Ted used to be a very happy guy. He was getting a push in the company and he got paid to walk around with Maryse, arguably the hottest diva in the company, on his arm. Then aside from his life inside the business, he was a happily married man. How did that change so quickly? He still had a good life in the WWE, and he figured that was why Kristen left him. She'd meant the world to him, he thought they'd be together forever, he'd seen them having kids and dying as an old married couple together. She didn't see the same things apparently. Or maybe she did, maybe she just didn't realize he wanted them, too. But if Ted had to take one guess at why she ended the relationship, it'd be because she thought he was unfaithful. She was jealous. Not of Maryse though, like you might think. Sure, they're together pretty much every day, but Kristen knew that was just a work relationship. Nothing more. It was when she called him at night because they hadn't spoken in awhile and all he could talk about was Rosie that she began questioning him. He'd never done anything, but that didn't mean he didn't want to...
Maybe she did have good reason for leaving him. Maybe he wasn't half as upset about as it as people thought he was. Maybe he would have rather been with Rosie than Kristen anyways. Maybe he needed to grow a pair and tell her how he felt. Yes. That's what he had to do.
xxxx
Rosie had started on Raw a few months ago. She'd been working a lot with Melina and Natalya, so a close friendship between them had grown rather quickly. Another friend she'd made was Ted. They met exactly one week after Rosie's debut, when Maryse had tried to toss the new diva out of a makeup chair. A fight had almost broken out, but luckily Ted was there to stop it before anything other than nasty words were exchanged. After Maryse had stormed away, Ted apologized on behalf of his on-screen girlfriend. Rosie and Ted shared witty remarks and comments, both pleased with each other's company. It didn't take long before they considered each other best friends. Except they both felt more than friendly feelings.
xxxx
"When are you going to tell him you love him?" Melina asked one night as the three girls stood in a vacant backstage hallway at the arena Raw was taping at that night.
Rosie shrugged, her eyes going to the ground. "I dunno... probably never."
Natalya sighed loudly. "Rosie, sweetie, you have to tell him! What if he feels the same? You'll be missing out on a great relationship."
"Or I could be screwing up our friendship. You know just as well as I do that if I tell him and he doesn't feel the same, we can't be friends anymore. It'd be way too awkward."
Just then, Ted himself approached, playfully throwing an arm around Rosie's shoulders. "What would be awkward?"
"Nothing," Rosie quickly answered, sending glares to Melina and Natalya, silently telling them to not say anything about what they'd just been talking about.
"Alright, fine, don't tell me," the Southern man said. "But, you won't get your Christmas present."
Rosie gasped happily. "You got me a present? Oh, is it what I think it is?"
"That depends... what do you think it is?" he quirked an eyebrow. "Because if you're hoping for something fancy like a diamond necklace or something, you're gonna be pretty disappointed with this toothbrush I bought you."
"Ted! Just give it to me!"
Melina laughed as she grabbed Natalya's arm. "Have fun with your toothbrush, Rosie. We'll leave you alone."
The pair barely noticed them walking off, their attention going right back to one another. "Ted, please. Give me it."
Ted sighed, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a small box, wrapped perfectly with a bow on it. The bow looked a little smashed from where it'd been in his pocket, but nice nonetheless.
"Can I open it now?" she asked, taking it from him with a smile. She felt the need to ask since Christmas was another few days away.
"If I said no, would that stop you?"
"Probably not."
"Exactly. I wouldn't have given it to you if I didn't want you to open it now."
"Yay!" Rosie giggled excitedly as she began to unwrap it. She took the bow off first, sticking it on Ted's nose before continuing to take the wrapping paper off. After watching Ted remove the bow from his face and sticking it on his t-shirt covered shoulder, she opened the jewelry box, surprised to see that it didn't contain a necklace or a bracelet or even a ring. But... "A plant?" Rosie looked up to a grinning Ted. "I appreciate the thought, and thank you, but... why did you buy me a plant?"
"It's not a plant, Rosie," Ted laughed. "It's mistletoe."
Rosie's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed, and she looked back down at it, hoping that Ted wouldn't see her reaction. "Oh."
"Yeah, I mean, I always overhear you and Melina and Natalya talking about some guy you seem to really like," he spoke, hoping she couldn't hear the bitter tone of voice. "So, I figured maybe you could pull that out and just plant one on him."
"Oh," Rosie repeated, pulling it out of the box and giggling. "Why'd you put it in a box?" she asked randomly. "I mean, shouldn't it be dead...?"
"I never thought about that... it's like a super plant..." he thought about this for a moment, before shaking his head. "Anyways. So, would you tell me just who I'm helping you try and make out with?" He needed to know so he could kick their ass. What? He wasn't jealous... much.
Rosie grinned, shrugging. "You'll find out. So, how does this work again? You just, raise it above your two heads and have to kiss?" she questioned, demonstrating by raising the mistletoe above her and Ted.
"Uh, yeah, but you might not wanna do that because then we'd have to kiss..." he said, not wanting to warn her, but not wanting her to be forced into a kiss with him.
"Ted, you're really stupid."
It took him a second, but eventually, he got it. He smiled. "Oh! Well if you insist..." So, he kissed her. Their first kiss was magical. You hear stories about how some couples first kisses are weird and awkward and sometimes crappy, not theirs. She felt sparks, he felt fireworks. It was perfect to say the very least.
After a long moment, Ted pulled away. "So, if the plant would have died, would it still have been able to force us to kiss? Like, would it's powers still work?"
Rosie stopped herself from laughing and shouting 'What?' at him, and instead just shook her head. "Later, Ted, later," she said before pulling him down for another kiss.
It most certainly was a very Merry Christmas for both of them.
