Rated for language. As it went with part one of this series, I have taken some creative liberties, but I don't own anything and anyone you may recognize. Title is taken from the song by Avenged Sevenfold. JD is my o/c. Also, there is some mention of domestic abuse in this story, so be forewarned, if that is a trigger or bothers you, don't read further.

Nov. 19, 2017

As the boys and I finally made our way up the ramp and through the curtain, we were met, backstage, with a bunch of our friends clapping and cheering. The smile that was plastered on my face, since I had superkicked Austin, seemed to grow as I looked around.

The first ones to step up and hug me, were my cousins, Jon and Josh.

"Really, little Uce? You're jumping ship?" Josh asked.

I laughed as I pulled out of the hug. "Yeah, I'm sorry. We wanted to keep it a secret as long as we could."

"Nah, you're not sorry. We don't blame you for wanting to defect."

"Yeah well, it's been a long time coming that's for sure."

"Hey guys," Colby said. "Sorry to interrupt. Paul wants to see you for a quick second JD."

I hugged the Fatu brothers once more and turned towards the mini production table. Paul quickly stood up and walked towards me, meeting me the half way.

"That was awesome. Even I was shocked, and I knew it was coming. I'm glad you guys didn't tell us what you had planned, the surprise was worth it. Shawn would be proud of that kick."

I laughed. "Well, Shawn did help me perfect it. I got to admit, that was fun. Thank you so much."

"This is your time. Enjoy it. Now, if you'll excuse me. I need to go prepare for my match."

We hugged once more, and I watched him walk away. I turned back to the guys and watched as the New Day finally came back through the curtain.

I looked over at Jon, as he walked over to me, and tilted my head to the side. "Let's get out of here."

"I'm game," he said as we linked arms.

I turned and looked at my brother, Joe. "Meet in catering?"

"Sounds good. 45 minutes?"

"Yeah, I should be that quick.

Jon and I walked away and headed back to the locker rooms. As we were walking, everyone, who we passed, stopped us and congratulated me.

We approached the female talent dressing room and Jon let me go. He gave me a quick hug.

"So, I figured you and Joe are going to talk in a bit, right?" He asked as we pulled away.

"Yeah. It's time we put everything on the table. I miss my big bro. I want to have fun and enjoy travelling again. These last couple of months have been brutal."

"I can only imagine. Don't forget Renee and I have offered our spare room. You can stay there as long as you need to. We really wouldn't mind. Especially now with you being on the same schedule."

"I know but maybe it's time I looked into a place of my own. Jon and Trinity have found me a few places. And I'm sure after all the problems I caused before when I stayed there, you guys wouldn't want me there."

"Nonsense. Your problems are our problems, you're family. Look, go, get showered and changed, I'll be down there too but I'll stay out of the way unless you need me."

"Sounds good. I'll see you in a bit."

I walked into the dressing room and of course, with my luck, it wasn't empty. I'm the type of person that seems to get along better with the guys than the girls. Not to say I don't have a few girlfriends but my guy friends outnumber them. Needless to say, working in this industry it can be a lot harder to make friends.

I made my way over to my bags and headed to the showers. I knew the girls, who were already in there, were watching me with wandering eyes. I shrugged them off and went about my business. I tried to decide how much info I was going to give Joe. I knew this wasn't going to be fixed with one sit down, but it was going to be a good start. If we were able to listen to one another we shouldn't have a problem.

I walked out of the shower area and headed directly to my bag. As I was getting dressed, my cousin-in-law, Trinity sat down beside me.

"You looked awesome out there. How did that feel?" She asked

"Amazing. I keep saying this is what I've been waiting for for a long time. It's finally going to be my time to shine."

"Is that what you think?" a voice from behind me said. When I turned around, I saw Maryse and Alicia standing there.

"I don't think it, I know it."

"Really? And why's that? We would deserve any type of shot before you."

"Oh really? You two? I find that hilarious. You, Maryse, who all you do is follow your husband around and cheat for him to win and you, Alicia, all you're good for is a few laughs and temper tantrums. How you both think that equals a title opportunity is beyond me. You know what, when you get better story lines and scripts then we can have this conversation. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some personal business to attend to." I grabbed my bag, smiled at Trinity and tried to walk away, but of course, I was blocked.

"I guess that little beat down we gave you a few years ago didn't stick. So maybe, you'd like another." Alicia taunted.

I laughed and looked back at Trinity before addressing the duo in front of me. "Nah, you see what your little beat down did was fuel that fire deep down within me, to become the best. To prove to everyone why I was born and bred in this business. I was running the ropes and leaping off them before either of you were even considering stepping foot into this business. So, go ahead throw a punch. See what happens. Because as far as I can tell, you two are going to be in a world of hurt come tomorrow. So, if you'll excuse me, I'll be going now." I quickly gave Trin a hug and walked out.

What I didn't know was that as soon as I left, Maryse and Alicia went to follow. But before they could get out the door, Alexis, Trin and Natalya Neidhart all blocked their way. Seems like I had friends after all.

I slowly made my way towards the catering room, trying to think about what I was going to tell my brother. I knew no matter what we would both walk away upset but at the same time, I also knew it would help get us back to where we once were.

As I walked into catering, I saw a few friendly smiling faces. Some of which came over to congratulate me on my move, others chose to stay away.

I looked around the room and saw Colby and Jon sitting at a table as the back of the room. Scanning around, I realized I beat Joe here, so I headed over to sit with the other two.

"Where's the big dog?" I asked.

"He was on the phone when I left the room." Colby answered.

I nodded my head. "Probably JoJo. That's fine, gives me a few minutes."

"You know we're here for you," Jon said as he put an arm around me. "And I'm not just talking Renee and I."

I looked back and forth between the two men. "I'd like to think that but I'm not so sure. And that's on me. No one else. This is hard enough. I don't know how this is going to go."

"All you have to do is tell him the truth. He's going to listen. He wants this just as much as you do."

"Yeah we'll see about that. He's going to be mad about some stuff."

"Yeah, well some of us are mad about that stuff too. But no matter what we have supported you. And Joe is going to do the same. He loves you JD. He always has. Even if he has a funny way of showing it."

"Wait a minute," Colby interrupted. "I'm lost. What's he going to be mad at you for?"

I took a deep breathe and closed my eyes. It wasn't that I wanted to keep things from Colby, quite the opposite. But I felt like sitting in catering at work wasn't really the best spot to tell him everything, especially when my brother deserved to know things first. Jon saved me from having to say anything.

"Joe's here," he said.

I turned around and saw my brother making his way towards our table. "Here goes nothing," I said as I got up to meet him part ways. I smiled at him as he pulled me into a hug.

"Let's go sit?" He asked.

"Yeah. We don't have to stay in here, you know."

"That's up to you. We could do to the dungeon."

I laughed. "Yeah, that would be better. Away from the ears."

We headed down to the darkened corridor where we had all gathered earlier in the night. I hopped up onto one of the crates and watched as Joe stood against the wall across from me.

"I know I owe you a thousand apologies," Joe said. "But I also know that at this point, they will mean absolutely nothing. I've done a lot of things to hurt you these last couple of years. I have no excuse."

"One apology will do. I probably owe you one as well."

"You don't owe me anything."

I nodded. "Yes, I do. There's a lot you don't know about the last year and a half. A lot has happened. And as much as I hate talking about it, but I think I need to. You should know. You may not like it though."

"I'm here. I figured there was someone. Take you time. Even if I may not like it, I will have to deal with it."

I took a deep breathe and looked Joe in the eyes. For once I saw a little bit of compassion. I wasn't sure what to do with that. I wasn't used to seeing that in him.

"So, you know how Austin and I were dating for awhile?"

"Yeah, you guys seemed really happy."

"Well, I was always a really good actress. Things were good in the beginning. First few months were good. We started really seeing each other after Wrestlemania 32. It wasn't too tough at first. With me at NXT and him on Smackdown. Austin lived in Tampa so when he was home, I was always there. He was always saying the right things too. Always promising to be there, to love me, protect me. All the things a girl with abandonment issues wants and needs to hear.

"About a month later, I got called up to Smackdown. And that was great at first. I rode with Jon and Renee, hung out with the twins and Trinity."

"What changed?" Joe asked as he moved to sit next to me.

"More like who? Austin and I both changed, and not for the better. He wanted me to spend more time with him. Which meant not travelling with Jon and Renee anymore. I didn't even really hang out or talk to anyone anymore after that. When no one was around, Austin became very controlling. Somehow, he convinced me to give up my apartment and move in with him.

"I always asked myself after, why? Why did I let it go on? Why did I ignore what everyone was telling me? I don't know how many times Jon, Renee, Bryan or even Shane cornered me in a room trying to tell what was really happening and I didn't want to hear it.

"He got worse too. He threatened to get physical but never did. He started following me to hair and makeup and would tell them what to do. I look back and see the fact that everyone really started to pull away from me at that point."

"Except Jon."

"Oh yeah. For some reason, he never gave up. It seemed as if everywhere in the arena we were, Jon was there too. I really think Austin was afraid of him. I also think after a while, Jon was able to convince people to not pull away, because usually, if he wasn't there, someone else was. And they were always watching."

"But someone couldn't be watching all the time."

"No and that's what Austin banked on. So, when we were home, that's when he really laid it on. He started trying to make me feel bad for never having any time for him, even though I was with him almost 24/7. Of course, I would apologize but I don't think I ever meant it. I think I was starting to really see what was going on. So, I came up with a plan with a little bit of help."

"From who?"

"Renee at first. She was able to convince Jon to help, not that he needed much convincing. I don't know why after everything I've put him, both, through, they still have my back. Anyways, Renee found me in a bathroom on night before a show, doing my own makeup. I was trying to hide a bruise from earlier in the day. She managed to track down Jon, who decided that I wasn't going back to the house. So, between the three of us, we were able to make up a fake schedule for me. Sounds easy and believable right? Well, it worked for maybe a week and a half.

"I still don't know what all happened. I thought Austin wasn't home. Jon dropped me off to pick up some stuff to take back to Vegas, that's where I had been staying. I don't know why he didn't stick around, other than the fact that we weren't expecting anyone to show up."

I took a deep breathe and felt Joe's arm go around me. I was surprised by how calm and comforting he was. I wasn't used to this side of my brother. Maybe because we had been so distant from one another. I leaned into him and let me breathe out.

"Take you time. I've got you."

I nodded quickly. "I was packing my suitcase. I don't remember closing the bedroom door but apparently, I had because Austin threw it open and it banged against the wall. When I turned around, I knew I was trouble. I turned back towards my suitcase and pulled out my phone. I called Jon but left it sitting where Austin couldn't see it.

"The conversation started off calm. He asked what I was doing, and I told him the truth. Things weren't working anymore. I wasn't me anymore and I told him that it was his fault. Maybe that was he wrong thing to say but I was sick of being scared, sick of hiding.

"He tried to tell me that it was all in my head. That he loved me only wanted what was best for me. I remember at that point, something Renee had me read one night, that said this was things that he would tell me to control me. I started to laugh as he told me that Jon and Renee weren't my friends and they didn't care about me like he did.

"And that's when I lost it. I probably shouldn't have gotten in his face, but I did. I asked him how he cared about he when all he did was belittle me, hurt me, physically and emotionally. I watched as his face changed quickly and for a moment, I was afraid for my life. But then I remembered who I was, who I was related to and I knew I could survive.

"Before I could step back and reassess the situation, he grabbed me by my arms and started shaking me and yelling at me. What he was saying, I don't remember. I do remember hearing a bang from downstairs."

"Jon?"

"Yeah, I found that out later. I think Austin picked me up by my arms and, now I don't remember much, but what I do know is that one second, I'm airborne and the next I'm on the ground with drywall scattered around me. The last few things I remember is feeling blood pouring down my back." My voice started to waiver thinking back to that moment. I felt Joe pull me closer to him. "I know I thought about the lack of pain. I wondered why I couldn't move my right arm. The last sure thing I saw was Austin standing over me." My emotions finally got the better of me as I started to cry in my brother's arms.

Joe wasn't sure what to think, as he held his sobbing baby sister. He wondered if it was a good thing he didn't know any of this before he got into the ring earlier. Then there were too many thoughts in his head to process anything. He always knew his sister was strong, especially surviving what she did when she was a kid. But to have survived being thrown through a wall, she was superwoman in his eyes.

Joe had heard horror stories of woman who hadn't been so lucky to have walked away. To think his sister, the one he's suppose to protect, was almost on the wrong end of a statistic, made his physically sick to his stomach. He was so disappointed in himself, he let his ego get in the way of his relationship with JD. That quickly went away when he realized that it wasn't about him. This was about her. And helping her get through it.

"Why didn't someone tell me what happened sooner?"

I wiped my eyes and sat up at the sound of Joe's voice. I was expecting more anger but all I heard was concern, and that still confused me.

"Not a lot of people know what actually happened. Only Jon, Renee, Shane and Stephanie know. I wanted to keep it quite."

"But didn't he at least call 911?"

"No," a voice from the shadows said. Jon walked forward and stood in front of us with his hands in his pockets. "He was gone by the time I got up the stairs. Still don't know how he got by me. There must have been a fire escape, or another set of stairs. I had called from the car as soon as I heard the yelling. Somehow, I beat the cops there. And as much as I had wanted to go after the troll, I couldn't just leave her there."

"So, no charges were ever filed?"

Both Jon and I shook our heads. "Because it was our words against his," I answered. "And some reason E and Kofi gave him an alibi."

"But don't worry, he got what was coming to him." Jon said with a smile on his face.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Joe questioned.

"Well bro, remember when it was announced that Austin had hurt his knee in the ring?" Joe nodded. "Yeah, he didn't hurt it in the ring. There may have been a little fight backstage one night."

"A little?" I laughed. "Tell him what really happened."

"Well, a few guys may have helped me corner him and keep an eye out, so I could land a few punches. Now, I may have stomped his knee a few times, but he didn't get anything he didn't deserve."

"Yeah, and what did get you get in return?"

"I ended up on the kickoff show for Wrestlemania. Hey, at least I had a match. These dweebs were stuck 'hosting'"

"Ok great, but why is that jackass still here?" Joe exclaimed.

I sighed. "Because there was no proof he threw me into the wall. Forget the fact that I almost died, forget the history of the bruises."

"I'll kill the son of a bitch myself! He basically got away with attempted murder. Wait, wait…when was someone going to tell me that my sister almost died?"

Jon and I looked at each other. "I was going to call you that night when I got to the hospital." Jon said quietly. "But at that point, I had no info, I was there alone and out of respect for JD, I made a decision not to call you. That was my decision alone. Do I regret it? At that moment, no. But standing here today? Yes, I do. Because I feel like we wouldn't be having this conversation. Things would have been a lot different. Now, did you tell him the other thing?" I shook my head quickly. "Well, you need to."

"What other thing? What else could there be?"

I took a deep breathe and quickly release it. "So, I'm technically homeless."

Joe shook his head. "What?"

"So, after everything with Austin, obviously I was in no shape to be alone. And before you say anything, I wasn't staying with mom. So, I went to Vegas, like originally planned, until I was on my feet again, literally."

"Yeah, and she should have stayed," Jon interjected. "Renee and I tried. But she's stubborn. I wonder where she gets that from."

"It wasn't that I was stubborn. I was back on the road and didn't really need a home base. I could extend hotel stays, if I really needed to and I have friends who would let me sleep on a couch or spare bed."

"Or my place."

"Yeah, well not anymore. I've caused too much trouble for you guys. Anyways, Jon's making it a bigger deal than it really is."

"I don't think so," Joe said as he shook his head. He pulled me into gentle hug. "I never realized what I was doing was actually causing you more pain. And that's stupid. Everyone was telling me you were ok. I never imagined any of this. The worst part is, I never questioned why you were off. When we lost Matt, I thought to myself that was going to be the hardest thing to go through. But after hearing what you have gone through, alone at that, hurts me. I always wondered why you did what you did that night. But now I understand."

"There was a lot going on during that time and I was being selfish."

"No, you weren't. You were in pain. We've been through this. No one blames you." Jon said. "We have told you multiple times that you are family and we would be here for you. No matter what you needed. The biggest thing is after everything you got the help you needed and even you admitted that."

"I know. But I put you and Renee through hell. I put everyone through hell. And that wasn't fair."

"But that's why we are here. To go through what you went through in such a short amount of time, you can put others through hell. But you got to know that you have so many people around you now that want to support you and help you out."

"I do know that. But there's knowing and being able to let people in." I wiggled my way out of Joe's arms and took a step back to lean against the wall. "I have been hurt by people with whom I should be able to trust. And maybe that's why I can't let people help me because who knows when they are going to turn on me and walk away."

Joe opened his mouth to interrupt but Jon stopped him with a shake of his head.

"I don't understand what it is about me that people think it's okay to hurt me and walk away, or to hurt me repeatedly. Like you," I pointed at Joe. "I don't know what possessed you to drop me like a bad habit after the Shield split. You acted like your career was more important than me. And you sure made it easier for me to get ambushed backstage and then get sent back to NXT. And never once did you call me to make sure I was alright or come down to see me. Hell, Jon made more of an effort than you did. But let me ask you this. I called you when NXT was in Atlanta, you guys were there too. I called begging you to come to the bar because I knew! I knew something was going to happen. I knew if I was made to leave that bar with someone other than you or someone else I trusted. I was going to be in danger. So why? Why did you hang up on me that night?"

Joe took a deep breathe. He knew he had to trend lightly to answer my question.

"Honestly, I don't know," he said. "I had heard so many things that had been going on with you up to that point. But you're right. I was more concerned with my career and the push I was getting. That's on me. That night, when you called me, I really didn't know what to think. I knew who you were out with and I based my reaction on that. Was it wrong? Yes! Do I regret it? Of course, I do. If there was anything in the last couple of years that I could take back, that would be at the top of my list.

"You are my sister and no matter what I love you. And I know I've hurt you these last couple of years. But I'm here and I want to make things right going forward."

I slowly nodded. "I love you too. After losing Matt, I didn't want to lose you too."

"You won't. I'm right here. Now and always."

Jon clapped his hands. "Awesome. Now that that is taken care of. Can we go back to catering? I'm hungry"

We laughed as we headed out of the dark corridor and back to catering. As we were walking along, me sandwiched between the guys, I could hear distinct laugher ahead of us. Part of me wanted to avoid the upcoming confrontation but I knew there was no way to avoid it. I just hoped that it wouldn't get to out of hand. Jon looked down at me and put his arm around my shoulders.

As we approached the trio ahead of us, I noticed Joe grow tense.

"Just ignore them please?" I whispered grabbing his arm. He looked down at me and I knew, just by the look in his eyes, that if something was said, he wasn't going to let it go.

We got a few steps by the trio and silly me, I started to think we were in the clear. But of course, I was wrong. Suddenly, we hear. "Wow, work with someone for a few months and they don't even say anything as they pass you in the halls," coming from Kofi.

I stopped and turned around. "What the hell do you want me to say? Thanks guys, it was hell working with you these last few months. Thanks for making my life miserable and not caring one bit."

All three shook their heads. Austin took a step forward and before I could even comprehend what was happening, Austin was being held up against the wall by Joe. There was a fury of guys trying to pull him away.

"If you ever think about coming anywhere near my sister again, I swear, I'll make whatever Jon did to you look like a walk in the park."

With Joe's arm pressed against his throat, Austin squeaked out a laugh. "So, she told you."

"Yeah and your lucky I didn't know about it before tonight or else you never would have made it out of that ring."

"Oh, is the big dog threatening me? Is everyone hearing this?"

Joe leaned closer. "It isn't a threat, boy. It's a promise."

"Hey," a voice from behind yelled. "Joe put him down!" Shane McMahon came running up through the crowd of people. He got in front of Joe and stared him down. "I get it. Okay, you're pissed. But walk away. Protect your sister by not stooping to his level."

"I wanna know why?"

"Why what?"

"Why isn't his sorry ass out of a job and in a jail cell?"

"We can talk about this in private. I'm sure your sister doesn't want this spread through the gossip mill backstage."

"Answer him Shane!" I demanded.

By this point, there was a mixture of Raw and Smackdown wrestlers standing around, including Colby who stood by Jon, but no one made a move to pull Joe away. Shane turned to me and pointed to Joe.

I heaved a big sigh and stepped forward. "Joe, let him go." He looked down at me and I nodded. Joe quickly moved his arm and allowed Austin to go crashing to the ground. "Now, tell him Shane. Tell him what you and Steph told me as I was laying in a hospital bed."

Shane looked around. "You know how sorry we were and still are. But yes, there was nothing we could do."

"That's bullshit, and you know it." Joe yelled.

"You're right it is. But it was technically he said, she said. Yes, there was proof she was leaving but we had to go with what the police report said. Now, if you want to talk about this more, we can but not here and not in the middle of a show. Now, everyone, get back to where you're suppose to be. Austin, you and your boys get moving. You see these four walking towards, go the other way. There will be no more of this. You all understand?" Everyone gave a small nod. "Good. You four, take off. Go to the hotel or to a bar or something. We'll talk tomorrow."

Everyone went their separate way. The four of us looked at each other. Colby looked so confused and kept staring at me.

"You can ask," I whispered.

"No. I know you. You'll tell me when your ready. You know you can trust me. Now, I'm more than willing to get out of here. What about you guys?" We all nodded. "Alright, let's go find some food and some alcohol. We need to celebrate."

Wednesday, January 29, 2018

And celebrate we did. There were a lot of drinks bought that night. The one thing I was so glad about was the fact that Joe and I were finally on the same page. Not that we still didn't have stuff to work on.

I looked over at the chair beside my hospital bed, to see Joe asleep. It made a lot of sense, seeing as it was the middle of the night. Between him, Jon and Colby, I don't think I had been by myself since I had been told I needed surgery.

I laid in my bed envisioning what the next 6-9 months were going to look like for me and the guys. It was going to be rough, not just because we were all so used to being together 24/7. We were a family and as fractured as we still were to a point, that's what had mattered the most. The cracks were slowly healing each day, and with each passing moment of triumph and despair, those cracks were healing quicker than any of us thought possible.

Hope you enjoyed part two. Please feel free to let me know what you think, but as always be gentle. Also, if there is a certain topic within either story, even anything that has happened in the WWE world, that you would like to see me tackle, let me know.