Author's Note: Hi everyone! This is my first try at this, so I wouldn't mind getting some feedback on how I'm doing :) Also, I know this will be more than one chapter, so keep checking back please!

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone in the WWE or the WWE itself.

My Voice of Reason

In the locker room, the boys could not stop talking about the females in the ring. Tape, gear and food had all been dropped as eyes glued to the flat screen in the middle of the cold, generic cement area.

"Ooohhhh!" All the guys groaned in unison, as Melina speared her blonde opponent. With the Diva's Champion grounded, Melina went on the offensive.

"It's over now, homies," Christian yelled at the others, returning to his forgotten wrist tape. Most of the guys followed Captain Charisma's lead, going about their usual post or pre-match rituals.

CM Punk, however remained focused on the LED screen. He never usually stopped to watch the women's division, but for some reason he couldn't keep his eyes off the match. One part in particular…

Apparently, the boys looked away too early. As Melina let out her primal scream, preparing to put away the long-legged lady, the French Beauty countered it, throwing her from the corner of the ring. This seemed to spark the guys' attention again, sending them all towards the television. As soon as they all gathered, Maryse hit her French Kiss. The ref counted, "1, 2, 3!" and the match came to a close.

"Never count out Maryse, boys," Cody Rhodes chuckled, picking up his towel and heading toward the showers. "That bitch is crazy."

"Why does it sound like you are speaking from experience, Cody?" Jericho asked suspiciously. The young superstar stood in silence for a second, the boys in the locker room now anxiously waiting for some juicy details. Instead, he simply smirked at the room full of desperate faces and arrogantly walked into the showers.

While the rest of the guys began to gossip like middle school girls, Punk's eyes were still transfixed on the woman in the ring. As she went to celebrate here victory with her signature flip, Maryse collapsed, losing her grip on the ropes. She laid there for a few moments before the ref and her tag partner, Jillian, pulled her gingerly to her feet.

Usually, Punk was somewhat reserved backstage. He was never one to mingle too closely with the Divas on the roster for fear of losing self-control. Unlike some of the other dirty men in his proximity right now, he did not find the benefits of one-night-stands with co-workers. They could not end in anything but awkward tension in the workplace. Tension that he definitely did not need.

With all that being said, though, he found himself being incredibly worried about the platinum blonde woman, slowly making her way up the ramp in a hazy stupor. They had never been more than simple acquaintances before, but something was directing all of his thoughts back to Maryse.

Knowing a meeting with the beautiful woman he barely knew would end disastrously, Punk chose to suppress the urge to check on the Diva's Champ and returned to prepping for his match later that evening.

-Maryse-

Maryse's head bounced off the mat. Hard. "I didn't know Melina had a serious spear in her repertoire," she thought.

She felt awful, she knew that. She wasn't sure if it was the match or the series of events before it had started.

"Mike, please. I can't do this without you," she cried, makeup smearing down her heated cheeks.

All she knew was that if she didn't end this match soon, she was going to pass out in the middle of the ring.

"1, 2, 3!" the ref counted. Although the match was over, she didn't feel any better. Knowing she had to perform for the fans and for the executives in the back, she tried to steady herself on the rope and flipped her long cascade of platinum locks.

As soon as she threw her head forward, she knew it was a bad idea. The lights started dimming and the ropes blurred. With a thud, her whole body collapsed in a heap by the edge of the ring.

"Listen slut, I don't want to anymore," Mike replied coldly. "Since I have no use for you, I'm sure as hell not putting up with your bullshit anymore. Get out."

When she finally got back to the locker room, every girl in there came flooding to her, fawning over her injured body. Although it would seem like a sweet gesture to an outsider, she knew they couldn't care less about her. Maryse felt they were more concerned about her as a competitor than a person. If only she could just disappear… She needed some time to herself.

Maryse has always felt like a loner in the back. Ever since she got with Mike, the French woman lost touch with the other women in the business.

Okay, it wasn't just Mike that made her lose touch. But it's just easier to blame it on him right now.

She tried to plead with Mike. She needed him! She needed him and his connections… "I'm not paying for both of us anymore. That shit gets expensive and you're not worth it," Mike simply stated. "Now leave."

She was out in the parking lot when she finally snapped out of her flashback. Maryse didn't even realize she had left the locker room, but she became very aware when the cool night breeze hit her bare shoulders.

She decided she just needed to get out of there. Back to her hotel, back to her silent solitude. She reached for her keys from the bag she managed to bring from the locker room. Her whole body was shaking so badly, especially her hands. An innocent bystander would think it was from the cold air, but Maryse knew otherwise.

The shake became so violent, she couldn't fit the key into the lock of her car.

"Shit!" She shreaked. "Please please please… I just want out of here."

Every second that passed made her more upset, tears of frustration forming in the corners of her gorgeous almond-shaped eyes.

That's when she heard a voice—a calm, almost soothing voice—that immediately cut through her shaky, pathetic tears. A voice that made her feel warmer than she had in months. A voice… A voice that changed everything for her.

"Can I help?"