"I always cared"
A John/Ashley one shot
This story is dedicated to the awesome xAttitudex, a kickass writer, for her birthday! Surprise, Mikki! lol!
Hope you like it and... happy birthday then, rock on! :) Rory
Disclaimer: I don't own anything; English is not my own language so i apologize for errors.
"That's it, I'm out of this!" The self proclaimed dirty diva exclaimed in frustration, angrily tossing her duffel bag on the locker room's floor.
"What's wrong? What happened?!" An almost shocked Mickie asked suddenly standing up from the wooden bench.
"That's what happened," she said raising her left hand where there was a cast secured around her wrist "it seems that I've freaking broken my hand again, can you believe it?!"
"Oh."
"Yeah, exactly. I've been back since less than a month and I already broke my hand. They should give me an award or something. I'm an idiot."
"Ash, don't say so…" Maria sweetly said approaching her friends.
"Yes, I say exactly so." the punk princess stubbornly replied as tears formed in her eyes "I didn't even have the time to be in a single match and I'm already out again!"
"But it can happen, we get hurt all the time…"
"No, not you two guys. It's just me. That's the problem."
"Would you stop talking nonsense hun? It's not your fault, it happens." Mickie said lightly touching her friend's arm.
"Yeah, you just have to wait another little while and then you'll be back to kick some butts." Maria tried to smile to cheer her up.
"They've already changed the Wrestlemania match, it will be Candice and not me teaming up with you."
"Oh, I'm sorry for that but… there's not the only match, there's not the only occasion you have. Right?"
"Absolutely!" Mickie promptly agreed, "You just have to wait hun, I'm sure."
"No, I don't want to wait anymore, I'm tired of all this. It happens all the time." She sighed.
"Yeah I know, of course you say so right now that you're angry but-"
"No, not buts this time. I appreciate what are you trying to do girls, I really do, but I'm out. I'm just sick of this. For real."
"What are you saying, Ash?" The brand new playboy cover girl asked with a puzzled look.
"It's over. I give up. I leave. Whatever." She announced kicking a kneepad on the floor.
"WHAT? But you can't! You just-"
"I'll see you around guys. Thanks for everything… and good luck." She cut the perky brunette off and walked out of the door without adding another single word or glancing back at the locker room.
Maria sighed and sat on the bench, "She can not be serious, right?"
"I don't know hun, I've never seen her like this before."
"But she can't quit, she can't!"
"I know Ria, I know." Mickie sighed.
"Do you think we can do anything to make her change her mind?"
"…not this time. I'm afraid that it's not up to us."
"Let's hope that someone else can then…"
"Yeah, let's hope so." She said looking at the dirty diva storming through the corridor.
"Stop grinning like that man, it already sucks that I have to team up with you next week without you reminding me every five minutes." John rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall.
"You should feel so honored, you know?" Randy smirked at his best friend. "You get to tag in with the WWE champ, the 3rd generation superstar, the legend killer, the one man dynasty…"
"Yeah, I got the idea. Thank you." He rolled his eyes again but couldn't help but laugh, "You're really high on yourself, you know?"
"Yes, I actually do. But I'm just that awesome, it's not my fault." The younger superstar replied with his trademark smirk. "Hey what the…" He then exclaimed as something, or better someone, literally bumped into his back.
"Sorry," the punk diva muttered without even lifting up her gaze and changing her direction on the other way of the backstage.
"No problem, you okay?" He called out but she was already turning the corner. "Wow, what the hell was that?" He asked with a puzzled look.
John just shrugged.
"I've never seen her like that. She's always in a friendly mood."
"Yeah, neither have I actually." He commented glancing a concerned look in the direction where the dirty diva had just turned.
"Go."
"Excuse me?" He looked at his best friend in confusion.
"Go after her."
"Are you crazy? And why should I?" He lightly smiled.
"Because you know you want to."
"That's ridiculous."
"C'mon man," Randy rolled his eyes "you're heels over head for the punk girl… stop brooding about it and go and get her, that's the right occasion!"
The younger superstar eloquently raised his eyebrows at the former champ, who was staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face. "John, seriously."
"…Is it that obvious?" He finally asked with a roll of his eyes, without even trying to deny it.
"Well, I know you since forever so for me… yeah. But I don't think the others have got it yet, don't worry." He lightly laughed.
"Great." He huffed.
"And what are you doing still here? C'mon, GO! What are you waiting for?!"
"You can not be serious, Randy, that's-"
"That's what love is about, John, taking a risk."
"Do you really-"
"GO." The legend killer raised an eyebrow.
"FINE! But if I'm just going to make a fool of myself you're gonna pay for it, Orton, I swear to God!" He yelled before walking in a fast pace following her direction.
"Don't worry, you're gonna thank me." He chuckled and muttered almost to himself leaning against the wall.
John stopped with his hands on his hips, looking both right and left without realizing that she had gone in a dead corridor where there was no way out. But anyway there was also no sign of the self proclaimed dirty diva, so she had to be somewhere near.
"I'm going to kick your ass Randy." The doctor of thuganomics said to himself as he approached a small door on the wall that probably was some kind of brooms-closet and opened it… just to find the punk princess sat on the floor with her legs crossed as her surprised, mascara-strained eyes immediately lifted up to meet his gaze.
"Can I come in?" He softly asked.
She immediately lowered her gaze, wiping away the tears with her sleeve and moved a little to make room for him too.
"Thanks," he lightly smiled stepping inside and closing the door behind him, then he sat next to her.
"That's a little small for you," she pointed out as he couldn't even stretch his legs out "but I didn't expect to have company."
"That's also a little dark… wanna play '5 minutes in heaven'?" He joked.
She playfully rolled her eyes and took her iPod out of her jeans' pocket, then switched it on so there was now a little more light between them. "Here you go."
"So, why are you here?"
"I could ask you the same question." She said looking away from him.
"I can tell you. I'm here because you're here."
"Why?" She couldn't help but meet his eyes again.
"Because you didn't seem okay at all when you bumped into Randy and me a few minutes ago. What's wrong Ashley?" He softly asked.
"This." She sighed and raised her cast-covered hand. "I've injured my hand, again."
"Oh."
"Yeah, go ahead and say it… I know. AGAIN. I'm pathetic, I know, there's no need of not saying it out loud."
"…Actually I was just going to say that I'm sorry." He chuckled.
"Oh… sorry, I'm a little nervous today."
"It's okay, no need to apologize. So you're hiding here because you're injured?"
"Not exactly," she rolled her eyes "I'm here to escape from Maria and Mickie."
"How come?"
"Because I don't want them to try to stop me."
"Try to stop you from what?" He asked confused.
"Ash?"
"To quit. I wanna quit." She finally said.
"What?! But you can't quit! Not because of that… not because of anything else, actually!!" He promptly exclaimed.
"That's exactly what I was hiding from." The punk princess rolled her eyes.
"You can't just leave this business, Ash." He firmly said.
"Why not John? Look at me… I injure myself every few weeks!" She exaggerated, "Maybe the critics are right… I'm just a waste of space here. I'm not improving, I'm not worth it… I'm just another worthless playboy cover girl. Why should I still be here and make a fool out of myself? I don't belong here." She concluded as another tear strained her cheek.
"You're being silly, Ash." He simply stated.
"Another reason to give up, then." She shrugged.
"Listen to me… you're talking nonsense. Injuries happen… and they happen to anyone, not only to you. And that's because shit happens in real life too, not only in wrestling. But you can't give up because of that."
"Then I'll give up for all the rest." She stubbornly replied.
"Do you remember when I first won the wwe championship?"
"Yeah… I mean, as a fan, I wasn't here yet." She answered a little taken aback by his question.
"Well at that time I was literally on top of the world. I was the top dog in the business, the future of the federation and I was loved by every single fan… they were all rooting for me, chanting my name and stuff… Now, when I step outside, do you hear how they boo me?"
"Yeah…"
"But should I quit because of that? Should I quit because I have haters? I'm not here to be loved, I'm here cause that's my passion… and I think that's the same reason why you're here. You can't listen to what everyone else says, Ash, because you'll always find someone ready to talk shit of you… and not because you deserve it, but cause that's how the world goes."
"I-"
"You know, when I injured my arm a few months ago I really feared that this could have been the end for me… then they told me that I couldn't come back before 9 months or a whole year. But I made it in time for Wrestlemania, I got back after only 4 months… cause I wanted to and I forced myself to. Don't think so low of yourself, Ash, yeah you've injured your hand and you're pissed and frustrated about this… I understand that, but there's so much more that you're giving up… and you can't do that because you belong there, I believe it."
"…Thanks John, I appreciate this, I really do… but-"
"But what, Ash? Don't you trust me? I swear that I'm telling the truth."
"You're just telling me so cause you wanna make me feel better," she lightly smiled "and I really appreciate it cause it's sweet… but how can you be so sure if you don't know me?"
"I don't know you?" He chuckled, "Well I know that you've been training since you entered the Diva Search, I know that the first time you stepped inside the ring you were afraid of falling in between the ropes, I know that you cried for joy when Trish decided to be your tag team partner, I know that you're sick of being compared to Lita, I know that your previous boyfriends obviously are two dumbasses who don't understand anything, I know that you're afraid of be the last one left in the arena, I know that you punched Randy and hurt your knuckles in the process cause he was trying to hook up with you, I know that you know every single freaking song that was ever written, I know that you can't dance but you're so damn cute when you try, I know that you can't wait to go out there and prove everyone wrong… so please, believe me when I say that you can't quit. Cause I'm honestly telling the truth."
Ashley was literally speechless, looking at him with a content/surprised look, amazed and touched by his words. "…I don't know what to say," she admitted with an embarrassed smile "you're… incredible, John. Thank you, really, from the bottom of my heart…" She said as another tear fell on her cheek, but this time not in frustration or sadness.
"You okay?" He asked worried, not getting the reason behind her fresh tears.
"Yeah, but… how could you, how can you…?" She trailed off, too overwhelmed by emotion to properly explain herself.
He sighed before genuinely smiling, "I care Ashley, I always cared." He almost whispered.
She was literally lost in the blue of his eyes, before biting her bottom lip and lowering her gaze again while she wiped the mascara off her cheeks.
"What?"
"Sorry, I bet I look horrible right now." She softly giggled.
"I have to disagree, actually" he softly said caressing her cheek with his thumb "I think you look absolutely beautiful." And with that he leaned forward and sweetly crushed his lips on hers.
"…What was that for?" She softly asked as their faces were still a few inches apart from each other.
"I just wanted to." He sweetly said still caressing her cheek.
"I'm glad you found me here," she smiled as their lips met again.
"And I'm glad you let me in." He softly replied as she just smiled, lightly blushing. "Do you think we can come out of the closet now? I'm starting to not feel my legs anymore." He chuckled.
"Yeah… I think there's no reason to stay here anymore." She smiled as he took her hand and helped her standing up, then led her outside.
"John?"
"Yeah?"
"I care too." She sweetly said.
His face immediately lighted up and couldn't help but hug her, spinning the dirty diva around as he passionately kissed her.
"Was that a way to try and convince me to stay?" She giggled still in his arms.
"I don't know, do you need one?" He half smirked.
"Nah, I already have my reason to come back now." She smiled tightening her arms around his neck and kissing him.
"I think we're safe from the emergency, she's staying." Mickie grinned spying on the brand new couple from behind a corridor.
"Awww!" Maria echoed emerging from behind the brunette.
"I told you so. 20 bucks now as we agreed, thanks." The legend killer grinned and stretched out his hand, emerging from behind the two divas.
"Remind me why I agreed to bet against you." The former women's champion rolled her eyes.
"Because no one can resist me." He smirked as she threw the money in his hand.
"Sssh, just look at them." The playboy cover girl giggled as John and Ashley walked away hand in hand.