"Learn to Fly"
A CM Punk/Ashley/Jeff Hardy fic
Another fic... wooo! I had the Ashley/Jeff pairing in mind for a while and then... i got the idea of a love triangle!
Hope you like it! R&R and enjoy it :)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything; English is not my own language so i apologize for errors!
Chapter 1
"Wrestlemania 24"
Ashley was warming up in the backstage just a few minutes before her match. She had just watched Ric Flair's last match with her eyes full of tears and she couldn't help but feel honored to be part of something so huge.
"The granddaddy of them all" they called it, the greatest stage ever… the mail goal of everyone who worked in the business. Just being a part of Wrestlemania, where history is made and dreams come true. And she was lucky enough to be at her second one. 3 years in the business and already 2 presences at the most waited ppv of the whole year. Definitely not bad, especially considering that the first year she was out with an injury.
She nodded confidently as her friend and tag team partner for the night approached her.
"Are you ready?" Maria asked with a nervous smile.
"Yep, ready to kick some butts." She smiled back adjusting her pink and black corset.
"That's the spirit!" The brunette echoed with a giggle; she was obviously nervous cause she was at her first important match on ppv, but she knew that the dirty diva wasn't satisfied with her performance of the previous year and was eager to show her best just as herself.
"Good luck bunnies!" Their close friend Mickie James joked passing them by along with the other 'lumberjills' for the match.
"Thanks," they both replied with a laugh, amused by the new nickname as they waved or responded at the 'thumbs up' of the other divas.
"Don't worry, we got your back." Michelle McCool said with a wink before disappearing behind her colleagues.
Ashley and Maria exchanged another nervous smile, knowing that in a few minutes it would have been their turn. The self proclaimed dirty diva distractedly looked behind her for a brief moment and lightly sighed. It was all perfect besides the fact that he wasn't there.
…Here she comes again like good medicine…
"That's us!" Maria exclaimed abruptly taking her back to reality as her music blasted through the speakers.
"Let's go then!" Ashley grinned high-fiving her friend before stepping outside together.
"Look JR, bunnies! It's bunnymania, get excited!"
As Jerry 'The King' Lawler happily commented, Jeff Hardy chuckled from his couch. She was one of the most important persons in his life; she was his best friend… or even more, he considered her part of his family.
Obviously it all had begun when 3 years ago she had became his brother's girlfriend and they had started to hang out together. Then after 2 years when she and Matt broke up, after a while he and his longtime fiancée unpredictably followed their path. And from that moment the relationship between the two former 'almost-brothers in law' had become stronger day after day.
Everyone knew that Jeff was a complicated, introverted guy… it wasn't easy and it didn't happen often that he fully let someone in his world… except Ashley. In time they all got to know that all that mattered for him was his 'North Carolina crew' and the punk princess herself. At Raw they were almost inseparable. When the others teased him about that he just shrugged and replied that she had remained a sister for him. This of course was helped by the fact that she and Matt were on good friendly terms even after their split.
"Go Ash, don't let her get you!" The rainbow-haired warrior instinctively cheered as the self proclaimed dirty diva ducked a clothesline from Bett Phoenix and came back with a hurricanrana.
So why wasn't he involved in the greatest ppv too? Because unfortunately just a few weeks before he got suspended and he had to miss Wrestlemania. That was why he was sat now on his couch, watching the show with a beer in his hand, just like any other fan around the world.
Caught up in the action as he was, he almost jumped when the phone next to him suddenly rang.
"Hello?" He answered with his eyes still glued to the screen.
"Hey man, what's up?"
"Oh Matt, I'm watching the ppv." He replied matter-of-factly, what he could possibly be doing right at that moment?!
"Yeah, I'm just checking on you little bro."
He rolled his eyes at his brother's chuckle. "Matt, I'm perfectly fine, don't worry. I'm not going to jump off a ladder in the middle of my living room pretending to be in the money in the bank match."
"And that anyway couldn't beat my Twist of Fate from the top haha!"
"Did you call me just to brag?" He couldn't help but laugh.
"Hell yeah!"
"Good to- ouch!"
"Jeff? Is everything alright?" Matt asked confused.
"Yeah sorry, I was just watching how Melina got thrown on Ashley's stomach by Beth."
"Ow poor her! Ash, I mean, not Melina."
"Of course. But how come you're not watching the match too?"
"Oh I was… but it's not really a good idea to watch a divas match in the locker room full of superstars from all 3 brands if you've dated one of them. Definitely something I don't want to hear." He said with a roll of his eyes.
"Right, I guess so." Jeff laughed.
"Okay, so I guess I'll talk to you later… alright?"
"Matt there's no need of call again. It sucks that I'm not there but I'm good, really."
"Fine," the older Hardy brother gave up "enjoy the rest of the ppv then."
"Thanks man, you too."
"Bye bye!"
"Byeee!"
And with an amused smile on his face and slightly shaking his head, he focused on the match again.
"After all it wasn't that bad, right?" Maria asked as half a hour later she was brushing her hair in the crowded women's locker room.
"Of course it wasn't!" Mickie promptly exclaimed "You two did great and don't forget Beth used Santino's distraction to pin you."
"I totally agree," Ashley echoed with a smile as she zipped up her jeans "I'm quite sure you would have pinned her actually. You were on a roll!"
"Said the one who jumped on a group of six divas…" Maria giggled.
"Well yeah, I was pretty awesome myself, what can I say?!" The punk princess laughed.
"Hey girls," Candice called out with a huge grin on her face "there's some sort of celebration going on down the corridor… hurry up!"
"Do they have alcohol?" Torrie asked with a laugh.
"Of course! I spotted champagne to be exact."
"Then what are we doing still here?!" Mickie exclaimed jumping from the bench.
"Let's go girls." Candice beamed.
"Ash, are you coming?" Maria asked turning to the dirty diva who was still standing next to her locket.
"Sure, I'm ready." She smiled back and placed her cell phone in her jeans' pocket before leaving the room.
"You know what I hate most of being a diva?" Mickie piped up as the girls approached the group of superstars all crowded around some sort of 'buffet table' in the canteen. "The fact that they're all so tall! It will take ages to reach the drinks!"
"Micks… it's not like you would be a giant far from them anyway." Candice joked with an innocent smile.
"Hey!" The 'short' brunette protested making the other divas laugh, "I hate feeling like Hornswoggle." She groaned as Kane and one of Edge's guys blocked her view.
"I think we're gonna get stuck here indeed." Michelle complained.
"You know what guys?" Torrie smiled "Divide and conquer. Let's try in separate ways!"
"Cool!" Maria approved as she tried to slip in the crowd.
"The first who makes it through gets the drinks for the others!" Mickie literally shouted.
Ashley laughed and slightly shook her head at the scene, when suddenly a glass full of champagne 'appeared' in front of her eyes.
"What?" She smiled amused turning to see to whom it belonged.
"Thought you were thirsty." A superstar chuckled offering her the glass.
"Oh," she said taken aback cause she was expecting to find one of her friends "shouldn't you celebrate?" She smiled noticing that he didn't have an other one so this was probably his own drink. "You sure you don't want it?"
Well they don't exactly have Pepsi around here, you know?" CM Punk chuckled "So I think I'll pass till I get back to the hotel."
"Right, the straight edge thing" she apologetically smiled "I forgot."
"It's okay… so you still want it or I have to find some other diva shorter than you?" He asked amused since he had heard their conversation.
"No, I'll take it!" She giggled "But anyway I don't think you'll find many more divas shorter than me… maybe just Mickie." She playfully rolled her eyes.
"And in all honesty I think she's hyper enough without any more alcohol."
"Yeah, I know." She laughed.
"So I'm glad I found you instead." He grinned.
"Thanks," she smiled raising her glass "to your win then."
"Right," he chuckled "and why not to your match too?"
"Because I just lost." She pointed out with an amused smile.
"Yeah I know but it wasn't that bad. I mean the hurricanrana, the flight on the outside… good stuff." He nodded.
"Excuse me… are you saying that you watched my match?" She asked rather surprised.
"Shouldn't have I?" He asked confused.
"No I mean like… you properly watched it? Not just to see how I looked in leather corset and mini skirt?" She playfully rolled her eyes.
"Yeah I actually did," he laughed "but btw you didn't look bad either."
"…Thanks," she softly giggled "so congrats on your win. Mr. Money in the Bank."
"That's me." He grinned.
"That was huge, a victory over six others men and especially the end against Chris Jericho… it's not something that happens everyday." She said impressed.
"So you really watched the match then? Not only to check out seven men in underwear?" He joked.
"Touchée." The self proclaimed dirty diva laughed "But c'mon, the power ranger mute has its sex appeal!"
"Totally," he couldn't help but laugh "actually I was thinking to switch to it too."
"Interesting," she commented amused.
"Yeah." He echoed with a smirk.
…Time has come and gone for words…
"Ooops that's my cell," she apologetically smiled.
"No prob."
"So I'll see you around I guess and thanks for the drink again."
"You're welcome." The extreme roster member chuckled as she walked away to answer the call in a less noisy zone.
"Hello?"
"That face buster from the turnbuckle was huge!" An excited voice welcomed her, "What did I tell you?!"
"That I was going to rock this match." She giggled.
"And so you did!" He chuckled "Really, you were great."
"Thanks Jeff, it means a lot coming from you, ya know." She sincerely said.
"That's the truth. And btw I liked the outfit." He joked.
"Shut up!" She laughed. "So what are you up to?"
"Just watching the ppv from my couch, nothing much."
"Is Tobey being a good boy?"
"Yes, he is." He playfully rolled his eyes.
"Don't roll eyes at me and btw, did you make him watch my match?"
"Ash, a dog can't watch a match." He replied matter-of-factly "And how do you know that I was rolling my eyes?!"
"Cause I know you, Jeffy." She grinned "And anyway you did try to make him watch my match, right?"
"Yes, I tried… but he preferred to go and run along with Shannon's pitbull."
"Aww." She pouted.
"So you have to be content with just me watching you in action."
"Okay, I'm grateful that you didn't prefer Oz over me then." She giggled.
"Yeah… well the buddy has its moments but he got nothing on the punk princess." He joked.
"YAY!" She laughed, "I'll make sure to tell Shannon that I'm better than his dog then."
"Oh and btw…"
"Yes?"
"Don't call me Jeffy," he rolled his eyes "It sounds… girly."
"But I love it." She protested "And anyway don't be silly, how many girls have you met named 'Jeffy'?"
"No one but-"
"See? You don't have to worry then." She grinned.
"…I don't even know why I bother to argue with you, ya know?"
"I wonder the same actually." She giggled.
"Okay I'd better leave you now… you're probably waiting to celebrate with the others, see you soon 'k?" He said trying to sound cheerful.
"I hope so," she lightly sighed "and tell Tobey I miss him!"
"I will." He smiled amused "Bye."
"Jeff?"
"Yeah?"
"I miss you too."
"'Night punkie." He chuckled.
"OMG Ashleyyyy!" An obviously high Kelly Kelly squealed as the punk princess closed her phone. "You were talking with…"
"It was just Jeff," she said with a puzzled look.
"Nooo, I mean before!" The younger diva giggled as she almost fell on Ashley who promptly helped her with an arm around her waist.
"How many drinks did you have in meanwhile, Kelly?" The dirty diva asked confused.
"Too many," she uncontrollably giggled "but you were talking to CM Puuuunk!!"
"Yeah, I was…" she said without seeing what the big deal was.
"He's so hot, right?" She dreamily sighed leaning on Ashley's shoulder "I love him."
"…Good to know?" The punk princess evasively responded wishing someone could come over and help her out.
"Don't you think he's handsome?" The drunken girl questioned her with a sigh.
"Well… he's not bad." She politely said trying to hold her fellow diva up and finding herself at looking with a little more curiosity than before ad the straight edge superstar in the other corner of the room while he laughed with Kofi.
"He's just perfect." Kelly Kelly commented staring at him.
"…Okay." She playfully rolled her eyes.