A/N: Hello folks! I've had the idea for this story buzzing around in my head for a while now so I decided to take a stab at it. While my other stories have stuck to a real timeline of events in the WWE, I've decided to pull from different timelines in order for it all to make sense. In other words, I'm totally making this world up so I don't have to go fact check every 5 seconds. Besides that, there are some wrestlers/divas that will appear in the story as if they've already moved up to the main roster. Anyway, that aside, I hope you all enjoy and reviews are much appreciated!

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The Charm of a Stranger

The city scenery zipped by outside the window of the rental car. Aidan gazed through the glass distractedly. She was on her way to an autograph signing at an FCW event. Wrestling on live TV was no problem for her, but she was always nervous to do meetings with the fans. She guessed at heart she was still the shy, awkward kid who sat in the back of the classroom in school. However, she was far removed from that life now. She was a WWE diva, a television star, a role model to millions, but above all, in her opinion at least, she was a professional wrestler.

She felt a warm hand place gently on her thigh, snapping her out of her musing. She looked over to find her boyfriend smiling at her. She knew him as Phil Brooks. To the rest of the world he was the WWE champion CM Punk.

"Are you ok?" he asked gently.

"I'm fine. Just a little nervous, I guess."

He put an arm around her shoulder, his crooked smile broadening.

"You know, I find it amazingly cute that you still get so nervous at these things."

"I guess I shouldn't be. They're all coming to see you anyway," she said playfully, poking him in the chest.

"You know that's not true. Besides, who wouldn't want to meet the extraordinarily beautiful Divas champion? I know I would."

Aidan rolled her eyes but found it hard to suppress a smile. Punk always knew how to calm her down and make her smile. His irresistible charm had been one of the many things that had won her over. They'd been together for over a year now and she was still as crazy over him as she was in the beginning. Back then she never dreamed she'd end up with the gorgeous guy with the tattoos and piercings. She'd barely gotten her feet wet in the WWE when he asked her out on their first date. She remembered the butterflies in her stomach and the disbelief that someone like him could be interested in her. Of course, she'd been warned by everyone about his reputation. He'd dated several of the divas throughout his time in the WWE, and none of the relationships seemed to last very long. They said he was a flirt, a womanizer, and that it wouldn't last. Now she was proud that she'd proven them wrong.

She realized she'd drifted off into thought again when the car rolled to a stop outside a small arena.

"We're here," Punk said as he unbuckled his seat belt. "Are you ready?"

Aidan grinned.

"Let's do this."

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After the signing was over, Aidan visited with some of the FCW Divas and Superstars. She'd been on the RAW roster for two years so there weren't many familiar faces, but it was nice meeting some aspiring wrestlers in the same position that she had been in not so long ago. Punk was by her side for a while, but soon left to gear up for a match. It hadn't been announced, but he'd agreed to wrestle that night at the FCW show, a sort of surprise for the fans in attendance. She told him she'd stick around and watch, but had no idea what to do with herself while she waited.

Wandering aimlessly backstage, she found her thoughts drifting back to her time in FCW. The trainers had pegged her as a natural and it didn't take her long to advance to the main roster, but she did have lots of memories there, some good, some bad. She'd met new friends, some of which were her best friends now. However, things weren't always easy. Her eyes drifted to her forearm, those silver-white scars, a constant reminder of her past. She rolled down her sleeve, taking the ugly souvenirs out of her sight.

Not paying very much attention to where she was going, she yelped in surprise when she walked right into something. As she righted herself, she noticed it was a person, a man and apparently a wrestler as he was geared up for a match.

"I am so sorry," she said, flying into an apology.

The man gazed at through dangerous blue eyes. He said nothing at first, but seemed to be looking her over head to toe. When at last he spoke, it was with a low gravelly voice.

"You lost, sunshine?"

She laughed nervously. Something about this guy made her uneasy.

"N-no. I was just…taking in the sights." She cleared her throat and held out her hand. "I don't think we've met. I'm Aidan."

Again he looked her over, giving her the feeling he was an animal stalking its prey.

"I know who you are. Who doesn't?" he said with a deranged smile. He took her hand in his and held on a little too long. "I'm Dean Ambrose."

"Dean. It's nice to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine, I'm sure."

She forced a smile. "I'm sorry I bumped into you. I should have watched where I was going. I just—"

"It's fine. Don't sweat it."

He considered her a moment longer before continuing on his way.

"See you around," he called out.

Even after he rounded a corner and disappeared, she found herself rooted to the same spot. It was only after he was gone that she realized how fast her heart was beating. She closed her eyes and shook her head, then walked quickly towards the locker room.

Punk was coming out just as she arrived. Trying to shake off her strange meeting, she smiled and said, "Looks like you're ready."

"Are you going to cheer me on?" he asked jokingly.

"Duh!"

She kissed him softly on the lips.

"Go easy on him out there."

"I won't hurt him too bad."

He gave her one more kiss before taking his place at the curtain.

By the time Aidan found a good spot to watch from, the match had already gotten underway. As she sat down, she looked up at the ring. Punk narrowly missed a wild swing from his opponent. It took her a moment to realize who the other man was, but she couldn't mistake him. It was Dean Ambrose.

She found it hard to focus on what was going on in the match. Her eyes were drawn toward the strange man she literally bumped into moments earlier. She recalled that uneasy feeling she'd gotten around him. Despite this, she felt an odd sense of intrigue that she couldn't explain. She shook him out of her mind and returned her attention to the match, trying to focus on Punk and not this stranger that had captivated her so.