Authors Note: I am soooooooo sorry! I do not deserve continuous readers! I am unworthy!
Just to let you all know, the main reason I haven't posted for over two years is because I was attempting to get an Associates Degree and my nemesis, otherwise known as College Algebra, kept tripping me up. However, the good news is I PASSED AND GOT THAT DEGREE!
I also took several creative writing classes so I can honestly say that my writing has improved a lot! I also happened to look back on my Morrison and OC fic and WOW! Do you ever just look back at some things and go, "What was I thinking?!"
Seriously, that thing reads like a Lifetime movie. I'm considering deleting it, if you have any objections just let me know.
Now to the good stuff: I have resisted drinking the sinfully delicious kool-aid, otherwise known as The Shield Fandom, for a looooong time. I am happy to report that it did not work. I indulged in a tiny sip, which led to a gulp, and before I knew it I had inhaled the whole cup. That amazing concoction has allowed me to get ALL THE AMBROSE FEELS!
So here's a oneshot. Hope you enjoy! :)
As always, I own nothing associated with the WWE! I only own my OC's!
Amanda Johnson flopped down on the sofa and let out a heavy sigh. After an extremely long Monday it was a huge relief to sit down and relax. She kicked off her heels and tossed her black business jacket over the arm of the sofa. She rolled her shoulders several times attempting to work out the tension. She was just beginning to uncoil the springs that her shoulders had become when her cell phone let out a PING! However, she didn't mind this alert. Her cell phone was letting her know that seven o'clock was here.
Amanda looked up at the clock above her fireplace and it confirmed that Monday Night Raw was officially on. She snatched up the remote and switched on the tv. Amanda was beyond excited to find out what had happened at Survivor Series the night before. With work and everything else that took up her time, Amanda was never able to catch the paper views and she didn't dare look up the results. She loved surprises and Monday Night Raw usually delivered surprises on the paper view.
The screen showed no intro music or even the live crowd. It went straight to highlights of last night's paper view match. Amanda bounced in her seat, anxious to know the results. There had been a Triple Threat Match between CM Punk, Ryback, and John Cena. Between Ryback and Cena, Amanda didn't know who to root for. She had been a die-hard Cena fan since his Thuganomics days (even if some of it was a little embarrassing), but Ryback had definitely proved himself and deserved the title. So Amanda decided that as long as CM Punk didn't win she would be happy.
The highlights flickered to life as if they had been filmed with old 1970's camera equipment. Ryback had Cena on his shoulders and was marching around for the Shell Shock. He executed it perfectly and got up.
'Well,' Amanda thought, 'At least it's not CM Punk.'
Amanda had barely finished her thought when three men clothed in black security gear blindsided Ryback. Amanda sat forward immediately, shocked by the attack. The men in black continued to beat down Ryback. Amanda thought one of them seemed extremely familiar, but they were moving so quickly that she couldn't get a very good look at him.
The three men kicked Ryback out of the ring. They followed out and continued the beat down.
"That's Roman Reigns from NXT," Michael Cole's voice begun, "And that's Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins! All from NXT!"
Amanda never had enough time to watch NXT so she had no idea who Michael Cole was talking about, but that one guy kept tickling her memory. If only she could get a good look at him.
The men continued to beat down Ryback. They grabbed him up and tossed him onto the announcers table, collapsing it in one blow. The camera lingered on Ryback's still body for a moment and then shot up to focus on the men delivering the carnage. It stopped on one face for just a moment then continued to get the other guys in focus.
That was all it took. Amanda gasped as soon as she saw his face. She grabbed her remote and rewound the footage. She paused it on the face she had been trying to catch. His face. Jonathan Good.
"What?" Amanda whispered. "That's not possible."
Amanda sat back on the couch with an incredulous look on her face. How could Jon be on tv? No, how could Jon be a wrestler? This was someone she knew since she was a freshmen in college. They were best friends for five years. How did she not know that he was employed by the WWE? She loved wrestling since she was a kid and Jon knew that. How could he not tell her about what he was doing? They had been best friends, you'd think that his new career choice would've been brought up. Of course, they hadn't spoken since she graduated. Maybe that was her fault. Her graduation night was one for the books anyway.
"Graduating with Magna Cum Laude honors, Amanda Johnson."
Amanda walked across the stage on shaky legs. She reached the Dean of Students, shook his hand, and accepted her degree. The hosts had asked everyone be respectful and only applaud rather than shout their praises. However, that didn't stop that one voice from ringing out.
"Alright Amanda!"
Amanda blushed as she recognized Jon's voice. Jon had been her best friend since she met him in the counselor's office. His job was to print out transcripts for students and NOT give advice. His boss had drilled that into him since he started working there, but that never stopped Jon. He had helped Amanda register for classes. He helped her find her way around campus and he never let any random guy get too close to her.
There were several "Shhhh!" sounds. Amanda found Jon's face in the crowd. He shrugged and gave her a congratulatory wink. She shook her head while laughing and took her seat. Jon never let anyone dampen his spirit. That was one of the reasons Amanda was so drawn to him. She had had a difficult childhood, in and out of public housing and foster homes, she never really knew how to be happy. That is until she met Jon. He explained that he had the same kind of trouble as a kid, but never let a fun time escape him. He taught her so much in those five years. How to be happy, how to make friends, even how to fall in love.
Amanda may have confided in Jon more than her boyfriend, Thomas, but that's how a lot of people are. There are some things you can share with your best friend that you just can't with your significant other. Jon seemed to be ok with that. He actually seemed to revel in it. Amanda figured it was because Jon didn't like Thomas from day one, but Jon was only concerned with Amanda's happiness. As long as she loved Thomas and was completely happy, Jon would put up with Thomas.
Amanda hoped that would hold true for the rest of their lives. Thomas had proposed the night before and Amanda said yes. She hadn't told Jon yet, but she knew he would at least deal with it. He was her best friend after all. Before Amanda could even finish obsessing over the whole ordeal the entire class of 2009 were throwing their caps in the air. She tossed hers up haphazardly and bent down to pick it up. She searched several caps for the initials A.J., but came up empty handed while her fellow graduates shuffled around her. A pair of familiar black boots came into her vision and she straightened up.
Jon stood in front of her holding her graduation cap.
"Looking for this?" he said with his gruff voice.
Amanda smiled and threw her arms around him. He returned the embrace with a low chuckle. His hugs were the best hugs, even better than Thomas's hugs, but she NEVER voiced that.
"Congratulations kid," Jon said.
They parted and Amanda smiled up at him. She snatched her cap out of his hands to double check her initials.
"I did it!" She squealed.
Jon laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to walk her out. "You sure did AND you got Magna Cum Luade! I don't even know what that means, but it's in Latin so it must be pretty freakin' impressive!"
Amanda laughed with him as they walked outside. The sky had already begun to turn dark and the air was warm. There were no clouds and the heat was comfortable. A perfect night.
"So what are we going to do?" Jon asked.
"What do you mean?" Amanda responded, knitting her brows.
"Well, we have to celebrate," Jon retorted, "We can drive to the beach and jump in the ocean. We can go crash someone's graduation party. Get a tattoo, get something pierced. Come on! We have to do something!"
Amanda laughed at Jon's suggestions. He was always full of surprises and she was sure that he meant every single one of those seriously. However, she already had something planned. She was going to tell Jon about her engagement and then take Jon to meet Thomas and they would celebrate with dinner, given Jon reacted the way she hoped he would.
"Well," Amanda started, "I kind of already have plans."
Jon's face dropped slightly. "Of course," he said with an understanding tone, "Sometimes I forget about Tommy."
Amanda rolled her eyes. Jon knew that Thomas hated being called that and he did it just for that reason.
"Actually, I was hoping you would join us," Amanda said.
Jon's eyebrows lifted in surprise.
"Oh really?" he asked, "And just what did I do to deserve this honor?"
Amanda laughed with him and shook her head. She wrapped her arm around his waist as they approached her car.
"Well, you've been a very good boy this year so Santa came early," Amanda said and attempted to copy Jon's signature wink, but failed.
Jon laughed at her failed attempt and wrapped her in a hug. His arms held her steady as he lowered his mouth to her ear.
"I'm so proud of you, Amanda."
His breath sent shivers down her spine, surprising her. She never let feelings like that come into play concerning Jon. He was her friend and nothing more. She broke them apart and looked up at him.
"I actually have something I need to tell you."
Jon leaned against the car. "Ok, shoot."
Amanda took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She fiddled with her fingers as she mustered up the courage to look Jon in the eyes.
"I'm engaged."
Jon blinked. Once. Twice. Then three times. He shook his head as if he didn't hear Amanda correctly. His brows knit together and he leaned forward slightly.
"Um, what?" he asked.
Amanda cleared her throat. "Thomas proposed last night. I said yes."
Jon stared at her for a while. Amanda wrung her hands, hoping for a response. Hoping he would say anything. He just stood there and stared at her.
"Say something," Amanda said with a small, nervous laugh.
Jon ran his hands through his messy hair and let out an irritated huff. He looked at her with unbelieving eyes.
"Why?" he finally asked.
Amanda wasn't sure she heard him correctly.
"Why what?" she asked.
"Why did you say yes," he said with a sad voice.
Amanda didn't know what to say to that. Dean wasn't shouting or anything, but he did just ask a difficult question. One that Amanda really didn't want to answer. Luckily, Jon didn't give her time to answer.
"I mean, why would you tie yourself down to him?" Jon asked. "I see the way you look at him when he isn't looking. You aren't completely convinced that you love him, I know it."
Amanda looked away from him. "You don't know what you're talking about," she said in a low voice.
"Of course, I do!" Jon nearly shouted.
Amanda looked back at him in shock. His eyes were bright with anger. Not anger directed at her, but at the situation.
"You don't love him, you barely tolerate him," Jon insisted. "And he doesn't even deserve THAT!"
Amanda took a step back. "What are you talking about?" she asked.
Jon let out an annoyed laugh. "Oh come on! You know exactly what I'm talking about. He barely pays attention to you. He doesn't know what you're favorite t.v. shows are, he doesn't know how you like your coffee, and he forgot your birthday this year. He's not even here tonight, at your graduation!"
"Oh and I suppose YOU know all those things?" Amanda shot back.
Jon looked at her, his eyes darkening with anger mixed with sadness. He held up his hand and ticked off a finger with each sentence.
"WWE Monday Night Raw, Two sugars and a load of cream, June 14th, 1987, and in case you haven't noticed, I'm here on your graduation night."
Amanda looked down at her feet, guilt settling over her. Of course, Jon would know all of those things. He was her best friend. Then why didn't her fiancé know those things? Amanda shook her head to get rid of the question. She looked back up at Jon with an angry expression on her face.
"Ok, so you know all those things about me. What does that prove? What does that have to do with the fact that I'm going to marry Thomas?"
Jon ran his hands through his hair and let out a frustrated groan. He let his hands drop as he stared at Amanda.
"I figured you would know by now."
"Know what?" Amanda bit out.
Before she could say anything, Jon's hands were pulling her towards him and his lips crashed onto hers. His mouth worked on hers as his hands ran through her hair. Amanda couldn't push him away, she could barely compute what was happening. She couldn't even stop her body from responding to him and kissing him back. She was finally able to bring her hands up to his chest and push against him. She wasn't even close to strong enough to push him away, but Jon wasn't the kind of man that you HAD to push away. Once he got a stop signal he did just that. He would never force himself on anyone.
He pulled away and stared down into Amanda's eyes. Tears had begun to run down her cheeks and she slapped his hands away from her face. She brought her own hands to her face to hide her embarrassed tears.
Jon desperately wanted to hug her to stop the tears, but he knew his touch had caused them; the confused tears of a woman who wasn't sure what she wanted. The urge to comfort her was strong, but he refused, knowing that his hands, no matter how soft, would only upset her more.
She threw her hands down with a frustrated groan. She looked at him with anger and longing in her eyes.
"Why did you do that?" she demanded.
"I'm sorry," Jon said, "I'm sorry I confused you, but I couldn't let you marry that prick without knowing how I felt."
Amanda let out a small sob and slid to the ground. She held her head in her hands and let her tears fall to the ground. She felt Jon sit down beside her. He tentatively put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. She leaned against him and enjoyed his embrace for what she was sure would be the last time. She looked up at him with sorrow etched deep on her face.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, "But I can't…." her voice faded as she struggled to find the words, but the words weren't needed.
Jon's sad eyes looked deep into hers. He nodded and stood up, he brushed his pants off and helped Amanda to her feet. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and stroked her face one final time. He shook his head sadly.
"One day," he began, "I'm going to make you notice me."
As he walked away Amanda stifled a sob. She was so confused. Her friend of more than five years loved her more than her fiancé did and apparently, she was stupid enough to let him walk away.
Amanda's walk down memory lane had lasted almost the entire episode of Monday Night Raw. She had conveniently snapped out of it just as Jon, or Dean Ambrose, came back on screen. He and his two friends had attacked Ryback at the very end of the show. The show came to an end while Amanda stared at Jon's face.
She resisted the urge to snatch up her phone and call him. What would that say about her if after three years of not speaking to one another, that she called Jon? She didn't want him to think she was suddenly a groupie or a gold digger, but she wanted to speak with him so bad. She stared at her phone for a good twenty minutes. She finally tapped in her passcode and tapped the phone icon. She scrolled through her contacts until she came to Jon's name. Her finger lingered over the call button.
She was just about to make the call when the screen of her phone changed to show that she was receiving a call. A call from Jonathan Good. A huge smile spread across Amanda's face as she answered the call.
"Well, if it isn't Dean Ambrose," she teased.
She was greeted by that familiar low chuckle. She didn't realize just how much she missed that chuckle until she heard it. It amazed her how something as simple as his laugh made her feel ten times lighter.
"I knew you'd be watching," his gruff voice responded.
Amanda smiled in return. She couldn't believe how much she had missed him. Hearing from him again made her feel like she was back in college, carefree and utterly happy with her best friend.
"Of course you did," she responded. "You know, you'd think that my best friend would've told me about his new career, especially one as cool as wrestling."
Jon's laugh echoed through the phone. "Well, I know how much you like surprises."
That was very true. Amanda did like surprises. That was another thing that Jon knew about her that Thomas never did. Thomas didn't even surprise her when he proposed, she just kind of knew it was coming. But Thomas was the furthest thing from her mind. Jon had called her. She was talking to Jon! She couldn't even find words to express how happy she was to hear from him. Luckily, Jon always had the ability to fill the silence.
"I told you I'd make you notice me someday." His voice was filled with nostalgia and Amanda wanted nothing more than to be near him at that moment.
"Jon," she began, "I've always noticed you."
"Not the way I wanted you to," he responded.
Amanda's breath caught. She wanted to be with him, dear God she wanted to be with him, but she couldn't just try to start up a relationship after seeing him on tv. That would make her seem like some spotlight hungry groupie.
"I'm sorry," Jon said, "I shouldn't be talking about you like that. You're a married woman and you're nothing if not faithful."
Amanda paused. She would tell him eventually. Now, that he was back in her life she wasn't about to let him slip back out. She figured that now was a good a time as any. She drew in a deep breath and took the plunge.
"Actually, I'm about as single as it gets," she responded.
A small pause followed. Silence ticked away for about two minutes, but those two minutes could have been a century.
"Oh really?" Jon's voice asked lightheartedly.
"Yup," Amanda responded with likeness.
"I'm hoping you came to your senses before the wedding or ended it yourself. I'd hate to have to track him down and get thrown away for murder."
A relieved laugh escaped Amanda's lips. The weight on her shoulders lifted. She had been so afraid that Jon had written her off and would never forgive her. To hear what he said assured her that he was still very protective of her. She would be ok if Jon only wanted to be friends, just as long as she had him in her life again. After he confessed his feelings for her, Amanda couldn't ignore it. She tried to, she tried hard, but the more she tried to force herself to believe her feelings for Thomas the more Thomas knew she was lying. He eventually ended it.
"Well, I would say that, but I would be lying. Thomas knew we weren't going to work out. Apparently it was obvious to everyone except for me."
"Nah," Jon responded, "You knew. You just didn't want to admit it. It only took The World's Best Kisser to get you to acknowledge it."
Amanda laughed again. "I don't know about World's Best Kisser," she retorted.
"Oh come one," Jon joked. "You know you couldn't stop yourself when I got my lips on you."
Amanda laughed and nearly snorted. "You are entirely too much of a goof," she said, not meaning a single word.
"You love it," Jon responded.
"Yeah, I do," Amanda laughed.
A small silence settled over them. Not one of those uncomfortable awkward silences, but a content one, the two of them happy to be in each other's lives again.
"So," Jon spoke up, "How did he do it? The proposal I mean. If I hear one word of how he ended the relationship I'll track him down and make him regret it."
Amanda smiled at Jon's protective tone. "Well," she began, "You know how you always said that Thomas doesn't have a creative bone in his body?"
"Yeah," Jon said knowingly.
"You could not have been more right," Amanda responded.
Jon's laugh sounded loudly on the other end, causing Amanda to join in with his infectious laughter.
"Seriously," she said in between giggles. "He did the most cliché thing in the world. He took me to dinner at one of those really nice restaurants. You know, the one's with a dress code."
"Oh jeez," Jon said. "That has to be the stupidest move of the decade. Everyone knows you hate those kind of places."
"Exactly!" Amanda agreed. "I was so uncomfortable! I had to wear that God-awful pink dress!"
"That thing?!" Jon asked. "You HATED that dress!"
"I know! And I thought I made that obvious, but apparently I didn't cringe enough when he insisted on buying it for me."
Jon scoffed. "No. Believe me, you cringed plenty. Thomas is just so self-absorbed that he wouldn't notice a fire unless it was on him."
Amanda laughed at the incredibly correct description of Thomas. Jon was a great judge of character. Amanda wished that she had listened to him in the beginning.
"That's not the worst part," she continued. "The absolute crap frosting on the dirt cake of that proposal was his finishing line."
"Wait," Jon interrupted. "I'm not sure if I want to hear this. I mean I enjoy hearing how stupid Tommy is as much as the next guy, but when should I draw the line?"
"Never," Amanda answered.
"Good enough," Jon responded, "Please, continue."
"His finishing line was and I quote, "I've got the successful job and you've got the great looks. You should be my trophy wife.""
A long silence followed and Amanda wasn't sure if the call had dropped or something. She listened a bit longer, wondering if Jon had hung up.
"Jon?"
"And you said yes to THAT?"
Amanda burst into laughter. "I know. I know. I have no clue what I was thinking."
"Oh I can solve that riddle for you. You weren't thinking."
Amanda's laughter increased. She knew Jon was joking, but part of her fully agreed with him. She knew, even at the time of the proposal, that she was settling, but she thought for a long time that was all she would ever get: second best.
"I miss your laugh," Jon said quietly as Amanda's laughter subsided.
A small sweet smile settled on her face. She missed his as well. She was hoping she would be able to hold on to him this time. To never let him go again.
"I want to see you," Jon said suddenly.
Amanda's breath caught in her throat. "Why?" she asked.
"You know why," Jon answered, "I love you. Don't make me prove it again. I don't want to walk away just so you can be what you think is happy. I know that I can make you happy. I want you."
Amanda shook her head, even though he couldn't see her. "No, I mean, why do you love me? I don't deserve you. I should have kept you when I had the chance, but I was so stupid. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I was so wrong. How could you love someone like that?"
"Shut up," Jon cut her off, "Don't question how I could love you, just let me show you that I do."
Amanda stayed quiet for a while. She couldn't bring herself to accept Jon's forgiveness. He was too good for her, but he didn't seem to care. How could she let him do that to himself? She was beyond messed up.
Suddenly a knock at her door jolted her out of her silence.
"Um can you hold on for a minute?" she asked.
"Sure," Jon responded with a smile in his voice.
Amanda walked to her front door and looked out the peep hole. Her breath caught in her throat. With her phone still pressed to her ear, she opened the door to see Jon standing on her front step. She lowered her phone, mouth agape.
Jon chuckled and ended the call on his phone. His sideways smirk made Amanda's stomach turn flips. She struggled to find words, but her brain and mouth failed her.
"Um…. H-how are you…. What…. What are you doing here? You were just on-," Amanda managed to stutter out.
"We were in Rochester," Jon began, "Which is about 15 minutes away from your doorstep.
Amanda's brain struggled to understand. Rochester? That's right. She remembered wishing she could've gone to the event, but work wouldn't allow her to leave early. She remembered being crushed, as though she was missing so much more than just her favorite sporting event.
Jon smiled fondly as he saw the wheels turning in Amanda's head.
'This woman,' he thought warmly.
Amanda's mouth opened to ask another question, but Jon cut her off by rushing forward and pressing his lips tenderly to hers. She received his kiss and threw her arms around his neck. How on earth this man still wanted to be with her was a mystery to Amanda, but she silently thanked God that he did.
They parted and Amanda looked up at Jon with wide, wondering eyes. Jon stroked her face and smiled, knowing that her questions and objections were soon to follow. That wasn't about to stop him though. He was ready for them. He was ready for her.
"Are you sure you still want to do this?" she asked on cue. "I don't want to seem like some groupie to you. I realized my mistake as soon as you left the parking lot. I've loved you for so long and I-,"
Jon cut her rambling short by wrapping her in a warm embrace. He stroked her hair and kissed her head.
"You could never be a groupie to me," he murmured in her ear. "You are and always have been the woman that I love. Nothing, not a single thing, will ever change that."
Amanda pulled back and looked up at him. "I don't know how you still love me. You must be crazy, but Jon, I thank whoever's in charge up there that all of your screws aren't tight," Amanda finished with a laugh.
Jon laughed in return. "I've missed your smile so much. It's been too long since I've seen it." He paused to sigh as he brushed a strand of her hair away from her face. "I've been too far away from you for too long."
Amanda stiffened slightly. "Well, your new job doesn't exactly allow us to be together all of the time."
Jon's arms tightened around her to physically reassure her that he wasn't planning on letting her go.
"I know, but we have the resources to never feel that far apart again." Jon stopped to laugh slightly. "You know, in the process of getting your attention, I found a career that I'm extremely passionate about. You, Amanda Johnson, have given me something that I can't live without. If you hadn't turned me away I wouldn't have entered the WWE, and I wouldn't have met my brothers, and I wouldn't have this career. I just need one more thing to complete it all. Amanda, I need you."
Amanda smiled in response. "Then you'll have me."
Jon returned her smile and pressed a kiss to her lips. His arms snaked around her waist and lifted her up. Amanda squealed with elation and tightened her arms around Jon, determined to never let him go again.
Thank you sooooo much for reading! Please leave a review because they just make my day!