Chapter 28: Ash

I can't believe what I am watching. Lexa looks like the stay puff marshmallow man in there trying to fight. She circles Amanda throwing jabs to try and find her range, but Amanda dodges them easily then does the same. They continue to throw jabs and kicks for a while, getting used to moving in the pads. Finally, Amanda shoots for a takedown around Lexa's waist. Instead of sprawling, Lexa grabs Amanda under her arms, falling backward using the momentum to flip Amanda, landing in full mount. She then begins elbowing Amanda in the head. She gets in a few good shots before Amanda bucks her off, and Lexa lets her get back to her feet.

I glance a Dana seeing him look surprised. He hasn't seen anything yet. I can tell by the way Lexa is moving that she is becoming more comfortable. Amanda charges in, hitting Lexa with a combination backing her up into the fence, where she gets her in a clinch. Lexa immediately grabs her in a Thai clinch around the neck, throwing knees to the body. Amanda works in the clinch, trying to take her down. She throws a couple of knees to Lexa's body, then Lexa nails her with a knee to the head that knocks her back, which she follows up with a spinning back fist.

At this point, I think Amanda is becoming irritated, and she unleashes another combination backing Lexa up into the fence. After that, they continue to go back and forth until the end of the round. Then Dana asks Amanda, "What do you think?"

Amanda walks over, "She's pretty good. Have you seen enough?"

He smiles, nodding. Once Lexa has taken off the pads, Dana looks at me, "Would you mind if Amanda takes Asher and shows him how to hit the bags while we go into the office and talk contracts?"

I look at Octavia and Clarke, "Would you guys mind keeping an eye on him?"

They nod, following Asher and Amanda. We follow Dana up to his office once we were all seated. He says, "So, Commander, what are you thinking as far as terms to make this happen?"

I look at Lexa and then back to Dana, "First call me Ash, and second you will have to ask her. I'm just here for moral support."

He looked between the two of us, "I thought Lexa said that you were her agent."

She speaks up, "I did, but I also said that I would be making my own deals. So, Dana, what are you thinking?"

He replies, "Well, the standard for first-time fighters is $50,000 for making weight and showing up to fight. There is an opportunity for bonuses. There's a $50,000 bonus for the fight of the night and another $50,000 for the performance of the night."

Lexa says, "Okay, but how much do I make if I win?"

He smiles and says, "Normally, first-time fighters only make the base pay for showing up whether they win or lose. Since you are stepping in at the last minute, I am willing to negotiate with you. I can offer you a $100,000 bonus if you win, plus I will supply all of your prefight and fight gear."

She says, "That sounds reasonable, but what about tickets to the fight for my friends? And t-shirts? I will need gear for my physician as well. I want to look professional if I'm going to be on television."

He laughs, "You sure know how to negotiate for someone who has never done this before. Fine, how many tickets and t-shirts do you need?"

Lexa looks at me, and I just shrug. I don't have any idea how many friends she has. I am really impressed at how well she is handling this. I don't know if I could have done this well. She smiles, "I think fifteen should do. Now let's talk merchandising. When I win, you will be able to make a killing on t-shirts and posters with my name and face on them. I think it is only fair that I make a percentage of the sales, I'm thinking about 15%. How does that sound, Dana?"

"It sounds to me like you are getting way ahead of yourself, kid, but I like your confidence. I would be willing to give you 3% of merchandising."

"Nope, that's too low. Think about the hype that's going to follow when I win. As far as everyone knows, I'm a chump off the street. When I beat Jewel, a seasoned, well-known fighter, people will want merchandise with the new kid's name on it. How about 10%?"

Now he starts laughing again, "Okay, final offer is 7%."

Lexa smiles, "Fine, but if I decide to fight for you again, we will renegotiate the terms. These terms are just for this fight. I am under no obligations to fight in the UFC again, correct?"

Dana looks at me and says, "Damn, no wonder you let her make her own deal. She has a real head for business. To answer her question, yes, this is a one-fight contract anything beyond the fight on Saturday will require a new contract to be signed."

I say, "Business isn't the only thing she is good at. Wait until you see her fight, and trust me, you don't want to get into a knife or gunfight with her either."

He just gives me a funny look and tells us he will have his attorney draw up the contract while we go down to the print shop and tell them what I want on my gear. The contract is signed about an hour later, and we are all loading up the helicopter with gear and equipment. Lexa and I shake Dana's hand and promise to be in LA on Friday by noon for the weigh-ins.

Once we are airborne, I look at Lexa, "I can't believe all the stuff you were able to get, plus how did you even know to ask about merchandising?"

She says, "I can't take the credit for that one. Raquel text me last night and told me to ask for it."

Asher is talking 900 miles a minute about how Amanda taught him how to hit and kick a heavy bag, and he got his shirt signed by everyone there. He was literally vibrating in his seat. I ask him, "Do you want to fly into the Grand Canyon and take some pictures?"

He says, "Yes, and O and Lark are going to text you the pictures we took while you were with Dana. Can you send them to mom? Also, can you take a picture of Xa, you, and me in the canyon with our Stryker shirts on to send to mom?"

"Sure, buddy. Anything you want."

Morrigan is a great pilot. She's able to fly us over the hoover dam and through the Grand Canyon, giving us some unbelievable views. After an amazing flight through the canyon, she lands on a helipad at the bottom near the river. We all get out, walk around taking pictures, and enjoying the beauty of it all. All too soon, it is time to head home. On the flight back, Asher fell asleep with his head in my lap. He was so cute today and seemed to have a great time. I just hope that Callie doesn't get too mad about all the pictures with Asher and Lexa, but he insisted that I take them.

I look over at Lexa, and she is staring out the window while Octavia and Clarke are talking about everything that happened today. I say, "Penny, for your thoughts."

She smiles and says, "Just thinking about everything that has happened in the past year and how far we've come in such a short time. I spent so many lonely years dreaming of a better life that now it is hard to believe that this isn't all some elaborate dream that I will wake up from, and I will still just be that lonely girl stuck in the desert again."

"Lexa, trust me, this isn't a dream that you are going to wake up from, and you will never be lonely again. You have fought hard for everything that you now have, and no one can take that away from you. You are now a part of a family. You have me, mom, Asher, Octavia, Reed, Jose, Bellamy, Abby, and the rest of your group."

Clarke says, "Hey, you forgot about me. After everything I saw today during the physical, I should be listed in there somewhere." As soon as she says it, she turns beet red. I don't think she realized how it would sound when she said it out loud. When I looked at Lexa, she was just as red.

I laugh, "Um…what exactly did your physical entail, Lexa?"

"A million and one questions about each and every scar on my body. Poor Clarke now knows almost every inch of my body probably almost as good as you do!"

Now it is my turn to be embarrassed. I start to stutter, "Um…What…I-I meant…"

O is dying and says, "I don't know about the two of you, but I don't find it hard to look at Lexa's body. It may sound weird, but it is like a work of art, sculpted from stone or something. It's too bad she is like my sister. Otherwise, Ash, we may be fighting over her."

Lexa screams, "Okay, that is quite enough about my body. The next one that mentions it doesn't get a ticket to the fight."

I just laugh but can't help but feel like something is growing between Clarke and Lexa.