It's long overdue that I post this. I say this because I've had the idea for this one-shot in the back of my mind (and sitting on my flash drive) ever since I saw the August 2 episode of SmackDown. I'm mostly basing this around Cody after he was attacked by Damien, Kaitlyn after she lost to AJ & was betrayed by Layla, and how it would've went if Cody had found Kaitlyn.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used in this. They are the property of themselves and the WWE. All I own is the idea behind this.
Cody Rhodes had had about as much as he could take. Ever since Money in the Bank, he and his former tag team partner, Damien Sandow, had been at odds with each other. But then again, Cody had just cause to be angry at Damien, seeing as how he robbed Cody of the opportunity to get the Money in the Bank briefcase. That Sunday, Cody couldn't help but feel that he had the rug pulled from under his feet and by somebody who he saw as a close friend no less. The following Tuesday on SmackDown, Damien called Cody out to the ring with, what he called, 'an olive branch between the two'. Hearing this, Cody felt slightly forgiving, until he heard what this 'olive branch' was; being the keeper and guardian of Damien's Money in the Bank briefcase. This was a gesture that infuriated Cody because he didn't want to play second fiddle to a blowhard like Damien, a man who was many years his junior in the WWE. So, instead of saying that he was rejecting the offer, Cody attacked Damien and took him down in the middle of the ring, effectively letting the message stand that there was no possible way that he was going to be Damien's manservant. That attack helped solidify the end of Rhodes Scholars and kick-started a feud between the two men, one that saw Cody getting the upper hand over his former tag team partner numerous times.
That night on SmackDown, Cody had won his match for the night against Jack Swagger. Not too long after he won his match, he was stopped for an interview by Renee Young.
"Cody, if I may. In recent weeks, you've been making it seem like a goal to stop Damien Sandow from cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase. Would you mind telling us why you keep doing so?" Renee asked.
"Do you really want to know why? OK, I'll tell you why, Renee. You see, for the longest time, I thought Damien Sandow was somebody that I could consider to be a really close friend. We've been tag team partners for the better part of a year now. So, the fact that he felt the need to throw me off of that ladder at Money in the Bank and steal the briefcase for himself was pretty much spitting on that so-called friendship we had going. Now, I'm simply paying him back for what he did," Cody said, before turning on his heel and walking off. He didn't get far because soon after he said that, Damien tackled him and beat him up, leaving Cody clutching at his waist. Before Cody could try to get in a hit, Damien sped off, leaving the younger man dazed. After Cody could finally manage to stand up, he walked to the medic's office to get his waist bandaged up.
…
Kaitlyn couldn't believe it. This feud between her and AJ had been going on for the better part of a few months, but she was getting fed up with the whole thing. And it all started because in AJ's eyes, Kaitlyn was never there for her when she needed her the most. Kaitlyn was nothing but a loyal friend to AJ, but the minute AJ's relationships began, their friendship slowly started to fall apart. At first, Kaitlyn was doing her best to warn AJ from getting too involved, but when reasoning with AJ failed, Kaitlyn ended their friendship and moved on to other endeavors. She worked for weeks to finally win the Divas Championship for the first time from Eve Torres in one of her hardest-fought matches she'd had during her time in the WWE.
After several months, Kaitlyn soon started receiving messages and gifts from a mystery person claiming to be a 'secret admirer'. Her joy at this was matched by her want to find out who exactly this man could be. She cycled through a list of all of the potential candidates on the roster, but kept hitting one dead end after another in her search. Then, one night, she received a message saying that her secret admirer was going to reveal himself on RAW the next week. This filled Kaitlyn with joy and anticipation. So, when the big night finally came, she had put on one of the cutest dresses she had and went down to the ring in nervous anticipation. But, when Big E Langston came down to the ring, Kaitlyn's anticipation was immediately replaced with a feeling of confusion.
Taking a microphone, Kaitlyn asked "Big E? You're my secret admirer?"
"Yes, Kaitlyn, it's me. I couldn't hold back how I've been feeling about you any longer," Big E said.
Kaitlyn didn't know what exactly to say, so it surprised her even more when Big E grabbed her by her arms and pulled her close to him. Big E then leaned in like he was going to kiss Kaitlyn, only to let go of her and let her fall down to the mat. All Kaitlyn could do was look up at Big E in confusion before "Let's Light It Up" blared through the speakers and AJ Lee came skipping down to the ring. AJ climbed into the ring and, grabbing the microphone from Big E, said "How does it feel, Kaitlyn? How does it feel to be humiliated in front of everyone, like how you humiliated me by turning your back on me? You left me alone and now, because of your stubbornness, you're all alone now."
Kaitlyn could do nothing. She had absolutely no words for how this prank by her former best friend made her feel. Not finding the words to say, Kaitlyn started to cry as AJ and Big E left the ring and watched with smirks on their faces. After Kaitlyn could finally bring herself to leave the ring, she immediately got the feeling that she was being watched. Looking around, she saw that a lot of the people backstage were staring at her. Not paying them any mind, she went to her locker room to get her bags. She just wanted to head back to the hotel she was staying in, go to bed and just forget that this night ever happened.
Weeks had passed since that night and Kaitlyn still couldn't quite get over what AJ did to her. Not only had AJ cooked up a scheme that effectively made Kaitlyn isolate herself from most of her friends, but she also managed to win the championship belt Kaitlyn had spent months working to win. Due to this, Kaitlyn had felt as if she had nothing left. At least Layla was showing that she was still there for her.
"It'll be okay, Kaitlyn. No one would've ever guessed that AJ was planning all of the 'secret admirer' stuff just as a ploy to make you weak enough for her to swoop in and win the Divas Championship," Layla said.
"I know, Lay. It just still makes me feel low that someone who was once one of my best friends would've done something like this," Kaitlyn said, getting ready for her match for the night.
"At least you get to have a small measure of revenge tonight when you go up against AJ," Layla said. "And don't worry. I'll be out there cheering you on."
"Thanks, Lay. You're a good friend, you know that right?" Kaitlyn said, hugging Layla.
"I know, Kait. I know I am," Layla said, hugging Kaitlyn back. But, what Kaitlyn couldn't see was Layla smirking evilly behind her back.
...
Kaitlyn had been doing a fairly good job at fighting AJ through their match. She was letting out her frustrations over the fact that she had been screwed over in front of the WWE Universe and that she had been led on for weeks, thinking that there was somebody on the roster that was kind enough to send her all of those gifts. Kaitlyn had just thrown AJ into the ropes closest to the commentator's table when AJ slipped out of the ring. Not wanting AJ to get away, Kaitlyn got out of the ring herself and chased after AJ. AJ ran and hid behind Layla when Kaitlyn came to a stop in front of the two. Kaitlyn told Layla to move, but to Kaitlyn's surprise, Layla shook her head while AJ slipped around Layla and got back in the ring. Confused, Kaitlyn just shook it off and went back to the ring herself. When she climbed back through the ropes, Kaitlyn got hit with a baseball slide from AJ, causing her to fall on the mat. AJ took advantage of Kaitlyn being knocked on the mat by picking her up and performing her submission finisher, the Black Widow, on her. With no energy left in her to fight out of the submission hold, Kaitlyn had no choice but to tap out, giving the win to AJ. It took the referee yelling at AJ to release the hold before Kaitlyn was let out and she fell to the mat, holding her right arm. Lying on the mat, Kaitlyn looked on in shock and disbelief as AJ and Layla laughed at her and then link arms as the two skipped away.
For the second time in weeks, Kaitlyn had to deal with being screwed over by someone that she thought was her friend. After a few minutes, Kaitlyn finally got to her feet and made her way backstage. No real direction in mind, Kaitlyn walked until she found a relatively deserted area that had a few equipment crates stacked up against one of the walls. Finding a crate that had nothing on top of it, Kaitlyn sat down on and, doing a quick sweep of the area, let the tears that were building up inside of her roll down her face. She was feeling more alone than ever at this moment because she had thought that Layla was one of the only friends she had left to fall back on. But after seeing Layla turn on her just to be with AJ, it finally sunk in that Kaitlyn really was alone. So, with nothing better to do, she sat and cried in the hopes that no one would find her.
…
"And there you go. Just keep the ice pack on your chest for fifteen minutes and you'll be fine," said one of the medics.
"OK. Thanks for that, doc," Cody said, making sure to keep the ice pack the doctor gave him in place under the Ace bands. Walking out of the medic's office, Cody made a left to head for the locker room so that he could shower and change out of his trunks and boots so that he could head back to the hotel. As he walked past one of the areas that held a lot of the equipment crates, he heard a quiet sniffling from down the hall. Curiously, Cody peered down the hall before calling out to see if he could get a response from whoever was down there.
"Hello? Is someone there?" Cody called.
Around their sniffles, the person said "Whoever you are, just go away."
Faintly recognizing the voice, Cody stepped around the nearest stack of crates and walked down the hallway, following the sound of sniffling. When he reached the source of the crying, he was surprised to find that it was Kaitlyn. "Kaitlyn? What's wrong? Why are you back here crying?"
Looking up to see Cody Rhodes staring down at her, Kaitlyn said "Really, Cody? You don't know? Well, since you seem so interested in knowing, I pretty much just got made a fool of again on TV."
"I'm confused. What happened?" Cody asked.
"I had a match against AJ tonight on TV and Layla went with me to cheer me on. I almost had AJ, but when she ducked out of the ring and ran to hide behind Layla, I told Layla to move out of the way. When she didn't, I made nothing of it until I climbed back in the ring and got hit with a baseball slide. And, to add insult to injury, AJ beats me with that Black Widow submission of hers. While I'm lying the mat trying to get some feeling back in my arm, I look over only to see those two skipping off," Kaitlyn said.
"Oh, dang. I'm sorry to hear that. But, why would Layla go through all this just to help AJ beat you?" Cody asked.
"In my opinion, I think she may have been on AJ's side all while I was being baited into thinking I had a secret admirer a few weeks ago. Ever since it was revealed that it was just a joke by AJ and Big E, things just haven't been going my way. First, I lose the Divas Championship to AJ. Then, I pretty much lose almost all of my friends," Kaitlyn said. "I swear the universe is conspiring against me."
Hearing Kaitlyn's explanation for why she was crying, Cody started to feel bad for the Diva. He remembers all too well the weeks of Kaitlyn trying to find out who her secret admirer was. In fact, there was a point when Kaitlyn had actually thought it was him. Cody hadn't been paying much mind to Kaitlyn during those past few weeks, but after really listening to Kaitlyn vent about being double-crossed by her former friend, Cody really started to feel bad that Kaitlyn had to go through weeks of being led on. He wasn't even aware that Kaitlyn was talking to him until he saw her wave her hand in front of his face. Snapping out of his thoughts, Cody said "I'm sorry, Kaitlyn. I was thinking about something. What were you saying?"
"I was just asking about what the deal with the Ace band and ice pack was. What happened to you? Did you lose a fight or something?" Kaitlyn asked.
Looking down at the Ace band covering his midsection, Cody said "Like you, I've been having to deal with ex-best friend troubles of my own. Ever since I called things off with Damien, he's pretty much been trying to make my career here as much of a pain as he can."
"So I've noticed. After all, I did see that segment between you two. And, word to the wise, JBL totally made things between you and Damien seem way more awkward than they were when he said you two had a real Sam and Frodo bond," Kaitlyn said. "That's right. The self-proclaimed 'Wrestling God' made a Lord of the Rings joke about you two."
Groaning, Cody said "Don't remind me. I had to deal with people Tweeting about that for days."
Laughing, Kaitlyn said "Don't sound so embarrassed about it. If it makes you feel any better, there's no way Damien could ever be Sam or Frodo. The guy's just too full of himself to really look out for his teammates."
"I'm more than aware of that now," Cody said. He hadn't noticed it, but Kaitlyn had stopped her crying and genuinely seemed happier than she initially was. "Well, it seems like you're feeling a lot better now. I guess you don't need me around anymore."
Watching Cody turn to leave, Kaitlyn stopped him by grabbing his arm. "Wait. I don't want you to leave yet."
Turning back to look at the slightly smaller Diva, Cody said "Kaitlyn, I'm sure you don't need me around anymore. After all, isn't Alex here waiting for you?"
"Alex couldn't make it this week. She's at her house in North Carolina fighting a really bad cold, so she decided not to bother with traveling at all this week. Which has left me to travel all by myself," Kaitlyn said. "And I'll admit, it's been a bit depressing to have to stay in hotel rooms by myself."
Hearing Kaitlyn say that she was traveling by herself, Cody started to feel a bit bad that he was going to walk away from the Diva. Not wanting to let her be alone tonight, Cody said "Well, I'm in a bit of a similar situation myself. I'm pretty much traveling by myself, which is seriously boring. So, maybe, if you'd like to, you could always come room with me."
"Really? You'd let me room with you?" Kaitlyn asked.
"Yeah. I mean, I've always been taught to never abandon a woman when she needs help the most. And it seems to me that you need a friend for the night," Cody said.
Blushing, Kaitlyn said "I didn't really think anyone noticed that I was in need of a friend. It's sweet that at least you're willing to let me room with you tonight. But, before we go, we should both shower."
"Good idea. I'll meet up with you outside the Divas locker room in fifteen minutes," Cody said.
"OK. I'll try not to keep you waiting," Kaitlyn said, smiling.
…
Cody stood outside of the Divas locker room as he waited for Kaitlyn to finish her shower and change before the two left for the night. He may not have been trying to show it, but he was nervous about letting Kaitlyn stay in his room tonight. The reason behind this was because it had been months since he last had a Diva room with him. But, he wasn't going to let that stop him from trying to have a good night in with Kaitlyn. Checking his phone, Cody almost turned to walk away, thinking he got stood up, until the door to the Divas locker room swung open and Kaitlyn walked out.
Laughing a bit, Cody said "Nice shirt, Kaitlyn." He meant it in a joking manner, but Cody was subtly checking Kaitlyn out. Taking in her Snoopy 'I mustache you a question' shirt, below-the-knee capris, and open-toed sandals, Cody blurted "You look pretty cute in that."
Blushing, Kaitlyn said "Thanks, Cody. I'm liking what you're wearing too." And she meant it. Kaitlyn had always thought Cody was an attractive guy, and what he was wearing now made her think that even more. He was wearing a shirt that was made to be given out for the release of The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass, a pair of shorts that went past his knees, and a pair of Nikes. "Legend of Zelda. Nice choice in gaming."
"Thanks. I can't seem to get away from Legend of Zelda no matter how hard I try sometimes, so I just embrace my love of the games and play whenever I can," Cody said, laughing and rubbing the back of his head. "So, you ready to go?"
"Sure," Kaitlyn said, as she and Cody walked out of the building. "So, what's in the plans for tonight?"
"Aside from just going back to the hotel, I don't really have much planned," Cody said. He was about to suggest something else when he got cut off by simultaneous sounds of growling stomachs.
Giggling, Kaitlyn said "Maybe instead of just going back to the hotel, we could rent a couple of movies and get something to eat from somewhere to take with us. I don't know about you, but I'm starving over here."
"Sounds like a better plan than mine was. How about you handle getting the movies and I'll handle getting the food?" Cody said.
"OK. But, just a heads-up, I'm going to be bringing movies that are either funny or scary," Kaitlyn said, smirking. "You have been fairly warned."
"I'm up for anything you could possibly pick out for us to watch. Just make sure it's good," Cody said, returning Kaitlyn's smirk.
…
"So which movies did you pick for our viewing pleasure?" Cody said, as he set down the pizza he ordered for them.
"The Redbox selection had some good choices, so I decided to rent Identity Thief and, just for you, The Hobbit," Kaitlyn said, grinning.
Sarcastically laughing, Cody said "Oh, really funny, Kaitlyn. Now, put one of those movies in and come get a slice before I make you go to bed hungry tonight."
"Whatever you say," Kaitlyn said, as she hooked up the DVD player and put in Identity Thief. Walking over to Cody, Kaitlyn took her plate. "Thank you, sir."
"You're very much welcome. I hope you don't mind that I got pizza with mushrooms, pepperoni, and sausage," Cody said.
"I don't mind at all. With this much food, I'm sure we'll be sleeping like babies tonight," Kaitlyn said. "Now, come on. This movie's really funny, and I'm sure you'll like it."
"I'll be the judge of that," Cody said, smirking as the two sat on the beds.
The rest of the night was spent with Cody and Kaitlyn laughing at Identity Thief and being amazed at all of the scenes in The Hobbit. By the time The Hobbit ended and the two ate as much pizza as they could stomach, Kaitlyn was starting to get tired.
Around a yawn, Kaitlyn got up from the bed and, going to her duffel bag to get out her pajamas, said "I'm going to go change so that I can crash. All that food's starting to make me sleepy."
"OK. I'll be out here changing myself," Cody said, as Kaitlyn went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.
Getting out his own night clothes, Cody changed out of his shirt and shorts and put on a tank top and a pair of pajama pants. Hearing the door open behind him, Cody turned and saw Kaitlyn standing in the doorway in her own set of night clothes, which consisted of a pale pink spaghetti strap tank top and a pair of black yoga capris. Giving Kaitlyn a once-over, Cody said "Nice sleeping clothes."
Rubbing her eyes and looking at Cody, Kaitlyn said "You don't look too bad yourself for being dressed in night clothes."
Laughing, Cody said "I think you might just be saying that because you can barely stay awake. Come on and climb in the other bed. We've got to get up early tomorrow anyways, seeing as how we've got to get up early tomorrow morning."
Yawning again, Kaitlyn said "Good idea" as she climbed into one of the beds and Cody took the other one. Rolling over on her side once she was settled under the sheets, Kaitlyn said "And Cody, thanks for being there for me. You really are a good friend."
"No problem," Cody said. When he heard light snoring, he saw that Kaitlyn had fallen asleep. Before he fell asleep himself, Cody looked up at the ceiling and said "Good night, Kaitlyn. Just know that I'll always be there for you." And as he finished his sentence, he drifted off into the first peaceful sleep he had had in days.
The ending may have seemed a bit open-ended, but it was intentional on my part. So, don't hesitate to drop me a review to let me know what you thought of it. =)