… and it would be a lot easier to use my contacts," he thought on Tori and her friends; he'd done a little bit of contract-based work on one of Tori's films based on her recommendation (his work on iCarly and on Shelby's channel were also well known to the executives, meaning the suggestion had been well received) and was sure that the others would be as willing as she had been was to put some work and recommendations his way if they could.
Shelby's face fell at the thought of selling and leaving their home; it wasn't a dream, palatial place but it was nice and it was theirs... and there were plenty of great memories that they had of it, fun times with her friends – friends they'd also be leaving behind if they moved south.
"There's a lot to think about, isn't there?" she said quietly.
"Yep," he confirmed, "but the first thing you need to worry about is recovering from that fight."
She nodded and went back to her breakfast, leaving plans for the future to one side for now.
AN: Thanks for reading. As you can see, quite a lot has happened since the original story ended (not least an apparent reconciliation, or at least peace, with Carly and Sam), some of which will be revisited in future chapters (as such there will be a bit of non-linearity as we explore various incidents in the life of Sheddie over the past year and a half or so). I will probably still be focussing most of my writing on When Something Better Comes Along but there may be a couple of chapters for this as well before that one finishes. PD
