TITLE: Come As You Are (1/1)
AUTHOR: Bellerophon
EMAIL: bellerophon_666@hotmail.com
CATEGORY: WWF
RATING: PG
DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters. I'm just playing with them.
DISTRIBUTION: If anyone wants it, just let me know. Can be found later at fanfiction.net.
SUMMARY: Molly Holly gets some much needed support from an old friend.
COME AS YOU ARE
Shane 'Hurricane' Helms grabbed his bag and left the Smackdown locker room, ignoring the sympathetic looks from the rest of the guys in there. He didn't want pity. He wanted his title back. If Kidman had been around, Shane might've hung out with him but as it was, he was ready to leave the arena.
He took his normal route through the little used back hallways and corridors. Shane liked the quiet echo of footsteps and isolation the longer exit allowed him. He swallowed back a groan as some spots of his body began to ache again.
Shane stopped when he turned a corner. His old partner was sitting on the steps looking at her title. He guessed he shouldn't haven been surprised to run into Molly somewhere round here. She used to love wandering the catacombs of the different arenas.
Shane was going to turn around and walk away. He didn't need to see this face from the past right now. It had been a hard night.
But then he heard her crying softly.
Shane sighed and then walked over to her. "Hey, Molly."
She looked up, surprised by Shane's sudden appearance. "Shane?"
Shane couldn't restrain the familiar urge to make Molly feel alright. He sat down close beside her and tapped the Women's title in her hands. "Congratulations."
Molly looked down at the title, and set on the ground. "Thanks."
"You don't look too happy," Shane began trying to get Molly to talk to him.
She gestured at the title at her feet. "This was all I wanted. I wanted everyone to see that I was just as good as Trish. But she made it so personal." Molly futilely wiped at the water on her cheeks. More tears just swpt down to take their place. "I heard what Lawler and JR were saying afterwards. Stacy was replaying the match and laughing in the locker room." Molly laughed humourlessly. "She asked me if I wanted some diet advice."
Shane winced. That Stacy was some piece of work.
"Maybe she was right. Maybe I do need to diet." Molly hiccupped. "I guess I could look better."
"Molly, that's not true," Shane tried to placate her. But he wasn't happy with JR and Lawler either. Their comments had been plain mean and uncalled for. Lawler was like that, but he'd expected better from JR.
She just kept talking. "I know I'm not perfect. I'm not pretty like Trish and I don't have a great body like her. But I'm not fat and I just don't understand why everyone has to be this way." Tears were still rolling down her smooth cheeks.
Shane thought frantically about what was the best way to deal with this. He really didn't want Molly attacking him in an offended fit. His night had been crappy enough already, what with that bitch Nidia and her redneck boyfriend Noble stealing his title.
Finally, he just blurted out what came to mind. "I think you're pretty."
Molly sniffed. "Really?"
"Really. You're real," Shane tried to gather his thoughts. "Trish and most of the other divas are like carbon copies of each other. It's like they're made of plastic. Hell, some parts of them are."
"Most guys seem to like that," Molly muttered.
Shane ignored that. "But you, you're natural. Your body is beautiful because its you. No trying to fix anything, trying to improve it." Shane sighed. "I don't think I'm saying this very well. Okay, here's an example. Trish is like the hot woman at the bar every guy stares at. She's a fantasy woman. But not one of those guys would consider spending the rest of his life with her. She's all eye candy."
Molly nodded, not quite understanding where this was going.
"You're the woman at the bar that some guys don't notice. Maybe only one does. But the one that does is the luckiest son of a bitch in the world because *you* are beautiful inside as well as out. You're worth way more than Trish Stratus." Shane snorted. "You might've been acting a little bitchy lately but, hey, we all have rough patches."
Molly frowned. "I am not acting bitchy. I'm just, uh..."
"PMS?" Shane questioned. He wasn't surprised when she smacked his shoulder. "Okay, I won't argue."
Molly swallowed. Somehow, Shane always made her admit her faults. "Maybe, I haven't been the nicest person around."
Shane nodded. "The judges will accept that as an admittal." And that was that. Shane let the issue go.
Molly remembered that was one of the great things about Shane. He never pushed her. He just let her be when she wasn't willing to delve into her own feelings. Molly was struck by the thought that maybe that was why they never got together.
"You get what I'm saying about you and Trish?" Shane wanted to make sure she wouldn't start getting that inferior feeling again. She was better than that. "You understand what I meant?"
"I think so." Molly saw Shane's look. "I get what you're saying."
"No more tears, 'kay" He nudged her shoulder.
Molly nodded, "'Kay."
"Feeling better?"
"Yeah," Molly smiled up at him and Shane got a glimpse at the old Molly Holly. The Molly who had been his closest friend and, Shane had once thought, possibly more. "Thanks, Shane. I, uh, I saw your match. I watched it backstage."
Shane grimaced. "What did you think?"
"I thought you had a great match and deserved to keep your title. That Neckbreaker off the top rope was insane. Jeff Hardy would've been proud." Molly took his hand and began playing with his fingers like she used to. Old habits must die hard, Shane thought. "I also thought the crowd was right when they said Nidia is a crack whore."
Shane looked at Molly, shocked.
She grinned back at him. "Maybe I'm not completely pure and innocent. And it would be wrong to lie."
"Good point."
Molly chuckled. "You'll get your title back in no time. You're the best in the Cruiserweight division."
Shane squeezed Molly's hand. "Thanks. That means a lot coming from you." He looked down at her into her shining blue eyes. Shane had liked Molly as a blonde but this new hair, well, the brunette suited her.
Molly half smiled and said nothing. Shane breathed out as nervousness overame him all of a sudden. He cleared his throat and tried to think of something to break the thick air. "And since you won the Women's title, you can come and see me on Smackdown."
"Oh, that's right," Molly gave a little squeal. "I didn't even think of that. That'll be super!"
"We can get up to all sorts of shenanigans. Just like old times, right?"
"Right." Molly eyed Shane's short green hair. "I like your hair. It looks good short and the green streaks are a nice touch, citizen Hurricane."
"Same to you, citizen Molly. Except swap the green for brown."
Molly touched her hair. She liked it too. "I don't think green would look so good in my hair."
"I don't know about that. I could go get some Manic Panic and we could test it out," Shane grinned at the image of Molly with green streaks in her hair.
"I tell you what. I'll put green streaks in my hair when you put pink streaks in yours." Molly held her right hand out. "Deal?"
"Pink? Well, you never know. It's a deal." Shane shook Molly's hand. "Whaddya say we go get ourselves something to drink. I know this nifty little bar just down the street." Shane stood up and held out his hand, "Come on, Toots, let's blow this popsicle stand."
Molly smiled up at him and took his hand. "That sounds great, Mac."
He helped her to her feet and began walking down the hallway with her. "So did I tell you it's a karaoke bar?"
"What?"
"Yeah, we can do a duet, and possibly get booed off the stage."
"Not on your life, buster."
"Please? Do it for me?"
Molly looked up at Shane and smiled privately. "Maybe. Maybe I'll do it." Shane began swinging her hand in his. She liked him being near again. "I'll do it for you."
*******
This is my little ode to Molly Holly who I think is the best on the women's roster and deserves to be women's champion. She's got some great moves and the Molly-go-round is just really cool. That sort of extreme move is normally reserved for the highflyers like the Hardys or Billy Kidman. Plus, the whole she's got a fat backside thing is so infuriating. She looks like a real woman, not a plastic barbie doll and she gets called fat. I really don't like that angle at all and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of women agree with me.