So, this fic has been swimming around in my head for awhile, but I've never had the time or courage to work on it. I've been so afraid to write a Neth Bellins fic because of Nikki. I know I've written fics with Nikki in them before, but she was a side character and in this she's a main character. I've been freaking out about whether or not I did Nikki justice in this fic and I'm still scared. I'm also scared that I didn't do a great job on Seth either. This fic just has given me so much anxiety and it didn't come out exactly how I planned it. Alright, enough of my rambling, I hope you guys enjoy it.
The song used for the title is "Monster" by Eminem feat. Rihanna.
I apologize for any and all grammatical errors or mistakes in characterization.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the storyline.
Nikki walked backstage sore all over. She had just gotten the crap beat out of her by four of her fellow Divas. She had been so excited when Brie had called her to tell her that she'd be coming to that night's Raw. It had made Nikki feel better knowing that her sister would be ringside cheering her on during her four on one handicap match that night. She had been shocked when Stephanie had slapped Brie and then ordered her removed. Nikki hadn't had any time to process what had happened before she was being attacked. She knew the women that had attacked her ,and knew that they were just doing it because Stephanie ordered it, and none of them wanted to risk their jobs. Well, Nikki wasn't completely sure about Alicia. She had a feeling Alicia enjoyed it, but that was something that Nikki put in the back of her mind as she started to head to the trainer's room to make sure nothing was sprained or broken.
"Something wrong, Nicole?" Nikki froze and turned to glare openly at a smug looking Seth Rollins.
"What the fuck do you want Rollins?" Nikki hissed not in the mood to deal with the Authority's golden boy.
"Just thought I'd check up on the WWE's least favorite Bella," he told her as he walked closer to her which earned him a more vicious glare.
"I am not the least favorite Bella," she argued, "There is no least favorite Bella."
"Really?" he questioned her, "Because that crowd was completely behind Brie, but didn't seem to care about you at all."
"Mind your own business, Rollins," Nikki growled as she walked away from him.
"Well, the crowd wasn't the only ones that didn't care about you. Brie didn't seem that concerned about you, either," Rollins taunted.
"What the hell are you talking about?! She was there for me. She would have helped me if Stephanie hadn't of had her thrown out," Nikki cried growing more and more angry at the man standing before her.
"Well, she wouldn't have been escorted out of the building if she hadn't of called Stephanie a bitch," he countered.
"Stephanie provoked Brie. What was she suppose to do?" Nikki demanded aggravated.
"She should have sat down, and shut her mouth so that she could have remained ringside, and be there for you," Rollins explained to her. Nikki just glared at him and shook her head at his words.
"It wouldn't have mattered either way. Whether Brie was there or not, I still would have gotten my ass kicked," Nikki stressed, "Why do you care anyway, Rollins?"
"Because I think you should be thinking about your future in this company, Nicole," he said.
"I am," she retorted.
"No, you're not. You're still thinking about the Bella Twins future, not just yours," Rollins told her.
"My future involves my sister. Brie and I are a package deal. You can't have one without the other," Nikki explained to him.
"Yet, Brie didn't seem that concerned about "The Bella Twins" when she quit," Rollins pointed out. Nikki tried desperately to come up with a response to his point, but found herself stumped.
"That's what I thought," he stated as he started to walk away from her, "Come find me when you're interested in exploring the evolution of Nikki Bella." Nikki stood there absorbing his words before shaking her head in disgust and continued her walk to the trainer's room. Nikki scoffed as she thought of Rollins parting words. There was no way in hell that Nikki Bella was going to become a sell out like Seth Rollins.
OoOoOo
Nikki was backstage watching as Stephanie confronted Brie about dropping the assault charges. Brie had already told Nikki her plan to use the assault charge to get a match against Stephanie. Nikki couldn't hide the smile that was gracing her face at watching Stephanie stress and fret over the thought of facing Brie at Summer Slam.
"I'm surprised to see you smiling," Nikki groaned at the sound of Rollins voice. She looked behind her to see him standing about a foot behind her, watching the monitors.
"Now, why would that be surprising?" Nikki inquired not really caring about his answer.
"I'm just surprised that you'd be so happy that your sister is once again stealing the spotlight from you," he explained as she moved to stand beside Nikki. Nikki glared at him and wanted so desperately to punch him in the face.
"How is Brie stealing the spotlight?" she asked.
"Well, you're the one who Stephanie's been putting through hell and yet, it's Brie that's going to get a match against her at Summer Slam," he pointed out to her. Nikki glared at Rollins before returning her attention to the monitor in front of her. She could see Rollins smiling smugly out of the corner of her eye and it infuriated her. Sure, Brie was getting the match, but Brie was getting revenge for the both of them. Nikki wanted to say that to him, but knew he'd have some smart ass remark and she just wasn't in the mood to deal with him anymore. The two stood there and continued to watch as Brie taunted Stephanie. Nikki felt herself smile when Stephanie agreed to the match, but that smile was quickly wiped from her face when Stephanie slapped Brie. Nikki turned and was going to head towards the ring, but Rollins stopped her.
"What the hell are you doing? Let me go," Nikki demanded.
"You don't need to go out there," Rollins stated as Nikki continued to try and free herself.
"Yes, I do," Nikki argued finally breaking free of Rollins grasp, "Brie needs me."
"No, she doesn't," he countered as he pointed to the monitor they had been looking at a minute ago. Nikki turned her attention to the monitor to see Brie and Stephanie going at it. Not long after they started fighting, they were pulled apart. Nikki stood there not sure how she felt.
"See, Brie can take care of herself," Rollins explained, "She doesn't need you anymore."
"Shut up!" Nikki yelled, "I've had enough of your mind games, Rollins. You leave me the hell alone, or I'll-"
"You'll what?" Rollins interrupted her getting too close to Nikki for her comfort, "You'll tell Cena to beat me up, or will you have Brie fight your battles for you?" At that moment, Nikki wanted so badly to hit him, but somehow she resisted.
"Fuck you," she hissed as she stormed past him.
"Great comeback," Rollins called after her. Nikki clenched her fist and kept walking. Nikki held in her rage until she got to the Diva's locker room. Thankfully, it was mostly empty. The only Divas in the room were Summer Rae and Emma, but they looked like they were about to leave.
"I can't believe Brie is going to fight Stephanie. I mean, do you think she'll win?" Summer asked as she started to walk towards Nikki so that she could leave the locker room.
"Of course, she will," Nikki stated letting some of her anger that was left over from her encounter with Rollins slip out.
"Ignore her Nikki," Emma advised as she followed behind Summer, "She's just being Summer."
"Hey, I resent that. You make it sound like a bad thing to be me," Summer complained. Emma rolled her eyes at Summer's comment.
"See you later, Nikki," Emma said as she exited the locker room.
"Bye," Nikki called after her. As soon as Nikki was sure she was alone she walked over to where there were some towels, grabbed one, and screamed into the towel. Nikki felt some tears fall from her eyes and she felt angry at herself. Why am I letting that asshole get to me?, Nikki wondered as she found a mirror to make sure that the couple stray tears hadn't ruined her makeup. Nikki couldn't be happier for Brie and everything that was happening for her, but she hated admitting that she did feel slightly jealous that Brie was getting the match against Stephanie when she did feel like it should be her.
"Hey," Nikki turned startled, but sighed when she saw John standing in the doorway.
"Hey," Nikki greeted him as she rushed towards him and wrapped her arms around him.
"Are you okay?" he asked concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered him as she pulled away from him so that she could look at him.
"Are you sure? You look like you've been crying," John pointed out.
"Oh, that? Oh, I just got a little emotional over Brie's big match. I can't believe she's going to fight Stephanie at Summer Slam. I mean this is huge," Nikki explained.
"Oh, okay," John replied sounding slightly unsure, but not questioning her further, "It is big though. You must be so happy for Brie." Nikki smiled up at John, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.
"Of course, I am. I couldn't be happier for Brie," Nikki lied as she hugged John again.
OoOoOo
Nikki was holding her head as she headed to the back. Nikki turned when she felt a hand on her arm. She turned to see Brie looking at her with concern.
"Are you okay, Nikki?" Brie asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just have a slight headache. Are you okay?" Nikki responded.
"I'm fine, but I'm more concerned with you," Brie stated as she looked at her sister with concern.
"Look, I'm fine, Brie," Nikki dismissed her worry, "I'm going to go find, John."
"Are you sure?" Brie asked her again.
"Yes," Nikki said slightly annoyed as she started to walk away. Brie watched as Nikki walked away and she still felt concerned for her sister. Nikki tried not to feel aggravated, but she was. She couldn't completely explain it, but the more she walked the more aggravated she became.
"How's your head?" Nikki let out a groan at the sound of Rollins voice. Dealing with Rollins was the last thing that Nikki needed at the moment.
"My head is fine," Nikki called over her shoulder as she kept walking.
"Isn't it funny how you two are supposed to be so close and yet Brie didn't try to stop Stephanie?" Rollins asked conversationally. Nikki stopped in her tracks. He did not just go there, Nikki thought as she tried to not give in to his obvious taunting. With a deep breath, Nikki continued walking.
"Yeah, I mean why would she save you? You don't matter. You are the weak, forgettable twin, aren't you?" Nikki turned and rushed towards him in anger. She had enough of Rollins mouth.
"You need to shut your mouth or I will shut it for you, Rollins," Nikki threatened as she got up in his face. Seth smirked at Nikki's anger. He knew he was getting close to breaking her and he was enjoying every minute of it.
"Oh, I'm so scared Nicole," he mocked her as he pretended to cower and shake, "Come on, Nicole we both know you couldn't do anything to hurt me." Nikki felt both insulted and challenged by his words. Without giving it a second thought she slapped him, hard. Seth was caught off guard by the slap and took a step back in surprise. Nikki felt a smirk of satisfaction appear on her face. She had been wanting to do that for weeks and to see Rollins look so stunned just made Nikki glow with happiness.
"You were saying," Nikki taunted, "And stop calling me Nicole." To Nikki's surprise, Rollins shock morphed into glee.
"I was beginning to wonder if you'd gone soft. If that whole "Fearless Nikki" crap was a big lie or not," Rollins stated as rubbed his cheek. She had hit him so hard that it still stung and he knew it'd probably leave a mark.
"I am fearless. It's not crap and when have I ever given you the impression that I've gone soft?" Nikki asked him.
"Well, let's see how about...all the time," Rollins exclaimed. Nikki was shocked by his answer and also angered. The last thing anyone would ever associate Nikki Bella with was being soft.
"What?! I have not been acting soft at all. What the hell are you talking about?" Nikki questioned him.
"Oh, come on, Nicole. You have been walking around here for weeks, hell even months, just letting people treat you like shit," Rollins told her, "You let everyone do whatever they want to you. Stephanie, Hunter, the other Divas, your sister, and hell even your boyfriend treats you like crap."
"Do not talk about John," Nikki ordered with a hint of an underlying threat in her tone, "My relationship with John and with my sister isn't any of your business. How I handle my problems with the Authority and the other Divas is also none of your business. Why the hell do you care so much, Rollins?"
"I care because it pisses me off when someone who obviously deserves much better than they're getting just lays down and dies!" he exclaimed with a hint of anger.
"I have not laid down and died!" Nikki protested.
"Yes, you have!" he shouted frustrated, "You just accept whatever fucked up match Stephanie puts you in. You accept that you are in a shitty relationship with our company's golden boy. And I just saw you accept that your sister couldn't do anything to stop Stephanie from pedigreeing you."
"She couldn't," Nikki argued.
"Yes, she could have, Nicole," he countered, "We both know that those tables are pretty damn flimsy and that if Brie really wanted to get over that table, past Hunter, and stop Stephanie she could have, but she didn't. Face the facts, Nicole. Brie doesn't give a crap about you. She doesn't need you anymore." Nikki stared at Rollins, and felt both hurt, and anger rise within her. She hated him for saying these things to her and what she hated more than that was that she had been wondering the same thing. Did Brie really try her hardest to get past Triple H or did she let Nikki get pedigreed? Nikki shook her head to clear her mind.
"No...No, you are just trying to fuck with my head and turn me against Brie. I don't know what the Authority wants from me, but I refuse to play into their hands," Nikki cried.
"You think I'm saying this all because Stephanie and Triple H put me up to it?" Rollins asked.
"Well, of course," Nikki exclaimed, "What other reason would you have for saying all this shit to me?"
"Because it should be you having the match against Stephanie, not Brie!" Rollins yelled growing angrier, with whom he wasn't sure. Nikki was taken aback by Rollins anger and the conviction in his voice.
"L-Leave me alone, okay? Just leave me the fuck alone," Nikki cried as she walked away from him. Seth stood there as he watched Nikki walk away. He wanted to go after her, but he knew he had pushed her too far. With a grunt of annoyance, Seth headed in the opposite direction of Nikki. Nikki felt her eyes watering, but refused to let any of tears fall. She just had to get away from Rollins. Whether it be because his words were annoying her, or hitting too close to home, Nikki couldn't tell you which one was more true, but she didn't want to think about the second being true.
OoOoOo
Nikki still couldn't believe she was about to do this. She had been thinking about it ever since her fight with Rollins. She knew some people wouldn't understand what she was about to do and if she was being honest with herself, she still kind of wasn't sure she completely understand why she was about to do it.
"Nikki," At the sound of her name, Nikki turned to see a smiling Stephanie McMahon standing in the doorway, "What can I do for you?"
"You know what I want, Stephanie," Nikki replied as she entered her office.
"Oh yes, I do," she chuckled as she closed her office door.
OoOoOo
Seth's neck was sore after his lumberjack match with Dean. As he arrived backstage he was surprised to see Nikki standing by a monitor in her ring gear.
"What are you doing?" he called catching her attention.
"What does it look like?" she asked.
"It looks like you're going to compete tonight," he told her as he made his way over to her.
"Well, maybe I am," Nikki shrugged. Seth studied her trying to figure out what she was planning. There was something different about her and Seth couldn't quite place what it was.
"Whose side are you on?" Nikki looked at him questioningly.
"Brie's, of course," Nikki stated.
"Are you sure?" Rollins asked her.
"What do I have to do to convince you that I'm not like you, Rollins?" Nikki inquired growing frustrated, "I'm not an Authority sell out like you."
"Nikki!" They both turned to see Brie making her way towards them, "I've been looking for you."
"I've been here," Nikki told her with a shrug, "If you'll excuse me, Rollins, my sister and I would like to have a private conversation." Rollins looked between the twins with a confused look on his face.
"Yeah, sure," he said as he walked away from them. He turned back to look at the twins and his eyes widened when he saw Nikki still looking at him with a look in her eyes that made Seth both curious and surprised. With a smile, Seth continued walking. He had to get himself cleaned up quick. He wasn't going to miss a minute of this match.
OoOoOo
Nikki could still hear the "boos" ringing in her ears as she walked through the curtain. When she got backstage the looks she received she expected, but she still didn't like it. Nikki quickly, but confidently made her way to the Diva's locker room. When she entered she saw most of the girls give her dirty looks. She rolled her eyes at them continuing to put on a brave face so that they couldn't see how much it hurt to see them upset with her. She quickly changed out of her gear and started to pack up her stuff. Nikki just wanted to get out of the arena because she knew she wouldn't be able to deal with bumping into Brie at the moment. Once everything was packed she exited the locker room and made her way to the exit.
"Nikki!" Nikki stopped in her tracks. She didn't want to deal with this right now, she couldn't. She turned slowly around to face a visibly upset John Cena.
"What the hell was that?" he demanded as he held the back of his head. Nikki desperately wanted to comfort him because she knew he was hurt physically because of Lesnar, but emotionally because of her.
"Look, I know you don't get it, but I had to do it," Nikki stressed hoping he'd understand.
"No, I don't understand. How the hell could you betray Brie? She's your sister," John questioned her.
"I can't talk about this now, okay?" Nikki said as she turned to leave, "We'll talk about this later."
"No, I want to talk about this now," John told her as he grabbed her arm to stop.
"Hey!" they both turned to see Rollins walking their way.
"What do you want, Rollins?" John asked as he let go of Nikki's arm.
"She doesn't want to talk about it, so let her go," Rollins ordered as he stood between Nikki and John.
"This doesn't concern you, Rollins," John told him, "This is between me and Nicole."
"Well, I'm making it my business," Rollins stated as he got in John's face.
"Okay, thank you, Seth, but it's fine," Nikki said trying to break the tension between them. Seth's eyes widened slightly at hearing Nikki call him "Seth". All the time that he'd known Nikki she'd never called him by anything other than "Rollins" just like he'd never called her anything else, but "Nicole". So, to hear her call him by his first name caught him off guard.
"What is this?" John asked suspiciously as he pointed between them, "I thought you hated him and now you're acting all friendly with him."
"It's nothing," Nikki dismissed his suspicions, "Look, I will talk to you later about this, but right now, I have to go. I'm sorry, John."
"You know what? Forget it. I don't need to know," John said with his hands raised as if in surrender.
"John?" Nikki felt her heart drop at his words, "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that if this is the new you then I need some time to figure out if I want to be with this new Nikki," John explained as he turned and walked away.
"John!" Nikki called feeling tears start to sting her eyes, "John!" Seth stood there watching as Cena walked away and as Nikki started to fall apart. He wanted to comfort the obviously brokenhearted woman, but wasn't sure if she'd accept it. Slowly, Seth placed his hand gently on her shoulder. He felt her tense up at the contact, but then relax slightly.
"Nikki," he called trying to get her attention. Nikki was shocked at hearing him call her "Nikki", but didn't dwell on it as she looked at him while trying to keep her tears at bay.
"What?" she hissed.
"Let me take you home," he offered feeling sympathy for the woman.
"What home?" Nikki cried as she pushed his hand off her shoulder. Her makeup was running and her eyes were already bloodshot from her tears.
"I don't have a home. I just stabbed my sister in the back so I can't stay with her and my boyfriend just broke up with me so I can't stay with him. So, please, tell me Seth, where is my home?" Seth stood there not sure how to answer her.
"That's what I thought," Nikki stated as she walked past him.
"Where are you going?" he asked concerned.
"Where ever the hell I want," she called as she exited the arena. Seth stood there unsure of what to do. He felt guilt start to rise up in him because he knew this was his fault. He had been pushing Nikki's buttons for months about her relationship with Brie. All Seth had wanted to do was make Nikki see that she didn't need Brie to be successful. That she could be the number one Diva in this company by herself. Now, that she had finally gone through with it and had betrayed her sister, she had not only lost her sister, but also possibly her boyfriend and knowing that he was responsible for her misery made Seth sick. With a growl of frustration he exited the arena hoping to catch up with Nikki, but grew only more frustrated when he saw that she was already gone. What the fuck am I supposed to do now?, Seth thought as he made his way back into the arena.
OoOoOo
It had been two weeks since Nikki had betrayed Brie at Summer Slam and she still felt conflicted about her decision. She had explained to the WWE Universe why she had done what she did and while most of it was true some other stuff she had made up hoping to get some sympathy from the crowd. John had avoided Nikki for that first week, but the second week they had finally talked everything through and John had ended it. No matter what Nikki said to try and convince him that she was still the same Nicole that he fell in love with he wouldn't believe her. He had claimed that she had changed and he couldn't be with someone like her anymore. Nikki had spent three days crying over the end of her relationship, but at work she had put on a brave face so that no one could see her pain.
Mostly everyone avoided her at all cost. The only people that were civil to her were Summer Rae, Layla, and Alicia. The thing that surprised Nikki was that whenever she saw Seth he always had this look in his eyes as if he could tell she was hurting. It both unnerved her, but also made her feel good that there was someone she didn't have to fake being brave in front of. At the moment, Nikki was standing backstage waiting to go out to the ring. Stephanie had found her earlier in the day and told her that she had a big announcement later tonight that involved Nikki. Nikki had been racking her brain all day trying to figure out what Stephanie's announcement could be.
"Well, look at you," Nikki turned to see Seth standing behind her looking her up and down.
"See something you like?" she asked with a knowing smirk.
"Yeah, I do," Seth replied as he took a step closer to her and Nikki could see a lust in his eyes that she hadn't ever seen in his eyes before. Her smirk faltered and she felt her stomach clench. What the fuck is going on?, Nikki thought as they stared at each other.
"You better go," Nikki looked at him confused.
"What?"
"You better get out there. You wouldn't want to keep Stephanie waiting," Seth murmured so low that Nikki barely heard him. They stood there staring at each other before Nikki turned and headed towards the ring.
OoOoOo
Nikki was beyond annoyed and she wasn't the only one.
"Hey, go find Brie Bella and escort her out of the building," Stephanie growled at the nearest security guard she could find when Nikki and she got backstage.
"Yes, ma'am," the man said as he pulled a walkie talkie off of his belt, spoke into it, and headed down the hall. Stephanie turned towards Nikki still just as annoyed as Nikki, but also with an apologetic look on her face.
"I am so sorry about that, Nikki," Stephanie apologized, "That is not how I had planned that to go."
"It's okay, Stephanie," Nikki responded, "I'm used to my sister being jealous of me and tonight just proved it to the world."
"Well, I'm just upset that she, AJ, and Paige ruined your time," Stephanie explained.
"It's fine, Steph, and thank you once again for my title shot," Nikki said as she hugged Stephanie. Stephanie returned the hug with a smile.
"It was no problem, Nikki. You deserved it and when Seth suggested it, I couldn't disagree with him," Stephanie said as they separated. Nikki looked at her with confusion written across her face.
"Seth?" Nikki asked, "As in Seth Rollins?"
"Yes," Stephanie chuckled, "What other Seth would I be talking about?"
"Why would he do that?" Nikki inquired.
"That's something you'd have to ask him," Stephanie stated as she pulled her phone out of her pocket, "He came to see me earlier this week and told me why he thought it would best for business if you were put in the title race."
"Wow...," Nikki mumbled not sure how to feel about this information.
"Yeah, I was surprised, too, but I trust Seth's judgment and I know you will be our next Divas Champion," Stephanie stated as she typed away on her phone, "Nikki, I'm sorry, but I have to go."
"Oh, of course," Nikki said as Stephanie gave her another quick hug, "Thank you again, Stephanie."
"No problem. I'll talk to you later," Stephanie called as she started to walk away. Nikki stood there trying to push everything out of her mind except that at Night of Champions she was going to get a shot at the Divas Championship. With a huge smile she started to head to the Divas locker room so that she could get her bag and leave.
"Please, don't tell me you're going to let Brie get away with that," Nikki chuckled as she turned to see Seth walking towards her.
"Has anyone ever told you that you popping up randomly is kind of creepy? I mean if I didn't know any better I would think you were stocking me, Rollins," Nikki told him as she crossed her arms over her chest. At this action she could see his eyes glance down at her chest and Nikki smirked at that.
"So, I'm back to being Rollins? After all I've done for you?" Seth asked feigning hurt, "I thought our relationship had grown beyond that."
"What relationship?" Nikki asked.
"Oh, come on, Nikki. We both know all these little interactions have been your way of getting close to me," Seth teased her.
"You wish," Nikki replied.
"Maybe I do," he stated as he took a step closer to her and with that step they were so close that their chests were almost touching.
"Why did you tell Stephanie to give me a title shot?" Nikki whispered.
"Because you deserve it," he murmured as his eyes glanced at her lips. Nikki felt herself want to kiss him and that scared the living shit out of her.
"I-I'm not," Nikki stuttered.
"What?" Seth asked confused effectively breaking whatever connection they had just shared.
"I'm not going to let Brie get away with that," Nikki answered his question from earlier.
"What are you going to do?" Seth asked curious.
"That's for me to know and for you to wait and see," Nikki told him as she leaned forward slightly. Seth leaned forward and started to close his eyes, but stopped when he felt hair hit his face. He leaned back in surprise and gawked as he saw Nikki walking away.
"That was mean Nicole," Seth yelled as he heard her laughing as she walked away.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she teased as she looked back at him with a smirk.
"I'm going to get you, Nikki," he hollered as she continued to walk away from him.
"I'd love to see you try," she yelled back at him. Seth stood there and smirked at her words. There was something about Nikki Bella that had attracted him to her and ever since that first meeting he had been falling more and more. It had all started as him simply wanting her to betray her sister and worry about her own career, but know it was something more. He wasn't sure if anything would happen between them, but he knew one thing for sure. He wasn't giving up. When Seth Rollins saw something he wanted he didn't give up until he got it and he wanted Nikki Bella.
So, there you go. My first attempt at writing a Neth Bellins fic. This went in a completely different direction then what I originally planned and I'm still not sure if I'm completely satisfied with it, but what can I do. I'm my own worst critic and a perfectionist. Well, anyway, tell me what you thought by leaving me a review!
~Brittany~