Same disclaimer as always: I only own my OC Avery and any OC that may appear later. I obviously do not own any of the real companies/people depicted in the story.

Also, a quick note: Some characters will be referred to by their real names and some will not. Paige plays a big role in the story and so does the show Total Divas. In my head, it only makes sense to refer to her as Paige instead of Saraya because that's the way they refer to her on the show. Here and there, you'll see someone referred to by their ring name: it just means they won't be a major factor in the story.

As always, Read, Enjoy, and Review!

The Beginning…

Avery Matthews winced at the pain in her back as she jumped down from the ring apron. It probably hadn't been the best idea for her to agree to take several chair shots in her final match before leaving reporting to NXT. But she wasn't exactly known for her stellar decision making. At least the bruise was going away. She didn't need to come in looking like a punching bag. Her farewell match was in Japan against her idol, Manami Toyota, so if the woman had asked to hit her over the head with a baseball bat, she would have considered it at the very least.

Her high school guidance counselor had once told her that she was "far too intelligent to be so reckless". Avery didn't disagree with the assessment but she also never made even the slightest attempt to change it. She didn't consider it to be a flaw. She was perfectly capable of being a responsible, rational adult. She paid all of her bills on time; she always had groceries, things like that. Sure, she had uprooted herself and moved to Japan at 18 but when she got there, she quickly found herself a place to stay and a job and she got to train with some of her idols. She wouldn't have traded her time there for anything in the world. She learned so much that she didn't feel she would have stateside. She was based there for just over 2 years, though she traveled a lot, doing some work in Mexico and occasional appearances in the US. She became a highly decorated champion and when she decided to move back home, she was a major draw on the independent circuit. She'd been in the top 3 for PWI Woman of the Year for three years running without setting foot in either of the big two American companies. She called herself the 'best women's wrestler in the world' and the fans started to agree. And all of that led her to where she stood at that moment with a sore back but high spirits. She had a signed, sealed, and delivered WWE developmental contract and she would soon be making her debut in NXT.

So far, she was having a great time. Her first day, she'd been thrown into the ring with Paige and she and the dark haired Brit had clicked in an instant. It was nice to have made a friend so quickly. She'd realized when she came back to the States that making friends with other women in the business wasn't nearly as easy as it had been in Japan. Things were so much more competitive and a lot of women in the business saw other women as a threat and nothing more. That wasn't to say that she hadn't made any friends. She certainly had. But she had definitely become a guy's girl.

The theme from Rugrats playing broke through her thoughts and she walked over to her gym bag, pulling out her phone.

"Matthews House of Horrors," she answered cheerfully.

"It's about damn time you actually answer your phone," Kevin Steen's stern voice greeted her.

Despite his gruff nature, Kevin was one of her favorite people on the face of the Earth. They met when she did some ROH/Shimmer shows and he'd taken her under his wing. At the time, her skills in the ring were solid but she needed some help deciding where she wanted to go with her character. Kevin helped her immensely with that. He helped her work on her promo skills, getting heat. She gave him all the credit for how well she could work a crowd now. She thought it was ludicrous that she had a WWE deal before him but she knew that he wouldn't be far behind her.

"Good morning to you too Kev," she laughed. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Jess told me to check on you," he said. His wife Jessica was a sweetheart and a good friend but Avery knew that if Jessica was worried, she would have just called herself.

"Sure she did," Avery smirked. "I'm fine. Just finished doing some work in the ring with DeMott. I'm about to head out."

"And you're liking it so far?"

"I am," she answered. "I have a meeting with creative tomorrow afternoon to go over some ideas."

"Don't let them push you into anything stupid," he advised. "If I see you in some bullshit cowgirl gimmick or something, I will never speak to you again."

Some of the guys in ROH had a running joke that when Avery got signed, Vince would want her in some ridiculous country girl gimmick. She was born and raised in Nashville, though she didn't have much of an accent anymore. Kyle O'Reilly had given her the name Avery Mae. Every once in a while, when she wanted to get a good laugh, she would spend a day in character as Avery Mae, complete with a flag printed cowboy hat.

"No cowgirl, I promise," she laughed. He'd lectured her many times before about standing her ground, making sure she had a say in her character. She had no idea what they had in mind for her but she would make sure she didn't embarrass herself.

"Have we found a place to live yet?" Kevin asked. Avery was staying on the couch of a friend of Kevin's at the moment. She hadn't wanted to sign a lease until she knew she would definitely be staying.

"Not yet," she sighed. "I'm gonna start looking today. I was thinking of just going on Craigslist or something. I'm gonna need a roommate."

"You are not looking for a roommate on Craigslist. Do you wanna get murdered?"

"You're so paranoid," she laughed. "Craigslist is a very helpful tool."

"You're a tool Avery," he said. "No Craigslist. I'll find you someone."

"I'll handle it myself, but thank you," she smiled, hoisting her gym bag up onto her shoulder. "Listen, I should probably go. I'll call you later after the meeting tomorrow. Say hi to the family for me."

"I will," he said. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Can't promise that. Bye."

She was looking down at her phone as she reached the front door. When she pulled the handle, it didn't budge. She looked up and laughed when she saw someone on the other side of the glass door. She recognized him immediately as Colby Lopez.

Colby couldn't help but stare as he held the door open for the young woman. She laughed, "Sorry about that."

She had one of those brilliant smiles that could put you in a trance. He'd never met her in person but he knew exactly who she was.

Avery Matthews

He heard that she finally signed a deal but he didn't know she'd already made it to Florida. There was a lot of buzz around her finally joining the WWE. He'd never seen her work live seen a lot of her online and he was very impressed. She was different than any of the women they had. All of her time in Japan showed in her style. She used some pretty wicked striking. Lots of kicks and knees. And she was known for her extensive knowledge of submission wrestling. They even called her the Woman of 1,000 holds, like a female Dean Malenko.

On top of that, she was beyond easy on the eyes; tall and athletic but still very feminine and curvy. Her hair was a stark, silvery white that was twisted up into a bun on top of her head. She was a known tattoo enthusiast and she had a beautiful half sleeve of watercolor flowers from wrist to elbow on her left arm. She also had a septum piercing. Colby wasn't normally a fan of those but hers was so tiny and thin he wouldn't have been able to see the faint silver ring if he hadn't been standing so close.

"Are you okay?" Avery looked up at him, probably concerned that he was just standing there like a mute.

"Yeah, I'm okay, sorry," he laughed, reaching out his hand, "Colby Lopez."

"I know, I'm a big fan," she shook his hand. "I loved all of your stuff in ROH. I was a big Tyler Black fan."

Colby smiled, glad the admiration was mutual.

"So I take it this means you signed your deal?"

"I did, I got down here about a week ago," she explained.

"I've been working dark matches with the main roster," he was trying to explain his absence but he was pretty sure it just sounded like bragging. She didn't seem to mind though.

She flashed a big smile, "That's awesome. How'd it go?"

They spent the next few minutes talking about Colby's recent travels until someone had to interrupt them to get inside since they were blocking the door.

"We should probably get out of the way," she laughed. "I gotta get the car back anyway. I borrowed it."

"I'll walk you," he offered, falling into step beside her.

"It was really nice getting to meet you," she smiled. "I'm looking forward to seeing you work in person."

"Same to you," he said. "I'll see you around."

"You will," she nodded, looking down to fish around in her bag, presumably for her keys. Colby started to walk away, heading back toward the building but he stopped, turning toward her again.

"Hey Avery."

"Yeah?" she looked up, surprised.

"How are you gonna celebrate?" he asked.

"Celebrate what?" she looked confused for a moment but he gestured back to the building and she laughed, "I hadn't really thought about it. I don't know."

"A bunch of us are going out tonight, you should come," he suggested. "Get to know the crew."

"You wouldn't mind me tagging along?"

He walked back over to her, handing her his phone, "Give me your number. I'll text you the details."

She smiled, typing her number into the phone. She handed it back to him, "There you go."

"I'll let you know. We'll probably go around 8 or 9."

"Sounds like a plan," she nodded. "I'll see you tonight."

"See you tonight," he waved. She got into the car and he once again headed back, this time with a little extra pep in his step.

Avery walked into the restaurant, looking around for familiar faces. She was hoping she'd shown up at the right place. She didn't see anyone she knew. As if on cue, her phone started to buzz in her pocket and she pulled it out, seeing Colby's number.

"I think I'm here," she answered.

"Hey, I'm sorry I'm late," Colby said. "We were almost there but then Paige called and said she needed a ride."

"Hi Cupcake! I can't wait to see you!" Paige shouted in the background.

"Tell her I can't wait to see her," Avery laughed. "I'll just hang out at the bar until you guys get here."

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "We'll be there in like five minutes."

"Relax, no worries," she assured him. "What do you want? I'll have a drink ready for you."

"Lady's choice," he laughed.

"Deal," she smiled. "See you when you get here."

Jonathan Good walked into the restaurant, looking around for Joe. He was supposed to be meeting him there. Jon was about 15 minutes late but Joe had taken to lying to him about what time he needed to show up for things so, in reality, he was probably early. He hated when people caught on to his perpetual tardiness. They always started trying to trick him. His tardiness wasn't okay but somehow their lying was totally cool.

He didn't see Joe anywhere but he did see something that caught his eye. Something much better.

"Hey New Girl," he smiled, sauntering over to Avery Matthews as she took a seat at the bar. He hadn't met her yet but he'd been looking forward to it. Colby met her earlier that day and he talked about her like she was some kind of angel sent down from heaven.

She turned around in her seat and raised an eyebrow, looking up at him, "Hi?"

"I'm Jon," he reached out his hand. "Jon Good."

"New Girl, apparently," she smirked, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you."

He liked her voice. It had this faint, raspy sexiness to it. And he could definitely see what Colby was raving about. She was a stunner.

"You as well," he smiled, looking her up and down.

"You know, we have a mutual friend," she pointed. "Kevin Steen."

"Yeah, I know Kev," he nodded. They'd been friends for years. They weren't the type that talked every day or anything like that but when they were in the same town, they usually met up for a beer.

She laughed, shaking her head as the bartender arrived with two beers for her.

"What's so funny?" he asked as she handed over a credit card.

"Nothing," she said, smiling like the cat that ate the canary.

"Nothing my ass," he leaned against the bar, taking one of the beers.

"That is not for you," she admonished, though she didn't actually seem angry.

"It is now," he grinned, taking a drink. "Now what were you laughing at?"

"Well," she took a drink herself. "Steen warned me about you."

"Oh he did, did he?" Jon asked, surprised. "And what did he warn you about?"

"He told me that you were gonna hit on me," she said, resting her elbow on the bar and her chin in her hand. "And he said if you did, I was to stay far, far away from you."

"Well he was right about one part," Jon said, unfazed. "I'm definitely gonna hit on you."

She laughed loudly and he knew immediately that he wanted to make her laugh like that again. It was a great, warm sound.

"You are beautiful, you know that?" he asked, moving a little closer to her.

"I've been told once or twice, yeah," she nodded.

"Does your boyfriend tell you that?" he smirked.

"Oh I don't have a boyfriend," she looked up at him with big hazel eyes. "I'm celibate. You see, I'm very religious. Jesus is my only partner in life."

He laughed at the sweet, pious smile she gave him, "I like you. You're funny."

"I've been told that before too," she giggled. Something over his shoulder caught her eye and she shifted on her stool, "My dates are here. I should probably go."

She got down from the stool but he stepped in her way, "Don't run off so soon. I still owe you a drink. And you haven't agreed to go out with me yet."

She looked up at him, thoroughly amused, "You don't beat around the bush, do you?"

"Nope, never saw the point," he shook his head.

"Neither do I," she crossed her arms, accentuating her ample chest, momentarily drawing his eyes down. "So I should probably tell you that I was joking about the Jesus thing, but not the other part."

"The celibacy part?" he chuckled. Someone that looked like her could not possibly be celibate. It was an injustice.

"Yes, that part," she laughed as well. She playfully smacked him on the arm as he laughed. "I'm serious. I'm off men for a while."

"I bet you a hundred bucks I can get you to break that in two weeks," he said, unabashedly cocky.

"Are you asking me to pay you for sex?" she teased. "Because that's what it sounds like."

"That's not exactly what I meant," he laughed.

"I certainly hope not," she smiled. "You look like you'd be worth more than a hundred bucks."

She gave him a wink before walking away and he could do nothing but watch. This was going to be fun.

"There she is!" Paige pointed excitedly.

Colby laughed as Paige practically bounced out of her shoes. She had way too much energy for one person. He looked over at the bar and he smiled when he saw Avery. Until he realized she was talking to Jon. He rolled his eyes, sighing. He and Jon had annoyingly similar taste in women. Whenever they went out to a bar, they would inevitably zero in on the same girl.

"What's the matter?" Paige nudged him in the side.

"Nothing," he shook his head. Avery was giggling and Jon was leaning close to her. Then, she looked over his shoulder and her eyes met Colby's. He felt a little weird for staring but then she smiled at him, getting down from the stool.

Yes! He internally celebrated.

Avery and Jon talked for a few more seconds but then Avery started walking their way. Jon watched after her looking charmed until he spotted Colby. He knew his friend was thinking the same thing he had.

Avery held her arms open as she rushed toward them.

Colby was surprised but more than willing to accept a hug.

"Crumpet!" Avery beamed.

"Cupcake!" Paige rushed over, jumping on her and wrapping her legs around her.

Colby sighed again. Apparently Jon wasn't the only one he'd have to compete with for Avery's attention.

1 Week Later…

Avery pushed the last box into the van, wiping her hands off on her shorts. She was dead tired and the day had barely started. This had certainly been a whirlwind of a week. Her meeting with the creative team had gone relatively well. They had pitched a gimmick that was eerily similar to Avery Mae but she swiftly shot it down. She explained to them that yes, she was from Nashville and she was proud of it, but she didn't want to play some country bumpkin. It didn't make any sense and she wouldn't be any good at it. No one would benefit from that. Then they'd suggested something even more ridiculous. It was basically a parody of Kesha and Avery actually laughed out loud at it. Paul Levesque joined the meeting about halfway through and it got much better when he was there. He felt that the best thing to do would be to play up who Avery was. With her tattoos and platinum hair, she was alternative but not Gothic. She expressed that she didn't want to walk around looking like Hot Topic threw up on her and he promised not to go that far. Just because she wasn't exactly cookie cutter didn't mean she wasn't stylish and girly. She was sexy, not a tomboy. They decided to stick with her real first name and go with Ryan as a last name. close enough to the name people would recognize but different enough that the company would own it. She left the meeting feeling satisfied. They got some things they wanted and she got some things she did. She called Kevin after and he sounded proud. He wouldn't come right out and say it but she could tell.

After the meeting, she went to the gym with Paige and Avery explained her search for a roommate, hoping Paige might know someone. It turned out that Paige's roommate was leaving which meant that in about a week she would have no furniture and an extra room. She asked Avery to move in and Avery happily accepted. They'd gone shopping for new furniture over the last few days and now it was moving day.

She pulled out her phone to call Paige and let her know she was on her way but before she could, a text came through. It was from Colby.

Heard we're gonna be neighbors soon. Let me know if you need to borrow a cup of sugar.

She didn't know that he lived in the same complex as Paige but she didn't mind. She enjoyed his company a lot; at least she had so far. He seemed like a great guy. If she wasn't so focused on work she would probably consider exploring that a little further but she had made a promise to herself: she wouldn't even look twice at a guy until her career was on track. Still, he was hot. And then there was Jon. She'd already looked twice at Jon. She couldn't help herself. She hadn't been joking when she said that Kevin warned her about him. The problem was that Avery loved doing things that she wasn't supposed to. And she had a feeling that Jon could definitely make breaking the rules worth the trouble.

I'm sitting by your pool. Never noticed what a great view you have.

Colby frowned as he read the text from Jon. They'd hung out at his pool like a hundred times, several other NXT talents lived in the same complex, he couldn't imagine that today it looked any different. Still, he went into his bedroom and put on a t-shirt before grabbing his keys and heading downstairs. He spotted Jon laying on a lounge chair, holding a newspaper.

"What are you up to?" Colby asked, sitting beside him.

"Can't I just be enjoying the sunshine and reading the paper?" Jon gave him an indignant look.

"The paper that you're holding upside down?" Colby smirked.

"Fine, you caught me," Jon put the paper down. "New Girl is moving in with Paige today and I am thoroughly enjoying watching."

Colby followed Jon's gaze to the back gate, which was propped open. Avery walked through it, carrying a large box. Paige wasn't far behind her.

"Look at that ass," Jon marveled as Avery started to walk up the stairs.

"You're a pig, man," Colby laughed.

He had a point though. Avery did have a perfect ass.

"Why exactly are you sitting here watching, like a creep, instead of offering to help?" Colby questioned.

"I don't mind being called a creep," Jon shrugged. "It's better than ending up a doormat in the friend zone like you will."

"Hey, who says I'm gonna be a door mat?" Colby asked. "There's nothing wrong with being a nice guy. It's better than-"

"Hey!"

Colby was interrupted by Avery who had changed course and was making her way toward them after putting down the box she was carrying. She was wearing a loose, thin gray tank top and he could see her black bra underneath. Her long, toned legs stretched from a pair of dark red shorts. When she reached them, she pushed her black Ray-Bans up, holding her hair away from her face. Her hazel eyes were trained on Jon.

"Are you just planning on sitting there all day like an asshole while I move heavy boxes?" she asked.

"I was planning on sitting here until you brought that pretty smile my way," Jon sat up.

She tried to hide her smile by biting her bottom lip but it was clear that she was amused.

"Come on," she held a hand out to Jon. "Get off your ass and come help me. I'll even pay you in beer."

"It's gonna cost you a lot of beer, sweetheart," he took her hand, allowing her to pull him up. He stood close to her, smiling down at her.

Colby felt like he was intruding on an intimate moment. He was pretty sure Jon was right about that 'friend zone' thing. He could practically see the sparks flying between the two of them.

"Colby, you can come too," she looked over at him, as though she read his mind. "I have plenty of beer and we could use the help."

"Sure," he got up, shrugging. "Why not?"

"Woman, what possessed you to buy a bed with so many parts?"

Avery laughed from her spot on the floor while John stood, trying to read the IKEA directions for her new bed.

"I just got the one I could afford," she explained, setting down her beer. "I didn't really care how many parts were involved."

"Probably because you were planning on roping some poor dope into putting it together for you," he smirked.

"I wouldn't say I was planning it," she said. "But if a poor dope volunteers, who am I to say no?"

"You're a sneaky woman," he pointed at her.

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad," she got up, stepping over some of the pieces and taking the directions from him. She held them out in front of her, squinting. "Is this picture upside down or am I holding this upside down?"
"Not that bad, huh?" Jon stood behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Should I just leave and let you handle this yourself?"

"This makes very little sense," she flipped through the pages. "Maybe this is the wrong book."

"Okay, Avery, that's enough, you can cut the charade," he took the manual away, turning her around. "You got me into your bedroom. Mission accomplished."

Avery laughed hard, leaning her forehead against his shoulder. She wasn't sure she wanted to like Jon but she couldn't seem to help it. He was so cocky but he'd been making her laugh all day. He had a dry sense of humor, a lot like hers. And he was sexy in a reckless, haphazard sort of way. All of those things combined made him like kryptonite for her.

"You're a crazy person," she looked up at him.

"Yeah but I think you like that about me," he put an arm around her. His hand fell to the small of her back naturally, as though it had been there a thousand times.

"I might," she shrugged. "I'll like you better if I get to sleep in a real bed tonight."

"You can just come to my place," he offered. "I have a very nice bed. It's already put together and everything."

"I bet you have a full size bed with no headboard," she smirked, trying not to spend too much time imagining what it would be like to be in his bed. "You seem like the type to live like a frat boy."

"You'll never know until you come over," he smiled.

"Well then I guess I'll never know," she smiled sweetly.

"Pizza's here!" Paige called loudly from the living room.

"You heard the lady," she smiled up at him. "The pizza's here."

She moved toward the door but he caught her hand, pulling her back. She looked up at him and his gaze traveled from her lips to her eyes. He touched the side of her face, his thumb brushing over her cheekbone. When he finally kissed her, she felt all the way down to her toes. A moan escaped her and her lips parted, allowing his tongue inside. He was forceful and smooth at the same time. His hand clenched in her hair at the nape of her neck and her breathing hitched. She grabbed the front of his shirt, biting his bottom lip. He growled, slowly pulling away from her. She looked up at him breathlessly and he smiled.

Avery's door opened and Paige poked her head inside, "You two need to hurry up. Colby won't eat any of the pizza and I feel like a fat cow eating it alone."

"Be right there," she said, tearing her eyes away from Jon's. She had a feeling those blue eyes were going to get her into a lot of trouble.