The Last One

by ThatWriterGirlWWE

Della Stone has finally (& begrudgingly) signed a WWE contract. Her resume was filled with accolades, classic matches & winning every indy's woman's title there was. She had many accomplishments but there was one she wasn't very proud of: having a one night stand with an engaged then, married now Roman. Now apart of the WWE family she has no other choice but to confront her past.

1. Chapter 1

It's super long. I called myself trying to set the scene and got a little carried away. If you actually make it to the end, the next chapters won't be half of this one.

---

Independent wrestler Della Stone followed her best friend Marina Diaz down a set of wooden steps. She stepped down carefully, fearing the old wood would collapse beneath their feet. The stairs led down into a dingy basement with old WWF PPV posters hung around in frames. On one side of the room there was an beat up sofa with stuffing and springs showing through. On the other there was a coffee table with one leg shorter than the other, a brick propped under it to even things out. Fold out lawn chairs surrounded it. On top of the table was the only thing that appeared to be from this decade, a MacBook. There were also three brassy-looking microphones and three pairs of headphones scattered on the table.

A banner hung from the ceiling, written in sharpie, it read: Jason in the Basement.

"Where the hell are we?" Della asked, standing in front of a cloudy full length mirror. It was blurry but she could still make out her soft almond bronzed skin credited to her mixed race, blue cat-like eyes, full lips and long curly hair that she often straightened. Standing at 5'7, her body was the perfect balance of muscular and feminine.

"Jason's basement, duh," Marina muttered sarcastically as she traced a line of dust on a stack of shoot interview DVDs stacked from the floor to her 5'4 height. She was Cuban; her Latin ancestry gave her olive skin, hazel eyes and lustrous dark brown hair.

"I know that much," Della rolled her eyes in annoyance. "How did you find this guy?"

"I didn't find him, he was forced upon me. Do you remember last year when I was booked for the Women's Wrestling Worldwide show against Angelic Cyborg?" Marina asked, hoping to jog Della's memory.

"Yeah and it didn't happen for some reason if I recall correctly though."

"Because Angelic is known to shoot and purposely injure her opponents. She got blacklisted in Japan for ending a legend's career. I begged the booker to get me out of that match and he did...but he said I'd owe him a favor. He finally cashed in that favor when he asked for us to do his lame cousin's podcast so here we are," Marina sat down carefully, gasping when the raggedy chair squeaked beneath her.

Della took off her jacket and spread it over her chair before sitting. "Have you ever heard any of his previous podcasts? Does he have actual guests?"

"I think he's had a few other indy stars before, nobody major though. He's a smark and so are most of his listeners so be prepare yourself for a lot of group think, rants and circlejerks," Marina warned.

Della heard loud footsteps coming down the creaky wooden stairs that led into the basement.

Jason entered. He looked like the textbook definition of a neckbeard with long straggly hair on his head and a full thick beard under his chin wearing a 4XL Bullet Club t-shirt.

Della sighed in exasperation, over this interview before it started.

He was holding a stained glass of water in his hand. He looked down at it before looking at them. "I'm sorry, can I offer you ladies anything to drink."

"No!" "No thank you!" Della and Marina answered together just as quickly as he offered.

Jason sat down and secured his headphones over his ear and the girls did the same. "Do you know how my shows work? It's only an hour. I'll introduce you, then I'll talk about current events in wrestling, then I'll take a few callers and finally, we'll get into the interview."

"Got it," Marina gave him a thumbs up.

"In 5, 4, 3, 2...1," he signaled. "You are listening to Jason in the Basement. I'm your host Jason where I talk all things wrestling with Top 10 lists, reviews of the latest RAW, Smackdown, NXT, ROH, NJPW shows and we let you, the audience sound off. If you don't know who my next guests are you've probably been living under a rock, they've wrestled all over the world, held every indy woman's title there is to hold, they're top 10 right now male or female in the same conversation with Styles, Omega and Okada. I have joining me today the beautiful and exotic duo of Della Stone and Marina Diaz," he ended by playing an applause sound effect.

"What an introduction, I'm happy to be here," Marina spoke into her mic.

"I sure hope you introduce all your male guests as beautiful and exotic, too," Della laughed but was 100% serious. They sat through him reviewing the latest shows before he went on a long winded and whiny, anti-Roman Reigns rant.

"Caller one, you're on with Jason, Della and Marina. What's your name, where are you from and what are you sounding off on today?"

"Hi, Jason. I wanted to Della and Marina to confirm or deny if they were set to be the first female wrestlers added to the Bullet Club but backed out?" the caller asked.

"I wouldn't say we backed out," Marina answered. "The Bullet Club is worldwide at this point. They have representative in New Japan, Ring of Honor, Chikara, CMLL way in Mexico and so many more promotions. They travel a lot doing promo tours and it was just way too much for our schedules, would've been awesome though."

"Let's go to our fifth and last caller. You're on live with Jason, Della and Marina. What's your name, and where are you calling from?" Jason prompted.

"I'm Maxx and I'm calling from New Jersey," he said and his accent proved it. "I just wanted to say excellent opening segment. I'd also like to add, have you noticed how fat and out of shape Roman's gotten? He must be off cycle with the roids. He can't juice with the scandal still in the news."

Jason laughed but Della didn't find it funny especially since Jason was obese and Roman was probably in better shape than Maxx. She chimed in. "That's what you consider fat? Ha. I think that's just how Samoan genes work. His body is no different than the Usos, Roman just has a bigger frame."

Her phone buzzed on the table.

Marina: Look at u standing up 4 ur man.

Della: Stop! -_-

"Nah, it's definitely the roids. Look how much smaller he was compared to his debut with the Shield," Maxx shot back.

"Even then he wasn't ripped, just his arms and shoulders. He was never destined to be slender," Della replied. "He's getting older and the genes are kicking in so if he doesn't keep it in check, that's what happens."

"You sound like a fangirl," Maxx snapped.

"And you sound like a mark," she snapped back. "I bet you were one of the main ones preaching 'innocent until proven guilty' or 'we haven't heard all the evidence so stop jumping to conclusions' in regards to the Enzo allegations and Rich Swann situation or think Benoit should go in the Hall of Fame because 'his crime doesn't take away from his talent' but rejoiced when some random guy looking for attention named Reigns in this crap."

Jason cleared his throat. "What makes you think it's so blasphemous? Are you forgetting about his suspension a few years ago?"

"Adderall for energy and focus and roids are two different things," she shrugged. "I'm also guessing Maxx is a NJPW stan. You are aware that they don't test at all in Japan so your favorite wrestler is probably juiced up and coked out like Ric Flair in the 80s while you're worried about Roman's pee."

Della: Is it okay if we walk off now?

Marina: No, becuz Jason & his fanboys will make a big deal about it & then the dirtsheets will pick it up "Della Stone walks out of live podcast interview after heated exchange over Roman Reigns" then Roman will likely see it & think "don't I know her...and her beautiful, sexy, gorgeous Latina sidekick?"

Della: Cringe….

Marina: U probably lost 3/4 of ur fanbase with those comments. U know they're all smarks.

Della: They seem to like it when I "tell it like it is" & that's what I did. *shrug*

"And that concludes this segment," Jason said. "Let's jump right into it. Are you two really best friends or is it just an act."

"Act? No, Marina is totally and completely my best. She's almost like a sister at this point, only better because my sister and I hate each other," Della laughed.

"Aww," Marina slid her arm around Della's waist for a side hug. "Up until my first match, I was ribbed and hazed by other girls because they felt I'd have it easier because I was pretty. My first match was booked against Della. She met with me the night before to work on some spots. I was super nervous because she'd been in the business for years and was a top girl but we just clicked. She took me under her wing and never let go."

"What was it about Marina that made you want to mentor her?" Jason asked.

"We spoke each other's language first of all and I'm not talking about her Spanish because I can't speak a lick. I can come across as crass and if you don't know me well enough, feelings will be hurt but she kept up with me. When I talked shit, she talked it right back. Plus even though she was green as baby shit, the potential was there. She could do flashy stuff, flippy shit like a double rotation moonsault and her finisher, the Canadian Destroyer...I'm sorry, Cuban Destroyer as she calls it now but she struggles with basic stuff like selling and could barely lock up. I knew if I helped her with that, we'd have an elite wrestler...and now we do."

"Then we ended up being booked for the same shows, we started traveling together, we moved in with each other and the rest is history," Marina finished.

"Della, you, a wrestler, ended up on last year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. WWE hasn't even been able to pull that off even back in the day when their roster was stacked with nothing but swimsuit models. How did that come about?" Jason asked.

"Long story. A friend of mine started an all women's promotion and I was the face. We did okay in ticket sales and had a decent following but it still wasn't enough to get us out of the small, rundown YMCA building. So I saw an article online that said Sports Illustrated was doing castings for their swimsuit issue. Every year they get a few athletes from different sports to pose. Obviously I'm an athlete so I submit my headshot, bikini shots and highlight reel. I didn't think anything would come of it but if it did, it'd be the perfect opportunity to plug our promotion and bring more eyes and attention to the product. They called and we did a simple shoot in Hawaii. I got along with the photographer and he raved about how well the pictures came out. A week later they called me back to do a second shoot in Madagascar in a body paint bikini which is what ultimately made the cover. They invited me to cover reveal in New York. I almost skipped it because I had a match the next day and I knew I wasn't getting the damn cover anyway so what was the point of traveling way to New York then back to Cali the next day for the match. But I didn't want to look ungrateful for the opportunity so I went. I was legit shocked. Of course the cover girl had to go to different talk shows to promote it and while I was there I made sure to name drop the company. It worked and we made enough money to rent out this nice building and live stream the shows."

"Awesome and you blew up afterwards."

"I wouldn't say blew up…" Della replied.

"Babe, don't be modest," Marina chimed in.

Jason began reading stats from his note card. "You had 500,000 Instagram followers before the cover. Now you have 5 million. You've been on the cover of many other magazines including Vogue Brazil. You're topping all the Hot 100 lists. You're getting endorsement deal after endorsement deal. I think I saw you in a makeup commercial yesterday. You're walking red carpets. You played the main character's girlfriend in a box office hit. You're everywhere. If WWE wants you, they can't throw you the standard NXT pay your way. You're the it girl in and outside of wrestling, they're going to have to pay up."

She brushed it off. Yes, all those things were happening but she didn't get caught up in her newfound celebrity. Her first job and first love was wrestling. "I don't wrestle for the money. What's the old saying? If you love your job you'll never work a day in your life? That's how I feel about wrestling. There've been times where I've gotten jipped by a promoter and I didn't care because I enjoyed the match and crowd so much. This was before the fame so I needed that money."

"Well if you don't do it for the money I'm sure TNA would be happy to oblige," Josh joked.

"Aww, don't kick them while they're down," Marina laughed. "Don't forget, it wasn't that many years ago that the same things you guys are saying about NJPW, how much better it is than WWE and how the guys are more talented, you were saying them about TNA."

"That's riiight," Della agreed.

"You got me," he acknowledged. "Moving on. There've been a lot of high Dave Meltzer rated women's matches these last few years including the Sasha Banks vs Bayley's Takeover match that got a 4.5 and is considered the GOAT WWE's women's match. You both have many matches rated over 4 stars and your last match against each other was rated 4.75 but the last woman's match rated 5 stars was 1995 in Japan...until earlier this year in your match against Monica Dye. What was your reaction?"

"Bucket list complete, now I can retire!" Della laughed. "Just kidding. I don't really get caught up in the star ratings because it's just one man's opinion. I've read other opinions saying the match was overrated just like I've read opinions saying it was the GOAT women's match and top 5 all-time, women or men. Personally, I think every match I've put on against Marina was 5 star worthy and better than the Monica match but that's just me. The hype that the match received did open me up to a wider audience of wrestling fans that thought WWE was the end all, be all of women's wrestling though."

"Speaking of WWE women's wrestling. What do you ladies think of the revolution? You two have been ahead of the game for years doing cage matches, using weapons and doing hardcore matches."

Marina went first. "I love it. It's great to see women legitimized, main eventing and showing the world that anything man can do, we can do better."

"Della?" Jason questioned.

"I'm happy for the women and the opportunities they're getting, it's been a long time coming but to me WWE comes across as self-congratulatory and it's annoying to see the company patting themselves on the back like hey look at us, shattering glass ceilings...that we built in the first place."

"So I guess that's a no to my next question: would you consider going to WWE. It seems like every 6 months there's a report about them being interested in you and I think I read that they wanted you in the Mae Young Classic but you turned it down."

"Yeah, being jobbed out to a 5 foot nothing, 95 pounds soaking wet blonde isn't very appealing," Della snorted. "When I was young, I said my dream was to become a wrestler. I never specifically said I wanted to become a WWE wrestler. To me, it doesn't matter where I wrestle as long as I'm wrestling."

"What about you, Marina? Rumors are floating around as we speak that you have an offer on the table."

"Was the source WWE or myself? If not, it's just rumors like most of the dirtsheet fodder," Marina replied, coyly.

"And that's all the time we have. I'm Josh, signing off from the basement," he said before taking off his headphones. "Thank you, great show."

---

Marina seemed to be pouting as they found themselves at a restaurant an hour later. She was visibly fuming behind her hazel eyes.

"What's wrong with you," Della mumbled with a mouth full of salad.

Marina sat back in her chair and expelled a heavy sigh. "Did you really just diss WWE and their champion while I'm in talks with them? They're going to rescind their offer so fast. I know your gimmick inside...and outside of the ring is to tell it like it is but sometimes you need to know when to talk and when to shut up especially when it affects others!"

"How is it affecting you? What I said had nothing to do with you. I'll have to go back and listen but I'm pretty sure you gave politically correct pageant queen answers the whole way through," Della replied.

"But it'll still rub off on me especially since they only offered me a contract to get to you in the first place!"

"You're better than most of their roster, men included so why wouldn't they want you on your own merit?"

"That's true," Marina plastered a cocky smirk across her face. "But the fact still remains that they've been pursuing you heavy especially since your mainstream buzz began last year. It's no secret that we're best friends and tag team partners so if they get me, they probably think you'll follow. Basically I'm a bargaining chip. When they called me in November they asked when my contract with Stardom ended, I told them the beginning of March but my last indy date was tomorrow. They then asked if the same schedule applied to you. They made it clear from the beginning what the agenda was."

"I don't know why they'd have an agenda, I've been turning them down since I was 19," Della said, now 26. "Just go if that's where you want to be."

"If I go, what'll happen to you. You know I'm your only friend, right?" Marina pointed out.

"Are we going to stop being friends just because you signed a contract?" Della raised a perfectly arched brow.

"Of course not but I'm going to have to move to Orlando to train at the Performance Center and of course NXT tapes at Full Sail. Let's not get into how it'll be when I move up to the main roster. I'll never be able to see you," Marina began pouting again.

"We're both iPhone users. That's what FaceTime is for," Della picked the cranberries out of her salad with her fork. The truth was, she'd miss her best friend desperately. She should've been prepared for this since she knew the day would come when WWE offered Marina a contract and she knew Marina would sign but the sad reality was finally setting in. In a way, she'd hope their indy success as well as other big names succeeding on the indy scene would prove that WWE was not the end all, be all of the wrestling world but everyone in this business had a goal and WWE was Marina's.

"Why are you always such a difficult, wannabe hardass? You actually come across as more of a cunt," Marina grumbled, shaking her head. "It's okay to leave Della Stone behind sometimes and just be Delesia. Delesia has friends, Delesia has feelings, Delesia is vulnerable. You just said on the podcast that your dream wasn't to become a WWE wrestler, but mine is. I know I can do this without you but the thing is, I don't want to. You also said you didn't care where you wrestled as long as you were wrestling; last I checked you'd still be wrestling if you went to WWE. You've done everything you needed to do in your independent career. What's left? And you can't use that excuse you used years ago about the division being a joke since Triple H has raided the indies and the Performance Center is super stacked with female talent. If you don't sign this time I'm convinced it's because you got pumped and dumped."

Della's head snapped up, her piercing blue eyes narrowing into slits. She didn't like talking about that night and didn't like remembering it happened either. "In order to be pumped and dumped, one would have to be expecting something out of the encounter - I wasn't. And I don't appreciate you still bringing it up four years later."

"I know those first few years of declines were because of the division sucking but now that it's better, I can't think of any logical explanation besides that night," Marina folded her arms across her chest. "I'm listening if you have one though."

"I won't be able to do my side ventures," Della blurted.

"You hate the glitz and glam of those jobs anyway plus I doubt WWE will care as long as you plug them a few times," Marina replied. "What's next?"

"Too much traveling…"

"We just flew to Japan for a show and then to New York the next day jetlagged as fuck to wrestle at another show, then the day after that you flew to California for an 8 hour long photoshoot and then the day after that we went to that big anniversary show in Mexico. Don't act like you aren't used to the lifestyle already. Next?"

"My cat!"

"Sassy is a teacup Persian that fits in the palm of your hand. As long as you clean up after her and she doesn't get in the way, I see no reason why you can't take her with you when the opportunity presents itself. Next?"

"I'm a pothead…"

"They only fine for weed and you told me that yourself, remember? Next?"

"I'm out of excuses," Della said with a defeated sigh.

A change of mood set in on Marina and she couldn't smother her smile, knowing where the conversation was leading. "Did you book any other show after the one tomorrow?"

"Nope, I had a feeling that you'd sign so I was going to take some time off to help you move and get situated," Della replied.

"Now we can get each other situated," Marina squealed with excitement.

"I guess so," Della nodded, looking at her calendar. There were sixteen days until Wrestlemania which meant quite a few female NXT stars would be moving up to the main roster and a few spots will be opening up on the NXT roster. At this point, Della was considered to be a veteran, having started training at 12 and wrestling her first match at 14 but she knew she'd have to pay her dues in development before she set foot on the main roster like everyone else.

"You're going to love it!"

"Bleugh," Della jokingly stuck her tongue out in disgust.

"I wonder if you're fanboys will turn on you now that you've caved in and gone to evil WWE," Marina laughed.

"If they do I'll just tell them it's your fault," Della giggled, contacting her agent to tell him not to book her anymore dates.

The Next Night.

Word quickly spread around the internet that Della and Marina weren't taking anymore bookings and everyone knew what that meant. They lost their last match and their tag team championships. Their opponents quickly exited the ring to let them have their moment. Marina began crying as they received a standing ovation, bouquets of flowers being thrown in the ring. Della was emotional also, tears stinging her eyes and threatening to fall. For the last 12 years the indies and these fans were her home and it would hurt to let it go. Three asshole fans tried to get a "future ringrat *clap, clap, clap, clap, clap*" chant directed towards Marina and a "you sold out" chant directed towards Della going but they were quickly shut down.

"I hope this is worth it," Della said, picking up the single rose at her feet.

---

Della walked into the empty locker room filled with pictures of NXT greats such as Sasha, Bayley, Charlotte, Becky, Asuka and Paige. There was wall to wall wrestling memorabilia and the flat screen televisions on the wall were playing NXT matches.

"What took you so long?" NXT trainer Sara Amato, formerly known as Sara Del Rey whispered as she issued Della and Marina their gray, "Property of the WWE Performance Center" shirts for the new recruit photo-op.

"It's officially real!" Marina squealed as she shrugged on her shirt.

There were five other female recruits:

Cassie was a former WWE developmental girl who was released in 2011 before debuting at the old development territory, FCW. She had no wrestling background and most assumed she'd go back to her old life after the release but she shocked the critics by going to the indies to prove herself, it worked. She had green eyes and sandy brown hair.

Tonya was a ginger fitness model. She had no wrestling background but she definitely looked the part. Her body was toned and rocked hard from head to toe. She had gigantic (and clearly fake) breasts and her ass was so huge that Della and Marina had a heated debate on whether or not it was real.

Sadie was a 5'10 blonde haired, blue eyed former supermodel whose work dried up after becoming a difficult to work with, party girl despite not being established enough to act out. She had zero muscle tone and was still at her model weight. She had no wrestling background or knowledge. The only wrestlers she knew was The Rock for obvious reasons and Nikki Bella due to Dancing with the Stars.

Tierra was a black Olympic track and field silver medalist. Due to her choice of sport, she had huge, muscular thighs that looked like tree trunks and her calves were equally big. Other than that she was young, pretty and had dreads. She never wrestled professionally but she was on her high school's wrestling team so the fundamentals were there.

Finally, there was Monica Dye. Like Della, Monica was considered an indy vet with 15 years under her belt. She was 32 and was always threatened by Della's rise on the indy scene. Even though she was on the other end of that historic 5 star match, she still felt that Della was all hype, overrated and only received praise because of her looks. Monica herself wasn't ugly but she was a plain brunette. The sequel to their 5 star match was horrible and not well reviewed because Monica was more focused on outshining Della than putting on a great match so it was filled with botches, awkwardness and zero chemistry.

They were being held separately from the rest of the developmental girls. After their photo shoot, they were led to the main women's locker room by Sara where the established NXT girls were sitting and talking as they entered the room. The NXT girls all stopped to look at the newbies as they awkwardly entered and were introduced. Della knew a lot of the girls having wrestled them in the indies so their smiles were warm but the rest looked at her like she was there to take their spot. It was no secret that the Performance Center was overcrowded with women who'd never make it to the main roster.

One week later…

Training was boring and uneventful because they were going over basic things like bumping, running the ropes and how to tuck their heads. Della and Marina ended up helping the inexperienced girls after Sara was done with them for the day. Tierra having wrestled in high school caught on well, fitness model Tonya was a natural with the basic stuff at least and Sadie was horrible which was a surprise to no one. They also learned backstage etiquette such as shaking everyone's hand maintaining eye contact while doing so, to never draw too much attention to themselves as newbies, it's a title not a belt, dress business casual on the road, listen to a veteran's advice even when you don't agree.

Today was something to look forward to though, they would receive their gimmicks in a one on one meeting with none other than Triple H and the lead writer for NXT.

Sadie disappeared in the office first and came out after about ten minutes. Confusion was evident on her face as she reapproached the group. "I didn't want to look stupid by asking but who or what is Emmalina? They said they were going to give that gimmick to me using my own name since I'm a real model."

"Look stupid?" Monica scoffed, raising a brow. "I'm pretty sure they knew you weren't some walking, talking wrestling encyclopedia when they hired you. They're the ones who look stupid."

"Rude!" Cassie mumbled.

"Anyway!" Della cleared her throat, frowning over at Monica before turning her attention to the embarrassed Sadie. "Emmalina was this model gimmick given to this now released wrestler, Emma. It was this model persona and throwback to the early 2000s Diva days. They dropped it because they felt she couldn't pull it off but since you are the gimmick, I think you'll kill it but you have to get it together in the ring, babe, or you'll get booed out the building like..."

"Like who?" Marina asked in a secret tone that only Della would recognize.

"You bitch!" was a thought that went unsaid. Della hoped her anger didn't show on her face. "Eva Marie, who else?"

The lead writer reappeared at the door. "Cassie, we're ready."

"Wish me luck, ladies!" she said, scurrying off into the room and the door closed behind her.

Della's phone vibrated in her back pocket.

Marina: Monica is such a bitter cunt. Yea Sadie sucks bt she's sweet & lasted longer than I expected her too (I had her quitting Day 1 after the 1st bump) & she seems to be enjoying training & I think she'll enjoy developing her character even more. Yea we're indy girls who scratched and clawed our way to the top & yea girls like her have it easier but wat's the point in being elitist? We're all here together in these gray t-shirts.

Della: Agreed. Also, u aren't bitter but that comment u made was very cunt-like.

Maria: No one paid attention to that comment. I actually saved u because u trailed off wen u catch yourself so me stepping in gave u the opportunity to clean it up.

Della: True. You're forgiven...for now.

By the time they finished a few more text exchanges, Cassie reappeared from the room.

"Soo?" Marina prompted.

"Sooo…" Cassie began, plopping down in her seat. She looked giddy so Della knew this was good news. "They're giving me back my old ring name, Halle and my character will be a disgruntled former wrestler who rags on the NXT girls about how easy they have it now."

"That's actually dope!" Della was shocked. "I assumed they'd give you some lame 'I'm back. Please give me another chance, okay?' storyline."

"Me too! I am so happy, I almost cried right there in front of the same people who let me go," she replied.

The door opened again. "Marina?"

On the independent circuit, Marina was a high flying face with swag and edge so Della wondered how that would translate to NXT. She'd get her answer five minutes later. She didn't look as cheery coming out as she did going in.

She paused her step right in front of the group and a tight smiled formed across her face. She began talking in a broken English accent. "A-llOw meh tew intro-douch myself. Mi name iz Conchita."

"Conchita?" Tierra raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that Spanish slang for-"

"Yep, little cunt," Marina interrupted.

"Are you shitting me?" Della's jaw dropped.

"I shit you not, my friend," Marina shook her head. She was visibly upset. Her hazel brown eyes were blackened with rage.

"Maybe it's just a rib since they've heard you say it so much this week," Cassie shrugged.

"Yeah, with this new women's empowerment narrative they've been pushing I doubt they'll outright call one of their female competitors...that," Della added.

"Maybe it is a rib but even if they change my name again, my gimmick is still bullshit. I'm from Atlanta, Georgia but they want to bill me from Mexico. How the hell do you turn someone of Cuban descent into a Mexican?! I also have to speak with an exaggerated Spanish accent as if you can't go on YouTube and watch one of my old promos or my Instavids to here my barely there accent!" Marina ranted.

"Remember, it was you who wanted to come here," Della snorted. "Stereotyping is nothing new around these parts. Wait until Tierra debuts and the commentators go on and on about how athletic she is like they do all the other black wrestlers."

"You were right," Tierra said ten minutes later when she received her gimmick. She got to keep her name because it's famous but for now, her gimmick is being athletic. "I pitched an idea though. I've never received the gold in the Olympics so I want to be obsessed with chasing the gold aka the championship here. Triple H liked it."

Tonya was now Erin, a powerhouse wrestler and her moveset would consist of power and strong moves.

Monica went in but didn't share the news but she didn't look very excited upon exit.

"Della?"

She took a deep breath when she heard her name and slowly stood.

"I hope you come out better than I did," Marina muttered.

Della was nervous but all the cliche gimmicks were distributed already so whatever they gave her couldn't be any worse than what her counterparts had. She entered the office and there he was, a 14 time champion, Vince's son in law, and the Senior Producer of NXT. She'd read interviews from Bayley and Sasha Banks that have basically described him as a father-like figure but he was still very intimidating.

"Ah, the elusive Della Stone," he stood looking very jacked, likely due to his upcoming Wrestlemania match with Stephanie against Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle. He held eye contact with her as he extended his hand and she shook it firmly.

He gestured to the seat in front of the desk and he took the one behind the desk.

"What do you think so far?" he questioned.

"We haven't done much yet but I like the atmosphere and the people don't seem as cutthroat here as they aren't on the indies," she replied.

"Did you know the match you had against Asuka years ago is the first time we saw her?" The lead writer asked.

"No, wow, I did not," Della's eyebrows shot up.

"Yeah," Triple H nodded to confirm. "Quite a few girls came on our radar via matches against you."

"Well, I can't think of anyone I've ever face that didn't deserve to be here...except one," she said that end part under her breath referring to Monica.

"About your gimmick," he said which caused Della to scoot to the edge of her seat. "Your name is far too big to change at the point and your gimmick can stay as is."

Her gimmick was a cocky shit talker that knew she was the best. She was neither heel nor face, more of a tweener. Her moveset was a blend of high flying, technical and powerhouse moves and none of her matches were repetitive. She took a sigh of relief. "Are you serious?"

He nodded. "Just keep the 'shit, fuck, whore, slut and cunt' to a minimum...and by minimum I meant erase those words from your vocabulary."

"Done!" Della replied. "Is that it?"

"You're free to go," he said.

"Thank you so much," she said appreciatively.

"You're welcome and tell your friend her ring name is actually Giada," he and the lead writer shared a laugh. "I don't want to hear staff complain about her infatuation with a certain word anymore."

"I'll tell her...but not now," Della snickered. "I want to see her suffer a little."

"Well just get the news to her before she changes her Twitter handle."

"Sure but I don't think she'd be quick to do that."

She closed the door behind her and the girls appeared to be waiting anxiously.

"Who are you?" Cassie asked.

"I'm me; same name, same gimmick," Della responded with a shrug.

"I'm jealous!" Marina pouted.

"Damn, if I'd known posing basically naked on the cover of Sports Illustrated in a body paint was going to grant me creative control over my character, I would have done it too," Monica remarked.

"As if they'd ask you," Marina stuck her tongue down her throat and fake gagged.

"No one's talking to you, plus one," Monica scolded Marina before turning her attention back to Della. "I bet you won't be here three months before they shoot you to the main roster and Total Divas. I'm surprised you didn't skip NXT all together."

Della knew that plus one comment would hurt her friend so she was quick to step in. "Actually, you're my plus one. For fourteen years you were on the scene and never had buzz, a following or rumors of WWE or even TNA wanting to sign you until I carried you to the match of your career in year fifteen."

"Carried me?!" Monica stood from her seat and took a few threatening steps toward Della. "Bitch, you couldn't even carry my bags!"

"Nope, I agree," Della shook her head. "I couldn't carry your bags because my hands are too busy carrying all my accolades, praise and endorsement money."

Della was trained in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu so she wasn't scared in the slightest. She took up a fighting stance and readied herself but the other girls separated them before any punches were thrown.

"Chill, Triple H is literally behind that door. Do you guys really want him to come out and see his new recruits fighting like we're outside the club?" Tierra reasoned with them.

"Since this naming crap is out of the way, I'm going back to the locker room," Monica stormed off.

"Who pissed in her cheerios?" Sadie asked when Monica was out of earshot.

Cassie shook her head. "I don't know but she needs to check herself before they allow us to move into the main locker room with the other girls. She may have been wrestling fifteen years but she's still week one here. Respect for your fellow wrestler is big here and if she pops off like she did with Della or even Sadie in front of others, she'll quickly be kicked out of the locker room for being a...Conchita. She needs to be careful because there's nothing about her that'll make her a priority to debut on NXT TV. Not to be ageist but she's 32 and on the clock, with her attitude if she's not released, she'll probably be 35 when she debuts on the main roster. And as for you, Della."

"Me?" Della's head snapped.

"Yes, you. You're an outstanding wrestler. I know that firsthand after our match but that bragging on your money and fame isn't going to set right with some people. Remember Enzo? He bragged about his rapper friends and fame and it got him kicked off the bus and out of the locker room. Don't let that be you," Cassie warned.

Della respected Cassie's wisdom having been here before and knowing the ropes. "You're absolutely right. I'd actually never brag like that but what just went down here was personal."

The door swung open and Triple H stepped out. He appeared to be counting them in his head. "Who am I missing?"

"Monica," they all said in unison.

"Okay, well since she isn't here to hear the announcement, she won't be there to participate," he shrugged. With that their interest peaked. "Wrestlemania is in 5 days down in New Orleans. Every year we have events for developmental talent. You won't be wrestling but I want you ladies to study and embrace your gimmicks because you will be cutting a promo in front of a live audience."

Cheers and screams of excitement filled the room as they bounced up and down.

"What's a promo?" Sadie whispered from behind.

---

2 Days before Wrestlemania.

Della watched a match on a screen backstage between Johnny Gargano and his wife, Candice LaRae vs Andrade Almas and Zelina Vega.

"Are you nervous?" Marina asked Sadie.

"Not really," she replied. "Before I was signed, I hosted a few nightclub parties and had to speak before the crowd. So I'm not nervous about saying it but I'm nervous of how it'll be received. My Twitter mentions are flooded with guys telling me how much I'll suck despite them never seeing me do anything at all."

"Yeah, you'll be fine, it sounds like you have something to prove," Della replied. "What about you, Giada?"

"Who?" Marina's brows knitted.

"Triple H changed your name," she grinned.

"When?"

"In the meeting but I kind of forgot," Della really did forget.

"Really?" she sighed. "I've come to embrace Conchita. Now I have to revise my promo, ugh. You suck."

Della glanced over at Monica with her arms folded in the corner, also watching the match. After begging, Triple H allowed her to travel with them to New Orleans but she could not participate. That might've been a good thing because when they went head to head on the mic during their feud, Monica was awful. The match ended and they were rushed to the curtain.

"And now we'll hear from our newest female recruits," the ring announcer spoke into the mic.

There were a lot of wolf-whistles and lewd comments as they walked to the ring with a few scattered "Della" chants. Della and Marina held the ropes open for Sadie to prevent her from embarrassing herself by tripping. Sadie ducked under and entered in her 6 inch heels and Chanel skirt suit looking fresh off the runway.

Backstage they'd already decided that Marina would go first.

Instead of standing in the ring, Marina went to the turnbuckle, climbed on top and began walking the rope like a tightrope walker, drawing sounds of amazement from the crowd. She walked it corner to corner before doing a 630 to pop the crowd, landing on her feet. She didn't even sound out of breath when she put the mic to her lips. "Need I say more? But to drive home the point, I will. I'm Giada and I'm the best high flyer in the business today. I know you see women doing moonsaults, corkscrews and sunset flips but that's not even a fraction of what I can do in this ring. I make the guys on 205 Live look like children playing on their trampolines in the backyard. I'm crisp, I'm clean, I'm smooth, my execution is flawless. If Neville is the man gravity forgot, I'm the woman gravity never knew."

The crowd instantly erupted in thunderous applause when Marina dropped the mic.

Sadie was next and Della held her breath and even cringed when Sadie cleared her throat into the microphone. Before she opened her mouth, the booing began to drown her out. "Booo...booo….booo, how has that been working out for you? Booo...booo...booo...has it ever gotten anyone fired? Booo….booo….booo...has it ever stopped a push? Booo...booo...booo, has it ever produced results? Booo...booo...booo, say it with me but make sure it comes from your gut because the pressure it puts on your stomach will be the most exercise some of you will ever get. I guess your mother gave you money for a ticket to get you out of her basement and away from your desktop computers posting your fantasy bookings on wrestling forums. I doubt any of you people have ever flipped through the pages of Vogue so allow me to introduce myself, my name is Sadie. Let's get one thing straight about the model era that you hated, those girls weren't real models, they were just decent looking girls who posed for pictures. I'm the one who posed for high fashion magazines, I'm the one who walked runways across the world and now I'm the one bringing my strut to WWE to step over your basic favs. I totally get it, you like this new era because the girls are average looking, relatable, attainable, if you tweet them constantly, buy their merch, show them your drawings and tell them in airports how much you love them, maybe they'll take a picture with you and acknowledge your sad existence. You hate women like me because it's just not realistic, not even in your dreams. For the record, when I get my first shirt the male sizes won't go above a large, maybe an extra large for the muscular because I only want attractive men wearing my merch...guess my sales will be low judging by this crowd. The return of the diva starts...now!"

Della had to clap herself for that promo. Sadie garnered some cheers but mostly boos because the shoe fit most of them. Either way, they were impressed.

It was now Cassie's turn. "Before I reintroduce myself, let's take a moment to acknowledge some NXT fan favorites: Sasha Banks, Bayley, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Paige and the rest of them. They're so much better than my previous developmental class, right? So many more opportunities, so many much time in the ring and all because WWE woke up one morning and decided to care about the women. If the women back then had a fancy performance center, competent trainers, more time in the ring, and Triple H coddling us, maybe we would've been better off. All we had was that dusty FCW facility, trainers who didn't give a damn, two minutes in the ring and told to fend for ourselves. Instead of making me better, they fired me but that didn't stop me. Halle is back and if management won't toughen up the new generation of female superstars, I sure will."

Tierra stuttered her way through her promo but her message was on point. Tonya gave up halfway.

It was now Della's turn. She was never afraid of public speaking and felt that she was better at it now that she'd taken acting lessons for her movie role. She didn't prepare anything, wanting the mood to guide her. She saw a few people upfront wearing her t-shirt: the red letter D with black Angel wings on both sides, she saw a few signs with her name, there were feverish "Della" chants starting up and smartphone cameras were trained on her as they waited patiently for her to speak. Just like that, she had a promo. "I guess you're expecting me to break kayfabe, bury the current women's division, go off script, name drop all the other companies I've wrestle for and pandar to smarks, huh? Of course you are but why would I want to be in the favor of fickle fanboys? You're the same ones who'll go home to Reddit and claim me as the GOAT tonight but will turn on me in a month's time when the next big thing comes along. I'm going to keep this short and sweet. I know the following phrase: 'I'm the best' is used loosely around these parts but when I say it, I mean it, when I step into this ring, I show it. I'm not here to receive contrived try hard chants, I'm not here to be a top merch seller, I'm not here to be the internet wrestling community's favorite. I'm here to do what I've always done and that's wrestle."

Her promo received cheers and some scattered boos from butthurt marks and they headed back to the back.

"Sadie!" Della exclaimed. "What was that? You were awesome!"

"Did you see the crowd when she started going in? They were shook! I was shook! We all were shook!" Marina complemented.

"But can she run the ropes or take a bump without getting a concussion yet?" Monica grumbled.

"Don't worry, Sadie, we'll have them ready to debut you on the main roster in a year. Can't say the same about some people though," Cassie shaded.

Their phones buzzed simultaneously, a group message from Triple H.

Triple H: Sorry I couldn't be there but I heard you girls were great. Your job is done so you're free to have fun(but not too much.)

They went out to a local bar without Monica, got drunk and danced until they could barely stand. A lot of fans from the NXT show were there and they posed for fan pics.

When they walked back into the hotel, Sadie was on Instagram Live professing her love for wrestling in broken slurs. She flexed her barely there muscles. "Do you guys see that shit? I'm motherfreaking ripped. I never want to starve myself, abuse laxatives, water fast or pop pills to stay skinny again. All that posing in workout clothes and posting pictures in the gym was all bullshit to make you think that the modeling industry is interested in healthy living now, spoiler alert: we aren't. Shit, I've said too much, bye!"

"Do you think I'll get fired for that?" She asked. "I know the DailyMail is writing up an article on it as we speak."

"Nah, if anything it reflects positively on WWE for making you want to live healthy," Marina replied.

"Your modeling career is definitely over though," Della chuckled.

"Ah, eff them. I like you girls better anyway," they pulled each other in for a group hug, only separating when the elevator dinged.

The door separated and there he was. 6'3, 265 pounds of Samoan and Italian Roman Reigns flesh appeared. He'd gained weight since their last encounter but it looked adorable on him and there were a few streaks of gray in his goatee. Her eyes snapped to the ring on his left finger that wasn't there last time. She went back to his face, panic filled his brown eyes as his gaze snapped from Della to Marina and back again. His entire body was stiff, motionless as he stood frozen to the spot. He stood there for so long the elevator began closing again which snapped him out of his trance. He stepped off, not saying anything except 'excuse me' as he brushed passed them.

"He's so fine," Tierra sighed when they stepped on and the elevator closed behind them.

"What the hell was that though?" Tonya asked. "He looked scared to get off like we were going to attack him or something. Tell me you guys noticed it."

"No, I was too drunk to notice anything," Marina said but Della knew she was lying. "I didn't even realize it was Roman Reigns until we were on and I saw him walking away."

"What about you?" Tonya asked Della. "I am not crazy!"

"Nah, I didn't really pay attention to him either until we moved to let him pass," Della shrugged.

"I noticed how hot he was but that's about it," Sadie added.

"He was in FCW at the same time as me. Leakee at the time," Cassie informed. "He was always kind of quiet and shy even when every girl down there was throwing the box at him. Maybe he's still like that."

Della thanked God Monica didn't go out with them because she would've definitely noticed. The elevator went up a few more floors and opened on theirs.

"Alright you, guys, tonight was so fun. I am tired!" Tierra said ducking off into her room.

"Goodnight y'all," Tonya said, ducking off into the room behind Tierra.

"Ugh, can I get my shit and come sleep in your room? I don't trust myself to lay down in a room with Monica," Sadie groaned.

"Oh please, her bark is much bigger than her bite," Della laughed as she and Sadie disappeared into their own room with double beds.

Della felt Marina's eyes watching her as she dropped her dress and stepped out of it but she refused to look at her. She got in the shower and noticed that her skin was covered in goosebumps. She tried to block the encounter out of her mind. When she excited the bathroom, Marina was staring at her with a Cheshire Cat grin. Della rolled her eyes before walking over to the light switch. "Don't say a word!"

She could prevent her conscience mind from thinking about it but her unconscious mind brought her back to August 18th, 2014.

---

Monday, August 18th, 2014

"I think that guy just took a picture of us," Marina said as they looked for their front row seats in the rapidly filling arena for RAW. It was the show after SummerSlam so people were flocking to see the fallout show.

"Tomorrow there'll be a dirtsheet article about us signing because we're here. Watch," Della replied and she was correct.

"Looks like we're in great company," Marina said, sarcastically as they approached their section and saw two slutty dressed chicks directly beside them.

One was holding a 'Reign On Me, Roman' sign with a tongue, eggplant and water emoji underneath it. Della rolled her eyes. "But of course."

"They may as well give up, I heard he doesn't do rats. They didn't say he doesn't cheat but he definitely doesn't mess with blatant chicks like them," Marina replied.

"Isn't he like married or seriously dating that woman he brings to the hall of fame every year?" Della asked. "I know he has a daughter from that father's day video."

"It's rumored that they're engaged but he's never said anything about it," Marina replied.

"Oh, cool," Della nodded.

The RAW intro appeared across the string signaling the start of the show. Daniel Bryan's theme hit to a big pop but it was Stephanie who walked out doing "yes" chants likely to taunt Brie since they were feuding for whatever reason. Nikki Bella then came out, almost tripping on her way to the ring but recovered nicely. Apparently Nikki was turning on Brie. Brie came out to confront her...and Della tuned out.

Natalya vs Diva's Champ Paige was next only to be interrupted by AJ Lee's theme hitting and her skipping around the ring which allowed Natty to pin Paige. AJ just married two months ago so she received CM Punk chants that visibly annoyed her.

"See, it wasn't that bad," Marina nudged Della.

"Yeah, the division is getting better but they have a ways to go before I sign my name on the dotted line," she replied.

"Apparently there are some really good chicks down in NXT at the moment. Now that Johnny Ace is gone they aren't signing as many models as they used to," Marina informed. "This Sasha Banks chick is getting a lot of hype."

"Is it 'she's better than the current division' hype or 'she's actually good' hype?"

"No, I heard she's legit good."

A few more matches took place and right as they were getting ready to go dark for the commercial, a graphic popped up on the screen. Ryback, Curtis Axel and Randy Orton vs Sheamus, Rob Van Dam and Roman Reigns.

Marina was tapped on the shoulder by one of the sign girls. "Hey, can you guys switch seats with us for the next match?"

"Why?" Marina asked, raising a brow.

"We came to see Roman Reigns and he comes down this path to get to the ring. We want to say something to him when he passes," one of the girls answered.

Marina scoffed. "No! If you'd given me any other reason I probably would've done it but I can't endorse thirst this strong."

The other five men had already entered the ring, Ryback was from Vegas so he got the biggest pop and then Roman's music hit. His push was just beginning and he hadn't won the 2015 Royal Rumble that smarks felt belonged to Daniel Bryan so he received a decent pop. He walked down through the crowd and stood at the barricade next to Della. His arms were huge and he was possibly the sexiest man she'd ever seen. He turned his head to looked down at her and intense eye contact ensued. His eyes gave nothing away about what he was thinking or maybe she couldn't read them because he was wearing gray contacts. She broke eye contact and turned her head when the rats screamed so loud that it almost burst her eardrums. By the time she turned back to him, he was jumping the barricade.

The match started and it seemed as if he glanced over in her direction after every big move he executed. Samoan drop...glance. Clothesline...glance. Dropkick on the apron...glance. Superman punch...glance. Spear...glance.

"Call me crazy but I think he's checking you out," Marina leaned over and whispered. "This is like his fourth or fifth time looking over here!"

"If anything he's checking out the rats beside us," Della glanced down at herself. Her face was beautiful no matter what but she hadn't flat ironed her curls, she wasn't wearing any makeup and her attire consisted of a long sleeved crop top and baggy jogging pants. "Heck, he's probably looking at you to be honest."

"Now you know that's not true. He's giving you full on eye contact!"

"Maybe his contacts are out of line and he's not looking in this direction at all," Della joked.

"You bitch!" Marina burst into hysterical laughter.

After Reign's spear, Axel tossed him into the ring post. RDV dropped Axel with a kick and then hit a frog splash for the win.

"The winners of this match, the team of Rob Van Dam, Sheamus and Roman Reigns," is what was announced over the mic.

The show was over after Seth Rollins won the main event in a fall's count anywhere match against Dean Ambrose. Della and Marina headed back to the hotel.

"Do you want to change and head to the bar? My cousin is the bartender so we can drink for free," Della informed.

"We drink free everywhere we go thanks to desperate men who have no chance but okay," Marina agreed.

Della switched into a bustier style dress that made her plump ass look incredible. She flat ironed her hair and they applied makeup to each other...it looked a mess but passable.

They went back down to the bar and after a few drinks, she felt a body climb on the stool next to her. She never looked up knowing it was probably one of the old guys who've been ogling her for the last hour. The person never said anything and she eventually forgot their presence. Marina was five drinks in and wasn't paying much attention either.

Della turned her glass up but nothing hit her tongue. She knocked on the bar, capturing her cousin's attention on the other end. She held her empty glass up. "Andre?"

"Give me a second, babe and I'll be right there," he said before turning his attention back to the patron in front of him.

"So that's why you've been ignoring me here and at the show earlier. You have a man. I was starting to think I lost my touch," a smooth, deep voice said beside her.

Della looked to her right and lost her balance on the stool when she came face to face with Roman Reigns.

The shuffling caught Marina's attention. "Oh shit, I told you he was watching you," she attempted to whisper but Della was pretty sure he heard if his smirk was any indication.

"A-Andre is gay and he's also my cousin so no, that's definitely not my man," Della managed to reply.

"Oh, you're mixed?" he asked, referring to Andre being black. "That's what I figured at the show."

"Yep, black mom, white and Indian father. Also, I wasn't ignoring you. You're kind of hard to ignore," she blurted without thinking then tried to rebound. "Your match tonight was awesome by the way so was your solo match against Orton last night at Summerslam You're doing so well to say you're allegedly green and you move really fast and limber to say you're a large guy."

"Thanks, appreciate that," he nodded. "You come to a lot of shows?"

"When I'm in the same area, I try. I travel a lot for work though," she replied.

"Hopefully you're not like me where a plane and a car is more of your home than your actual home," he said, bitterly.

"Not quite but close."

"And for the record, those rats weren't with us!" Marina yelled over Della's shoulder.

"I already knew you two weren't rats," he said.

"How?" Della asked.

"Trust me, if I'd looked in a rat's general direction as many times as I did yours, they'd taken every opportunity to flash me, lick their lips or at least handed their number to the ref after the match to get to me," he shook his head in disdain.

"Sounds like you get that a lot," Della laughed.

"Of course he does, look at him," Marina stated.

"Yeah, I don't pay those girls too much mind because they damn sure wouldn't have wanted me five years and one hundred pounds ago," he said, taking a sip of his drink.

"I saw your old football pics and you were still cute as a big guy. Not to sound stalkerish or anything because I didn't seek them out, they just happened to be posted on one of the wrestling related Instagram pages I follow," she rambled.

"Smooooth," Marina snickered in her ear.

Della was embarrassed. He knew she wasn't a rat but she felt like she was coming across as an undercover fangirl with stalker tendencies. She decided to excuse herself, looking over at Marina. "Apparently Andre forgot about the drinks."

"Of course he did. He has to tend to paying customers that'll actually tip him," Marina laughed.

"Right! I'm going to go to the little girl's room and then we can leave. Watch my purse," Della slid down from the stool, accidentally rubbing her ass against his thigh as she squeezed by.

The bathrooms right around the corner from the bar area were single stalls. Men on the left, the women's restroom on the right. She knocked, making sure no one was in there before entering. She went straight to the mirror. Her makeup was smeared from sweat that she hadn't noticed. She splashed water on her face and scrubbed her face bare with paper towels from the dispenser. Looking deep into her eyes, she scolded herself aloud. "You had the opportunity to talk to him about anything, anything, and what do you do? You reveal that you saw his fat pics! Damn, I should've brought my phone so I could've texted Marina to head upstairs with my purse so I wouldn't have to encounter him again. So stupid!"

Taking a deep breath, she washed her hands. She tossed her hair and turned around in the mirror. Her ass was still great. "Well, at least he'll have something to look at as I walk away."

Opening the door, she exited the bathroom, only to find Roman leaning against the wall. She jumped with a shriek. "W-what are you doing here? Nevermind, stupid question. Of course you're waiting on the bathroom, duh. There's a multiple stall bathroom in the lobby so you don't have to wait."

"Nah, I'm actually waiting on you," he said.

"Me? For what?"

"Your cousin was slow with your drink so I wanted you to know that I have drinks...upstairs," he pointedly replied.

"In your room?" she asked to make sure she wasn't going crazy and he nodded to confirm. "Oh, okay."

"You ain't comin," he chuckled to himself.

"What? I didn't say no," she protested.

"If you could see your face right now, it's definitely a no, baby girl."

"You kinda caught me off guard coming out of the bathroom, Roman. I'm still trying to process the fact that you're standing there, give my brain a chance to catch up to the invitation," she said.

"When you decide what you want to do I'll be in 409. You don't have to come if you don't really want to. I don't want you to feel pressured into doing anything you don't want to do just because it's me," he said and with that he toward the elevator.

Della practically ran back to the bar. She couldn't believe that just happened. In fact, she didn't. She thought it might've been a hallucination from too much alcohol. She fully expected to see Roman still planted on his stool but when she popped around the corner, his spot was abandoned.

Marina looked up from her drink that Andre apparently brought after she left. "You just missed Roman. You didn't get a chance to tell him goodnight but at the rate you're going you probably would've fucked that up too," she teased.

"Actually," she looked around to make sure there weren't any listening ears. "I have the opportunity to say goodnight and so much more to him. He caught me coming out of the bathroom and invited me up to his room. 409."

"Biiitch! What did you tell him?!"

"I said okay but I don't think I'm going," she shrugged.

"Why the hell not? You don't turn down sex from the hottest commodity in wrestling today! And have you noticed that big, long and thick tongue he's always sticking out? You're crazy if you pass...unless you're passing to me and I doubt he wants me since we sat here together alone for a good five minutes after you left and he barely said anything."

"He's almost married with a kid. I just can't do it," Della shook her head.

"Everybody knows almost doesn't count. Whatever he has at home is none of your business so you let him worry about that. You've been in this business far too long to act like you don't know how these men get down."

"Yeah, I know how they get down but that doesn't mean I have to get down with them!"

"You read the wrestling tea blogs just like I do and it's speculated that they're on again, off again all the time so maybe they're off so technically what you're doing won't be wrong," Marina shrugged.

"You actually believe those pages?" Della snorted. "Nine times out of ten those 'insiders' and 'sources' are just jealous fangirls who can't handle the fact that he's not with them or the woman they think he should be with. Hell, I've seen some lies, fairytales and fanfiction passed off as 'tea' about myself. For all we know he and his fiancé are solid as a rock."

"They can't be too solid if he's inviting random girls up to his room," Marina pointed out.

"Maybe they're in an open relationship," she shrugged.

"Let's go before you pull anymore excuses out of your ass," Marina pulled her off the stool by the arm, practically dragging Della out of the room. "I'm going to personally escort you to Room 409 and I'm going to stand outside to make sure you don't come out until I hear the first set of moans!"

The elevator door was inches from closing until a hand reached out and caught it, prompting it to open again. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. Kayfabe was apparently dead considering they were in the middle of a heated feud and just wrestled each other less than two hours ago. Ambrose seemed drunk and showed himself to the corner while Rollins stared. Della knew them both pre-WWE as Tyler Black and Jon Moxley. Ambrose was loner and kind of a weirdo back then. Rollins was a sleaze with a big ego, she couldn't imagine how inflated it was now that the Shield boys were solo and predicted to be the new faces for years to come.

"I know you, Della but not you," Rollins said, referring to Marina.

"My names uh, uhm, uh, Ali," Marina replied.

"That didn't even sound convincing," Seth snorted. "You two have plans tonight? If not, I'm going up to my room to shower and we can get into something."

"She's already booked and I'm not interested so yeah," Marina brushed him off and he looked taken aback.

"How's Leighla?" Della asked with the intention of being shady. "I haven't seen her since you got signed."

"Oh, she's, she's good," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll tell her you asked."

The elevator stopped and opened. Rollins and Ambrose stepped off and Della walked forward before being jerked back. The elevator closed and Marina pushed a button.

"I think his room was on that floor," Della said.

"Yeah and so are theirs," Marina replied. "Men gossip just as much, if not more than women. Don't forget we're wrestlers too. If they actually offer me a contract and you actually sign one, you do not want Rollins going around telling people that he saw us knocking on Roman's door. Just like that we'll be labeled ring rats."

"He won't be able to say we're ring rats but he'll definitely tell people how mean you were to him back there."

"He'll be alright. If anything his pride is hurt. At least Roman is lowkey with his personal life. Seth's Instagram is plastered with pictures of his fiancé and their dogs yet here he is looking for a threesome. Mark my words, all three probably mess around on their girlfriends but his sloppy ass will be the one to get exposed," Marina predicted.

They rode the elevator up a few flights and then back down. The hallway was clear.

"What if they went to his room and when he opens the door, they'll end up seeing me anyway?" Della whispered.

"Seth is only looking for one thing tonight, easy p, and Roman doesn't have that. 406, 407, 408, and we're here," they paused in front of Room 409.

Della put her ear to the door to listen for other voices. It was quiet with faint sounds of a television.

"How do I look?" Della mouthed.

"Fine, good, go!" Marina mouthed back.

Della smelled her breath. Liquor. Not bad but she dug into her purse and grabbed a mint. "I changed my mind. Let's go."

"Bullshit," Marina reached around Della and knocked three times on the door.

Della was frozen to the spot as she watched Marina ease out of door view. The sound of bare feet padding across the floor sounded off, then the sound of his body leaning against the door to look through the peephole before it swung open.

He looked and smelled fresh out of the shower as he towel dried his long, black hair. There was something different about his face as he stared at her but she couldn't pinpoint what. "I didn't think you'd come."

"Welp, here I am," she shifted her weight from leg to leg awkwardly.

Apparently he noticed her nervousness. "Don't forget, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do and you can turn around and walk out the second you feel uncomfortable."

"I know, and I appreciate you assuring me," she smiled.

He stepped aside to allow her to walk in. She glanced around and saw Marina, still out of his view, giving her the thumbs up. His room looked no different than hers upstairs. Same carpet. Same king sized bed that she and Marina shared. Same flat screen television mounted on the wall. Same recliner in the corner. She did notice that his view of the lights from the city through his pulled back curtains was better than hers.

Then she noticed the bar with two cups standing out and that's the direction she headed with him right behind her.

He grabbed the bottle, pausing before pouring. "Wait, how old are you? What I don't need right now is a charge for providing alcohol to someone under 21. I met you at a bar drinking but that was your cousin who could've given you a pass."

"I'm 22. Old enough to drink and much more," she wiggled her brows, playfully.

"You look a lot younger, well, in the face at least because that body is full grown," he licked his lips. She caught him looking at her sexually for the first time tonight. He lingered on her breast and then up to her lips and back to her eyes. Her entire body felt hot and her fingers trembled, she could feel herself moistening under the stare.

"Don't let the baby face fool you. I'm hell," she winked, grabbing the glass that he extended to her. Their fingers brushed against each other sending an electric shock through her body. It startled her and she almost dropped her glass. Embarrassed once again, she expected him to laugh at her but he didn't.

He filled his and then raised it to meet hers. "Cheers."

They both threw back the strong liquid in less than a second and the awkward silence returned as they stared at each other. The glint in his eyes told her how hungry he was for her but didn't want to make the first move, likely due to her skittish behavior. Della knew she'd have to take charge. She grabbed his large hand (which was surprisingly soft) in hers and led him over the bed to sit. Her feet dangled a few inches off of the floor while his were firmly planted.

"Soooo…" she said to break the ice.

"So," his voice was deep with lust as he scooted closer so that his left thigh touched her right.

She gasped, finally noticing the difference with his face. "Your eyes!"

"Yeah, about that," he smirked. They were brown, the deep color of hazel if you looked closely. His eyes were so deep and captivating and she could feel herself relaxing as she stared into them.

"You look so cute with your natural eye color. With your contacts you look prettyboy-ish like an Armani Exchange male model but without them you look like a wrestler, so much more menacing and dangerous."

"You took that well," he muttered. "I expect some nervous breakdowns to happen the day I ditch them for good. I've already stopped wearing them at house shows."

"Oh please," she scoffed. "You're attractive either way so it doesn't matter. Besides, I'm pretty sure most of your fans have come to terms with those being contacts. The dark blues you debuted with were convincing, but then they kept getting lighter and lighter until they turned vampire silver. Why do you wear them?"

"I actually have slight vision issues. I've been caught by fans wearing glasses quite a few times. I wore clear contacts down in FCW. Right when they were planning the Shield debut, one of the writers said I had a Jason Momoa vibe going on. Jason has light eyes, therefore I had to have light eyes," he explained.

"That makes sense, I guess. Good talk," the liquor was hitting and felt a little bold. She kicked off her heels and climbed over into his lap. Roman was already hard which caused her to moan. He leaned in and ran his tongue across her bottom lip, prompting her to open. She tasted him, the liquor they both shared was prominent and she knew she probably tasted the same; it was intoxicating. The power of the kiss was overwhelming, the most sensual kiss she'd ever experienced. His plump lips fit her plump lips like a glove.

Roman broke the kiss first, before leaning back in to give her a short series of continuous kisses, the smacking sound echoed around the room. He eased the straps down on her dress. The cold air conditioning in the room made her nipples stand up. Pulling back again, he admired her breast before pushing her hair behind her ears. "You're so beautiful."

Absentmindedly, his large hands stroked her breast, circling the nipple and rolling the tip between his fingers. He leaned down and took one of her nipples into his mouth. She threw her hand back and moaned, encouraging him. His tongue on her nipples sent a direct jolt to her clit and she felt herself getting wet, very quickly. Roman wrapped his arm around her waist, suckling deeper, swirling his tongue around the bud, almost tongue kissing it. He pushed her breast together and ran his tongue from her left nipple, to her right and back again.

Suddenly, he flipped, slamming her down on the bed in one quick motion so that he was on top. Della took this opportunity to slid her arms around his neck, keeping him to her. Her tongue went to lick his ear, causing him to groan. She ran her fingers through his sacred hair; it felt silky just like she imagined.

She kissed down his neck but when she began sucking it, Roman pulled back with a serious expression on his face. "What?"

"I have someone at home so you can't mark me," he replied. "No scratches on my back either."

"Sorry," she said, going back to his lips. She felt down his strong back and then moved her hands on his sides to pull his muscle shirt up. He sat up when it got stuck on his wide shoulders to remove it himself. He didn't have a rock hard six pack or anything but his body was lean and was as toned as someone with Samoan genes could be. There was a scar on his side and she remembered him being out for a while with hernia surgery.

Roman was still sitting up on his knees when he touched a finger under her dress and pulled her panties to the side to feel her pussy. She was dripping wet and his reaction was priceless. He jerked the dress down from her waist roughly, the force caused her head to be dragged from the comfort of the pillows to the middle of the bed. Next were her panties that he discarded.

He used one hand to push her left leg back and used the other to spread open her lips. He flattened his tongue against her. It was so long that it covered the entire length, every bit of her from her hood to her entrance and she cried out. He pointed his tongue to her clit and flicked back and forth making her shake. She pushed herself hard against him as he dutifully lapped at her. Then he slid his hands under her, holding her ass firmly as he ate her pussy. He returned to the entrance, collecting the wetness that was leaking out. She squealed when he did it, loving the feeling of his stiff tongue. He slid a finger deep inside of her while attacking her clit in earnest with his tongue. Her body was quivering, her breathing became loud pants. Della's pulsating vagina squeezed his finger tightly as she came with a shudder. Her body slowly calmed but she was still sensitive. He kept up his oral assault until Della pushed his head away.

Roman pushed his boxers down and his dick sprung out, bouncing slightly with clear precum seeping out. He was a little above average and very thick. It was beautiful with a nice mushroom head and veins. He pulled her forward by the thighs and guided his tip to her entrance. There was a little resistance when he attempted to enter because she was tight as a result of years of celibacy. They moaned simultaneously when she finally enveloped him in her hot, wet tightness.

His first few strokes were slow and precise and she squeezed his arms tighter with each. His eyes were closed and mouth was tucked but small groans still escaped. The look of pleasure on his face was something to see and Della couldn't take her eyes off of him. She was startled when his eyes snapped open in panic. "FUCK!"

"What's wrong?" she asked when he pulled out of her and slid out of the bed, his dick shining from the juices she covered him with.

He didn't say anything as he went into his wallet and grabbed a condom. She hadn't thought twice about it and she was usually careful about that kind of thing. He rolled the rubber onto himself and pulled it down at the base. Finally, he addressed her. "Hate to do it because that's some good pussy you're sitting on but I have to be responsible.

When he got back on the bed, he laid flat on his back. Della knew what he wanted so she straddled him and sunk down, inch by inch until he was buried. She rode him gracefully with sensual movements of her hips. Her pussy clenched and unclenched around his cock, milking him. He said she couldn't leave scratches on him but he'd definitely leave some on her with the way his nails dug into her hips as he bounced her up and down in slow, rhythmic movements.

Roman's breathing became short and sharp, ragged. "I'm almost there, baby."

That was Della's cue. She ejected him from her body and laughed at the confusion on his face. Sliding down his body, she took him in her mouth and bobbed until she felt his body jerk and salty milk shot down her throat.

"I needed that," he exhaled sharply, his body covered in a sheen of sweat.

"Glad I could help," Della stood up from the bed naked looking around for her dress, finding it on top of the bed's headboard. "Do you know which direction you flung my panties?"

"You don't have to go," he rolled over to his side, eyes squinting open. "You jumped up like I told you when the condom slides off, your clothes slid back on or something."

"I don't have to go...now at this second or I don't have to go...as in stay?" Della paused.

"You can stay. You're the last one so I want to remember you," he said.

"The last one, what?" she looked around at him, wanting to know the meaning of this.

"It's not important," he yawned, patting the spot in front of him on the bed for her to come back to.

"Wait, don't you have to get up super early tomorrow to catch the next flight or drive to the next town or whatever? If so, I have to go because I don't want to get up early just to go back to my room when I don't have to really wake up until like 10."

"You can sleep in until you're ready to leave or checkout time at 11."

"K," she slid back in bed with him and he secured his large, tattooed arm around her waist. She began tracing the tribal designs on the inked skin.

"What's your name?" he asked, moving her hair out of his face.

Della rose up in bed like the Undertaker. "Wait, what? I can't believe I just slept with somebody who doesn't know my name. It doesn't even matter that you're Roman Reigns!"

"Joe."

"What?"

"My name is Joe."

Della already knew that but she wasn't expecting him to introduce himself as the real person instead of the character. It made her feel a tad bit better about him not knowing who she was. She sunk back into his embrace. "My name is Delesia."

"Nice to meet you, Delesia. Do I need to worry about reading about everything we did and talked about on a blog tomorrow?"

"God no," she scoffed. "Matter fact, I was just telling Marina how they're mostly lies, fairytales and fanfiction."

"Yeah, they have me fucking the entire women's locker room but I don't shit where I eat," he said. "Too messy plus I bring my lady backstage every now and then and I don't want any of them acting like they have something over her or being fake nice to her."

For the next two hours they talked about everything. His life. His family's legacy. He even mentioned his daughter and his desire for a son. He never really mentioned his fiancé in-depth besides his initial comments and she didn't dare ask. It was also funny hearing him over explain and dumb down wrestling related things not knowing that she too was a wrestler. She had plenty of opportunities to mention it but she refrained.

Pretty soon she felt him slipping inside of her from behind in their spooning position. She was still wet from their earlier encounter and pretty soon she was covering him in fresh juices. It turned her on to hear him moaning in her ear. She came from that alone. It was unprotected. Neither of them said anything and he pulled out just in time to splash her outer lips with his seed.

At about 5 AM she heard the shower running. He moved around the room as quietly as a 6'3, nearly 300 pound guy could though. Her eyes squinted open slightly to see him kneeling in front of the nightstand beside the bed. He appeared to be writing something on the hotel notepad. He stood, grabbed his bags and then began walking away until his phone rang.

"Morning. Yeah, I'm up. I'm about to leave the hotel and head to the airport now and then I'll be home. I can't wait either. She's gonna have so much fun on the cruise, I'm glad we decided to go this route. I love you too," Roman said before hanging up and then taking a seat at the foot of the bed. He sat there for a while. Della couldn't see much, not wanting to move her head and alert him that she was awake but from the corner of her eye, she could tell that his head was hanging down. For the first time she felt guilty about what happened last night.

Standing, he started his journey back to the door before pausing once again. He came back over the the nightstand, tearing off a piece of the note and ripping it down the middle several times before throwing it in the trash.

Della was curious but she fell asleep until a little after 9 when Marina called. "Hello?"

"Oh thank God. You didn't come back to the room last night and I heard all the doors slamming early this morning when the wrestlers were leaving so I knew you weren't still with him. I was getting ready to call the police and tell them that you were missing and last seen with Roman Reigns of the WWE," Marina sighed in relief. "So what happened?"

"We had that drink he promised, we had awkward small talk and then we did it! He invited me to spend the night then we talked some more, he introduced himself as Joe-"

"That's major!" Marina interrupted.

"I know. We did it again and we went to sleep. He said something about me being 'the last one' and that he wanted to remember me."

"What does that even mean?"

"I don't know. I asked and he said it wasn't important."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot, he wrote me a note," she said reaching over to the nightstand.

"Oooh, what does it say? How's his penmanship?"

"It's very neat," Della cleared her throat. "It says: Thanks for a wonderful night. I'll never forget it or you. Joe."

"Aww," Marina cooed.

"Apparently he wrote something else but when he got off the phone with his fiancé he came back, tore it up and threw it away."

"Go dumpster diving!"

Putting the phone on speaker, Della turned the trash can over. There was a KFC bag, the condom wrapper and the shredded note. She pieced it back together like a puzzle. "Oh, it was just his number."

"Keep it. Put it in your phone for safekeeping."

"No because if he tore it up it's obviously not meant for me to have. I feel the same way he does. It was a wonderful night and I'll never forget it or him but that's all it was, a night."

Friday, August 22, 2014.

"The winners of this match and the new Shimmer tag-team champions, the team of Della Stone and Marina Diaz," was announced to a chorus of boos which was expected since they cheated a fan favorite team to win. They taunted the crowd all the way to the back.

"I don't care that you're a woman, I'd fight you like a man," one angry man holding a sign supporting their opponents yelled at her.

"You'd have to jump across the railing in order to do that and if you actually made it across without collapsing or going into cardiac arrest, I'll stand still and allow you to get the first lick, tubby!" Della yelled back and he didn't move. "That's what I thought."

"My shoulder," Marina hissed as she rotated it once they made it into the locker room.

"I got the perfect medicine for it," Della said, pulling a bag marijuana out of her duffel bag.

"Gasp! I've finally figured out why you keep turning WWE down. You'll have three strikes within your first month."

"I heard they only fine for weed. There was this rumor a few years back that Orton is a major weed head and just pays up every time he's caught...which was a lot," Della replied.

"Maybe that's why he's so slow and monoto- O...M...G!" Marina's jaw dropped as she scrolled around on her phone. "Get on TMZ right now."

"Stop being dramatic, what does it say?"

"No, this is something you need to see for yourself!"

"This better not be some lame random celeb drama," Della pulled out her phone and went to TMZ's website. Her expectations were low but the headline she saw almost caused the phone to drop out of her hand.

WWE's Roman Reigns Marries

What's that sound? Wrestling fans crying around the world. Sorry ladies, Roman Reigns is off the market. Roman married college sweetheart, Galina Becker today on a Disney Cruise accompanied by their daughter.

"So I think it's safe to assume by 'the last one' he meant the last fling before the ring," Della wasn't upset as she knew he was engaged when she stepped off the elevator onto his floor but it was crazy knowing that he knew he was set to marry in 4 days when he invited her to his room.

"Yeah, and nine times out of ten he didn't have an official bachelor party so what you guys did was his private party and you played the role of the stripper," Marina added.

"I like last fling before the ring better."

---

"If they knew they were going to let us attend the Hall of Fame Ceremony they should've told us a week ago when they told us about the promos!" Della ranted that morning in the hotel as they ate breakfast on her balcony.

"Right! What kind of dresses are we going to find the day of? Not to mention it's going to be packed around the city with fans everywhere. It'll take us 2 hours to get to a location through traffic, 2 hours to actually find something we like and then 2 hours to get back to the hotel," Marina sounded exasperated just saying it.

"You didn't even mention hair and makeup in there. That'll be another 2," Cassie added.

"I packed some extra dresses from my runway days if anyone wants one," Sadie offered.

"How did you know we were going?" Tonya questioned.

"I didn't but when you stay ready you don't have to get ready," Sadie shrugged, stuffing three stacked triangle cut pancakes in her mouth. "I pack for any and every occasion that may come up. Always have. It's the traveling model's way of life."

"No offense but I doubt any of us can fit in your size 0 dresses. But thanks though, I'm sure they're beautiful," Tierra replied.

"Do you see this plate or the plate last night or the plate before that? I myself may not be able to fit them," Sadie said. Her phone lit up on the table with a text. She frowned, her chest rose and fell with a sigh. "So apparently Monica got the message about us attending the HOF tonight. She wants to know if we left the hotel yet."

"Tell her we're gone already!" Della snapped.

"We asked you to invite her to breakfast with us and she turned it down so now she wants to tag along with us because she's realized traffic is going to be hell? Screw her," Marina pushed her chair back and stood.

"I agree and I know that we're feuding but as of right now, all we have is each other, all seven of us," Cassie declared.

"Always the sensible one," Della inhaled through her nose. That was going to get old fast. "I guess you can tell her we're still here but if she isn't ready in like five minutes, we're leaving. We don't have any time to waste."

Traffic was hectic as expected. They got stuck in traffic besides some wrestlers from 205 Live. They let down their window and had a bone to pick with Marina about the trampoline comments she made in her promo. It was all in good fun though. After about thirty minutes Sadie googled and found a special occasion dress, shoe and jewelry boutique close to the hotel which meant they didn't have to go across town to the mall.

The boutique was spacious and high end. No shoes were under 200$ and no dress was under 500. Gowns lined the entire left side of the store, all varying in styles and lengths. Della felt them with her fingertips as she walked down the aisles examining each one.

"Too much?" Marina spun around in a black Cinderella style gown.

"Yeah, I think that'd be more appropriate for a ball or gala. Plus you know they're going to put us wayyyy at the back behind the main roster, the families of those being inducted and the main NXT stars so no one's really going to see you anyway," Della stated. "Also we're new, remember we're not supposed to draw too much attention to ourselves."

"You're right. Let me get out of this and pull a simple dress off the rack," she said, disappearing back into the dressing room area.

"Sadie, let me get your opinion on something you're actually qualified for," Monica said, holding up two gowns. "Red or blue?"

"Blue, definitely the blue one. It perfect," Sadie smiled, nodding before texting the group message that didn't include Monica.

Sadie: It looks thrifty af.

Della: SHE looks thrifty af in general so it fits.!

Marina: The red one was hideous too.

Tierra: LOL! Y'all crazy!

Cassie: Maybe that's all she can afford for now. Keep in mind we JUST sign contracts.

Della: Sadie, make a new group chat without Cassie this time. This is where we come to be shady in peace. ;-/

Cassie: lmao, IJS. Don't kick me out I promise I'll be good. :-D

The door opened, causing the bell to ring. Della never looked up. She was too busy checking out a gold mermaid gown. It'd look amazing against her skin tone.

"Can I help you?" Della heard the saleswoman asked the customer.

"Yes, I came all this way with a gown and forgot my shoes," the woman said. Something about the voice compelled Della to look up and her eyes widened at the sight. Galina! Jealous fangirls ragged on her because she was married to Roman but she was actually pretty. She had curly hair, clear light caramel skin, plump lips and freckles. "My dress has a split in it so shoes are important to complete this look."

"Her body looks tight to say she pushed out twins a year or so ago," Marina commented.

"Would you happen to have a picture of the dress?" the sales associate asked.

"I do but I left my phone in the car. My husband stopped in the middle of the street and I jumped out without my purse. He's trying to find a place to park," Galina replied.

"Good luck to him with that. That WrestleFest stuff is going on and the city is packed street to street. I didn't know fake wrestling was still popular enough to put New Orleans in a stand still," the sales associate replied.

"Well that fake wrestling is going to put real money in your pocket today so, yeah," Galina said without raising her voice.

"She gets cool points for standing up for her husband's craft," Cassie whispered.

The bell rung again and this time it was Roman and his daughter who appeared to be around 10. He walked over and handed his wife her purse.

"Daddy, I want to try on some dresses," his daughter said.

"I don't know if they have little girl dresses here, baby," he replied.

"They have little girl shoes," she pointed out.

"You're right. Let's have a look around while your mom is taking care of her shoe business," he turned around to scan the building and his eyes landed right on her. Just like the night before, his body froze in place.

"See, he's doing it again!" Tonya whispered. "Just like last night. You guys have to notice it now."

"What happened last night?" Monica asked.

"He was getting off the elevator while we were trying to get on and the guy looked paralyzed with fear for whatever reason," Tonya explain.

"Hmm, wonder what that's all about," Monica mused.

"It was more than likely because of me," Sadie flipped her long blonde tresses over her shoulders. "I have these effects on men. He probably saw my nude spread in Harper's Bazaar."

"Look at his wife, I'm not even referring to her ethnicity but her body and stuff. I don't think you're his type," Tierra laughed. "A big man like that needs something to grip back there. I think you need a few more months of carbs and barbell squats before you can catch this eye."

"I see them, they're over there, Daddy! Come on," Roman was then dragged away by the arm.

Della's phone buzzed with a private message from Marina.

Marina: A nosey neighbor type and a person out to get you is a bad combination of people to have working together to solve a mystery.

Della: Don't I know it.! -_-

"I was totally sold on the gold gown but this burgundy one has caught my attention too," Della said, trying to change the subject. She actually hated the burgundy dress.

"Try them both on and see which one your ass looks better in," Sadie suggested. "One of my dress options back at the hotel is burgundy so if I decide to wear it we'll be twinning."

"Strike one against burgundy," Della wryly knowing it had no chance in hell anyway.

Della walked to the very back of the store where the dressing room area was located. There were about 12 doors. She went to the last one on the right. Her disdain for the burgundy dress didn't keep her from trying it on. It was actually nice and hugged her curves perfectly but the gold dress still had her heart. She didn't need to try it on to know that it was the perfect fit.

Pretty soon she heard two sets of footsteps entering, coming her way. The doorknob turned but it was locked. She cleared her throat. "Someone's in here."

The footsteps made their way to the other end of the dressing room. A door opened and closed. "I can do it myself!"

"Sorry," Roman laughed. "If you need anything, shout for me."

Della reached behind her to pull down the zipper. It was stuck. She didn't want to jerk it from the awkward angle and risk ripping it. The doorknob twisted again. "Someone's in here."

"Open the goddamn door," Roman's voice said in a low threatening tone that caused her to take a step back. She hesitated for a moment. "I won't ask again."

Taking a deep breath, she turned the lock. His brown eyes burned with fury and his face was red with rage. He was infuriating. His character, even when mad never displayed this kind of anger. He closed the door behind himself carefully, making sure it didn't slam. He looked frightening to Della, especially since he was much bigger physically than he was 4 years ago. He towered over her, boxing her in so much that she felt claustrophobic.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Roman began, his voice a low, angry hiss. "Who waits all these years to come back and destroy someone's life? First, you book the same hotel as WWE and I don't see how a fan pulled that off since I was led to believe WWE booked every room. Now you're here stalking my family? I see that you're picking out a dress so let me guess, you're going to the Hall of Fame, too? What do you want, money? Because this, me and you, isn't happening again. Things have changed. I'm the face of the company now and will be main eventing Wrestlemania for the fourth time tomorrow night, I have two new baby boys to provide for and most importantly, I'm married. I will be damned if I let you and whatever your agenda is jeopardize everything I've worked hard for these last few years!" He pulled out his wallet. "How much to send you back to wherever you came from and far, far away from anything WWE related for the rest of my career?"

"If you showed this much emotion during your promos you'd be doing something. Well done," Della clapped her hands, applauding him. "First of all, I arrived at this store a good thirty minutes before you so stalking your family, how does that work? Oh wait, maybe I snuck into your hotel room, stole the shoes from her bag and then stuck a flyer for this place under her pillow with this exact time listed. Second of all, I'm not booked at your hotel as a fan, I'm booked there as an NXT talent. You want to know how much you need to pay me to disappear? Buy out my contract and I'm gone. Trust me, my contract is a lot different from the average new signee so you can tuck that wallet back into your pants because I doubt you'd be walking around with that much money on you."

Roman let out a scoffing laugh that stopped abruptly when he realized she was serious. "Are you kidding me? NXT talent? Please tell me you're some kind of ring announcer or backstage interviewer because I know you can't be contracted as a wrestler."

"Actually, I am."

"How convenient," he shook his head in disbelief. "Let me guess, you've been training for what, about 4 years? That's a very creative way to get my attention. I've heard of one night stands showing up in the front row or posing with merch on Twitter desperate for a like from the guy but this is taking it to the extreme, baby girl."

"Get over yourself! Your dick was good but not take up wrestling and put my body on the line good. Let me drop some knowledge on you. When you were still playing football at Georgia Tech, I was taking my first bump. While you were not being drafted to the NFL, I was traveling to Japan, Australia, London and back to the States again to perform in sweaty gyms in front of a crowd of about 20 fat guys chanting 'show your tits' even though I was underage and in the ring giving it my all. This company that you're the face of has been after me since I was 19, long before you were even a topic of conversation. Your Shield brothers, I knew them before you. I also have a 5 star match, you don't."

Roman looked speechless and slightly embarrassed. When he did find the words they came out in a softer tone. "You didn't tell me you were a wrestler that night."

"You didn't ask," she shrugged. "And what if I did tell you? You probably would've still freaked out on me the first time we crossed paths again anyway."

"Those girls you're with, are they signed too? I recognize the Latina from that night," he questioned.

"Yes, we all reported to the performance center on the same day."

"Do they know?"

"Of course not! Do you really think I'm going to spill my guts to women I barely know and even when I get to know them better I wouldn't trust them with that kind of secret. The only one who knows is Marina and she isn't going to talk," Della assured him. "The only person who's going to give it away is you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you, especially if you stop and stare like you've seen the ghost of flings past every time you run into me."

"You can't blame me for my reaction last night. All my pre-marriage situations were with old flames from college and other women I trusted. Never had a random until I met you. I was scared for a long time after that. I didn't know what kind of trouble you'd make for me especially when Rollins got caught up a few months later. Not to mention I fucked you raw that second time which is something I never do so I was also worried about you serving me with child support papers. After like two years went by and nothing happened I figured the coast was clear. Now you show up at the hotel I'm staying in? How was I to know you weren't there to 'Me Too' me right before Wrestlemania for 15 minutes of fame even though what we did was completely consensual. Just like that my life, my career and my family would been gone," he looked shaken up just thinking about it. "I have a lot to lose and a lot of people waiting for my downfall. When my career ends, I want to walk away with my head held high knowing I gave it my all and I have nothing left to give. Not walk away with my head hung in shame."

She shook her head. "I'd never hurt you like that."

"I know the girl I met 4 years ago wouldn't hurt me like that but things and people change," he humped his shoulders. "Look how much I've changed."

"I knooooww," she said poking his stomach. "Look at this cute little pudge!"

"That's actually not what I was referring to but yeah, I got a dad bod now," he laughed. "I have to get back on track after Mania."

"Oh, you're hotter than any dad I've ever seen but okay," she giggled. "And while you're standing here, can you make yourself useful and help me unzip this dress. It's stuck."

She turned around and in the mirror she could see his eyes dart straight down to her ass. She saw his tongue peek out before disappearing back into his mouth. He slowly unzipped her but when she grabbed to dress to pull it down he turned around and faced the door. Della thought that was funny especially since he'd already seen it, touched it, tasted it and been inside of it. Kudos to him though for being a good boy now that he was married.

He remained silent until the sound of her zipping up her pants echoed in the tight space. "You decent?"

"As decent as I'll ever be," she replied and he turned back around to face her.

"I guess I'll see you around, coworker," he extended his hand and she shook it. He was all business. He opened the door and inch to form a small crack. He looked out to make sure the coast was clear. Apparently it was because he slipped out without looking back. His footsteps stopped on the other end of the dressing room where his daughter was located and a knock was heard. "You okay in there?"

Della fixed the burgundy dress back on it's rack and adjusted her shirt in the mirror. The run in that she'd been dreading wasn't that bad once they came to an understanding.

When she stepped out of the dressing room, so did they. 'Just perfect,' she thought sarcastically. They met in the middle in front of the entrance. The little girl eyed her dresses.

"Excuse me, your dress is pretty. I like the yellow one best," she said.

"Thank you, I like that one best too," Della smiled at her. The poor girl had no idea this woman had the power to destroy her family and her father's livelihood. Roman didn't look particularly happy about the exchange but what was Della to do? Blatantly ignore her which probably would have hurt the girl's feelings.

Della looked up and Monica was standing at the entrance holding her dress and a bulky necklace. Her expression was blame. She probably caught that exchange but to an outsider it was innocent and she and Roman never spoke a word to each other so there was nothing to read into or analyze. Della would make sure she was never caught in his vicinity again though so she wouldn't raise any eyebrows.

When she went back into the store area, Galina was at the counter paying for her shoes. Her group had moved onto shoes and jewelry. She walked up and hugged Marina from behind.

Marina leaned back into her embrace. "What took you so long?"

"It was a long, hard decision but the gold dress it is."

"Did you get that other issue settled?"

"What other issue?"

"Someone else disappeared soon after you did…"

"Let's just say this is going to be an interesting journey," Della replied.

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It was exhausting to finish writing all of this, so I know it's exhausting to finish reading it. If you liked it, let me know. If you thought it sucked, let me know that too.