Broken Wings

Author's Note: Many people know that Rey is my favorite wrestler, but this story will be Dave/OC-centric. I think there's a lot that can be done with Dave's character because of his past, and his problems in real life. Therefore, while the story is fiction, and Lily is obviously a fictional character, a good portion of the story is loosely based off reality. And please, if you are reading and enjoying the story, leave a review/feedback. Feedback pushes me further than anything else does.

Summary: On the outside, he's one of the toughest people you'd ever meet. On the inside, he's just as weak and vulnerable as the rest of us. A closer look into Dave Batista's life. [BatistaOC

Rating: This story is rated M for Mature, it contains content for mature readers only, including: language, strong sexual content, minor substance abuse, and some graphic violence.

Disclaimer: I don't own WWE, and I am not affiliated with them. I don't own any of the characters mentioned in this story, other than Lily, who is a figment of my imagination. The other characters are property of WWE.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prologue

"Hello?" He grumbled.

"Hey stranger."

There was a sweetness when she spoke that seemed to swallow up his pain. Her voice was soft, almost angelic, and comforting. He had just gotten into an argument with one of his friends backstage. The whole disagreement was stupid.

"I wanted to talk to you about next week…" She began.

"This really isn't a good time…"

"Dave, it's getting to be kind of last minute…" She let out a frustrated sigh.

"I'm sorry. Can't I call you later?"

"You can, but you won't. I know you won't."

"I really don't care at the moment. Bye, Lily." He snapped his cell phone shut, ending the call.

She rolled her eyes and dropped her cell phone back into her purse.

Twelve years of friendship wasn't bad, considering everything they had been through and how different their lives were. Lily and Dave met when they were both teenagers. After they developed a mutual trust they became close, but tension broke out a couple of years later and they went their separate ways.

Dave had gotten involved with the wrong kind of people. He had very little guidance from his family because he started taking care of himself at such a young age. He wasn't a bad person, just… misguided. She knew the real Dave very well.

He often gave people a poor first impression. Lily had heard many times that he had a pretty bad reputation in the locker room. Apparently the other wrestlers believed that he was arrogant; at least too arrogant having not trained or wrestled as long as most of them had.

Lily knew Dave was often quiet and serious, particularly when it came to his work, and it was so often mistaken for arrogance.

Others assumed Dave leeched off Paul, since Paul was, after all, married to the boss' daughter. Well, when you've only got a few friends in the business, you tend to lean on them for support.

She had also heard that fans' experiences with him varied greatly; some thought he was very nice, while others thought he was an ass. If a fan had met him on one of his bad days, she knew that his attitude would greatly affect his behavior towards them. He had a severe inability to deal with stress and personal issues. Dave would hold everything that was bothering him inside, and over time, those troubles would build up until it was too much for him, and then he would let his anger out on something or someone else. And that particular attitude usually irritated others and pushed them away. He constantly struggled with separating his personal life from his professional life.

And what made it even more difficult for him was that while many people found healthier ways to express their anger, he was unable to, and Dave's big heart was no match for his bad temper.

His temper… well, bad was an understatement. His temper was so horrible at one point in his life that he had nearly killed two people.

When he was a young adult and he worked as a bouncer at a club, two individuals had attacked his fellow bouncers, and his rage got the best of him. By the time he was finished with them, they were lying on the ground, barely able to move. In addition to scaring his family and friends, the incident also left Dave shaken up.

Lily could clearly remember the day like it was yesterday. She got a call from Dave's mother, Donna, telling her that he was at the District of Columbia (D.C.) Department of Corrections. Days later the case went to court and he was sentenced to a year of probation, which was when Dave and Lily's relationship undoubtedly hit rock bottom.

They lost touch, and although she missed Dave, he only continued to push her farther and farther away. They didn't mend their friendship until a couple of years later. By then, he was training at Wild Samoan Afa's wrestling school in Pennsylvania.

Luckily he was able to control his rage better than he could years ago, but anyone in their right mind still wouldn't want to put it to the test.

In all honesty, on one of those days, she would do anything in her power to avoid him. When he was in one of those moods, she knew he could be a real prick.

But Dave was truly a sensitive and affectionate individual, and he was extremely loyal to those who stuck by his side through the rough days. There were a few times when Lily would run to him with tears streaming down her cheeks, and he was a big teddy bear.

Unfortunately, it was a side of him that few people saw, because it was hidden beneath his a rough exterior.

One of the most frustrating things for Lily was when Dave would shut her out. They had reached an understanding that she wouldn't push too hard for him to talk to her about his problems, because when someone dug too deep he would push them away, but she hated seeing him struggle through everything alone. She wanted to help, though most of the time he wouldn't let her.

She loved Dave to death; he was one of her closest friends. Unfortunately, her patience with him (and his attitude) was growing shorter each time. It's difficult to have a relationship with someone when the two of you are barely able to communicate.

She didn't have time to deal with it at the moment anyway, or she'd be late for work. She dug her car keys out and grabbed her jacket before making her way out the door.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was nearly 10:30 at night when Lily got home, and she was exhausted. She ascended the stairs towards her bedroom. When she set her purse down on the dresser, she noticed she didn't have any new messages on her cell phone. She sat down on the edge of her bed and took her shoes off.

Lily knew she had to take the conversation she had with Dave earlier in the day with a grain of salt, but she had to admit she was a little surprised that he didn't call her back.

She brushed it off and got ready to take a shower. She wasn't about to let someone else's crummy attitude ruin the rest of her evening.