Author's Note: This story is one of those "out of character" stories, which I've never done. Though, the two people in question made it easy, what with their names being practically the same and all. Takes place during the October 25th episode of Smackdown.
Voices Carry
They wanted Alexa to humiliate Becky - she had no qualms with this. She played the 'mean girl' well if you asked her, ever since her run with Blake and Murphy. The shift from her old, cheerleader-esque persona allowed her to do things she'd never be able to do otherwise - flashbacks of grabbing Carmella by the throat ran through her mind. The problem came from what they told her, not about herself, but about Becky.
They didn't like the way she spoke.
Though it came out as more of an aside, management seeming a bit iffy in their decision, it left Alexa fuming. It seemed like something that a child would say to taunt a classmate - 'You have an accent haha!' Becky's fans didn't seem to mind, and judging from how many goggle-having, orange-wig-wearing people in the audience Alexa saw every week, she was pretty sure there were tons of fans.
More importantly than that, she loved Becky's accent.
It was one of the Irish woman's more noticeable features, and one that neither woman thought of as a hindrance in any manner of speaking. Listening to Becky get excited over the silliest things - her voice rising to ridiculous heights over something so simple as M&Ms - made Alexa's heart race. Listening to Becky speak words of love to her in that oh-so-Becky way made her stomach do somersaults. She never would've imagined that hearing another human being's voice could affect her in such a way, but it did. It did a lot.
She didn't know how to break this news to Becky, not wanting to see her face deflate in displeasure or sadness, but they had to go over this before their segment began. When she found her girlfriend doing exercises on her own, her stomach was turning for a completely different reason - nervousness.
"Lexi! I feel like I haven't seen you all night."
Becky stopped what she was doing and immediately ran over to hug Alexa, who did her best to return it despite the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Oh, dearest Becky. I know it's hard to be without me."
"Heh, nigh impossible, darling. I could start carrying around a cardboard cutout of you, but it wouldn't do the original justice."
This is what Alexa meant - how could anyone hate the way Becky spoke? She was always so kind, so loving, regardless of her accent. This was reflected in the way she presented herself in the ring too. It wouldn't be outrageous to say that Becky was the character she played. As much as she wanted to continue flirting - or at least, their own special version of flirting - she had to spit this out.
"So. Our segment."
"Oh yeah! Guess you're the one that's going to be kicking my lass tonight. I'll get'cha next time, for sure."
Becky raised a fist at Alexa jokingly, the latter giving a mild giggle in response.
"It's basically all me this time. Sorry in advance for the spray paint."
It was Becky who laughed this time, a laugh that was music to Alexa's ears. Ugh, this was so unfair, she thought to herself. If management could only take the time to talk to Becky outside of work, the blonde was sure that they'd grow to love her as well.
"No worries. That is, so long as you're willing to help me wash it out later."
"Of course."
The younger woman tried her best to conceal her emotions, but she could tell that Becky was growing skeptical. They knew each other too well, Becky able to read her facial expressions so expertly. Alexa made a mental note to never play poker.
"Something wrong?"
Not knowing how else to delay the inevitable, Alexa decided that it was probably best to just be blunt. She could worry about the consequences later.
"They don't want you to speak much."
Becky sighed, her face crestfallen, something that Alexa took note of. It broke her heart to see Becky defeated, and she tried her best to avoid such a thing. Alexa couldn't blame her though. Heck, she was upset for Becky. Still, the next response caught her off-guard.
"I know."
"You… You know? Gah, I tried hard to fight for you, but they just kept saying it was better this way. It makes me mad that those jerks think your accent is 'too heavy.' What the hell do they know? Especially that Kevin Dunn guy. I swear I wanted to tear their heads off. I just-"
Alexa was cut off by the sound of… Becky laughing? She crossed her arms in disapproval - she didn't see what was so funny about this situation, no matter how much she loved hearing Becky's laugh.
"Lexi! It's okay. Really, I'm fine with it."
"How can you be fine with it, Becks? They're basically saying that they like you, but not enough to want to hear you. It's insulting!"
Becky scratched the back of her head, looking a little too nonchalant for Alexa's liking.
"Alright, I won't lie. It hurts - just a bit. It's not the first time someone has said something about my accent, but hearing it from the higher-ups is different."
"Then why aren't you pissed off?"
"Because I understand. I guess it's one of those things, you know? Like when Vince wanted to put this huge dot on TV to cover Christian's face."
It took everything Alexa's power to not laugh at that fact, the only thing stopping her being the beginning of the show in the background.
"That's so ridiculous. Why would they even think about doing that?"
"'Cause that's how it is. Like I said, it's annoying that some people's ears aren't accustomed to the rest of the world, but there's no reason for me to get so bent out of shape."
"I beg to differ."
How could Becky be so positive about this? They were cutting down her speaking time because someone didn't understand that the world is full of people that don't share one voice. It didn't make sense to Alexa, who only wanted her girlfriend to succeed in the best way possible. Couldn't they see what an amazing performer she was?
"I appreciate that you want to behead people on my account - it'd be a first, kinda messy though. But everything's going to be okay."
"Your boundless optimism is both endearing and confusing."
The Irish woman grabbed Alexa's hand, pulling her off to the side to sit, Alexa in turn stroking her thumb across Becky's own.
"When I first debuted here, they had me doing Irish jigs up and down the ring like a fool. I'm finally able to be myself now, and not many people are that lucky. 'Luck of the Irish' as they say, am I right?"
Becky couldn't hide her smirk, her attempts to lighten the mood succeeding as the blonde failed to hide her own growing smile.
"If I have to be a mute for a couple of months - or have my mouth taped shut, or locked with a key, or have my damn lips glued together - that's not going to stop me from putting on the best matches I can, and it's certainly not going to stop me from going out there and making sure everyone's having a good time. They'll come around eventually."
After hearing Becky's words of positivity, Alexa grabbed hold of her lover's arm, wrapping her own arms around it, leaning her head into Becky's neck.
"I know they will, Becky. Mime or no mime, you're still mine."
The shared a quick kiss, not caring who happened to see them at the moment. Management might be able to control when the two spoke in the ring, but they definitely couldn't control when they could kiss - no matter what. Becky stood up from her spot, Alexa following suit.
"All this talk about my voice, and I'm just eager to get out there and listen to yours. Sweet as sugar!"
Alexa's smile grew wider.
"Maybe, but mine is definitely not as cool. Just make sure you promise to tell me all of those nice things you normally do later - then it'll be a fair trade."
As the pair ended their night with passionate pillow talk in their hotel room, Alexa could only confirm her earlier thoughts - god did she love Becky's accent.
End