Can I Ask You Something II

Summary: WrestleMania has come and gone but Zack Tyler aka Machetti is still in the WWE. This story covers another year in the life of Machetti and is a sequel to Can I Ask You Something?

Pairing: OCxMaria

Disclaimer: I do NOT own WWE or any of its superstars, trademarks, gimmicks, slogans, and all of that stuff. It all belongs to Vince McMahon (who is now bald), I am just choosing to write about it for my enjoyment and hopefully the enjoyment of others. But I DO own Zack Tyler aka Machetti, he's mine!

Rating: T

---x---

Chapter One: Apologies

---x---

Zack Tyler and Maria Kanellis slowly got out of Zack's rent-a-car and started heading towards the arena. It had been a long night and their flight had just landed. Sure a plane ride from Detroit to Dayton wasn't that long, but it was about six 'o' clock when the two of them had finally gotten to sleep. Last night was WrestleMania and Zack had put on the best match he possibly could and received a standing ovation for his efforts. But as a result of his hard fought match he was still sore. Sure it wasn't all real but jumping from a twenty-five foot ladder and landing on your ass can really take a toll on your body.

"You okay?" Maria asked as she watched Zack slowly open the back door to the car.

"Yeah," answered Zack as he grabbed his bag from the back of the car. "Just a little sore but I'll be alright."

Zack and Maria walked towards the arena and saw a large number of fans standing by the personnel entrance to the arena. When the eager WWE fans saw Machetti and Maria approaching the arena they let out a loud cheer and attempted to swarm the WWE superstar and diva. Luckily security was on hand, which kept the fans in control. Zack shook his head and put on his Machetti face and shook a few hands and signed a few autographs. Maria watched with a smile as Zack talked with the fans and signed autographs, it looked like he really missed that.

Maria gave a few hugs to some fans then she and Zack headed into the arena. Zack and Maria hadn't even taken a step into the arena when a staff member congratulated Zack on his match last night. Zack nodded then he and Maria went further backstage where they met some more superstars, most notably was Jeff Hardy, who was upset that Machetti had out done him. Jeff had jumped off of the fifteen foot ladder and landed on Edge, who was laying on the other ladder, but Machetti had fallen off the twenty foot ladder once, then was piledrived off of it through a table, then did a double Shooting Star Press Leg Drop.

Jeff shook Zack's hand then he and Maria went off where they met Michael Hickenbottom. "Well kid, what can I say," said Shawn, "you did great. And you out-bled me too!"

"Well someone had to bleed," said Zack with a smile, "Paul wasn't there and Ric wasn't even on the card. The way I saw it I had to do something."

"And you did," said Michael, "you went out there and you stole the show. That's why I'm proud to say that I trained you and I'm proud to say you're match was possibly the best of the night."

"Thanks," said Zack, "and you know, for you to say that now, really makes me feel great, just to hear that you're proud of me makes me feel like it was all worth while. And I feel like I'd do it all over again, despite how soar I am now."

"That's what I like to hear," said Michael, "regret nothing. Oh, by the way, Vince wants to see you."

"He does?" asked Zack.

"Yeah," answered Michael, "something tells me he enjoyed your match last night and that he want to personally commend you on your effort."

"Well best not keep the boss waiting," said Zack, "Michael, I'll see you later." Zack grabbed Maria's hand then the two of them walked off towards the WWE Chairman's office.

---x---

Zack glanced at Maria, then knocked on the door to Vince McMahon's office. "Come in," called Vince's voice from inside.

Zack pushed the door opened and Maria followed him inside. Vince turned his chair to face Zack and Maria and the two of them immediately coughed in an attempt to hide their laughter towards their bald-headed boss.

"You might as well let it all out," said Vince, as he rubbed his hand on his now bald head, "I've got to get used to it."

"Sorry sir," laughed Zack, "I think all of us are going to have to get used to it."

Once Zack and Maria had calmed down a bit, Vince turned to Zack, "alright first of all, I want to congratulate you," said Vince, "Zack, you did a great job last night at WrestleMania. It may have been your first WrestleMania, but it's definitely not going to be your last. You went above and beyond my expectations with your match last night and I think the fans were highly entertained."

"Thank you sir," said Zack, "but I'm just doing my job."

"Well you're doing one hell of a job at it," said Vince. "Now, did we discuss any plans for you for after WrestleMania?"

"Not that I recall," said Zack, "I was just going to go out there tonight and explain some things to the fans, then apologize to the people I hurt, mainly this lovely lady at my side." Maria blushed at being mentioned like that in front of the WWE Chairman.

"Alright, well let's look towards the future," said Vince, "who do you want to get in the ring with?"

"Well there are some guys on Smackdown," said Zack, "but most of all I'd love to face 'good old HBK'."

"You want a match with your former mentor huh?" questioned Vince, "you know, I like the sound of that. We'll see if we can arrange for that match sooner rather than later."

"That's great," said Zack, "now was there anything else you wanted to say to me?"

"Actually there was," said Vince, "in case you didn't hear the fans last night, you got quite a reaction. They're really into you and I'm thinking of making you a contender for Cena's WWE Title."

Zack turned and smiled at Maria then looked back at Vince, "are you serious?" asked Zack, "you want me to fight in a title match?"

"With the reactions you've been getting, I think it would be a crime not to," said Vince. "He's what I want you to do. Later tonight Adam is going to go out there and talk about how he wants to be a contender. I want you to go out there and set up a Number One Contender's Match between the two of you for next week. If you get a good reaction from the fans, we'll go through with it. If they don't, I'll call it off and we'll give you something else to do for a while."

"Thank you, sir," said Zack, who couldn't help hiding the smile on his face, "I'll go talk to Adam before the show. I'll see you later sir." Zack grabbed Maria's hand and he led her out of the room, but as they were going out through the door, they heard Vince call out to them.

"Zack, you don't need to thank me. You deserve it."

---x---

Raw was live and Matt and Jeff Hardy had just won the World Tag Team titles in the second over the top rope battle royal. In the arena Riot Time played as Machetti came from the back and headed down to the ring. He was dressed in street clothes and clearly wasn't here to compete. Instead he had a mic in his hand, and the look on his face clearly stated that he was going to use it. As Machetti made his way down to the ring and got inside he smiled when he saw several signs saying 'Welcome Back Machetti' and one long chain of letters that spelled out 'M-A-C-H-E-T-T-I' Obviously the fans were glad that he was back.

Machetti walked over to a corner then climbed up onto the second rope, then he did a back-flip off of it and landed on his feet in the middle of the ring, earning him a loud cheer from the fans and causing a loud Machetti chant to start up. Machetti smiled at the fans and waited for them to quiet down, which took a really long time.

"Well," said Machetti, "it's great to be back. And now I guess I have a few people to apologize to for my actions recently. First, and I think most importantly is Maria. Maria, I know you're backstage somewhere, and I'd appreciate it if you could come out here. I'd like to say this to your face."

Machetti leaned back against the corner and waited then Maria's theme music hit and Raw's backstage interviewer made her way down to the ring. Maria slowly got in the ring and stood across from Machetti.

"Now Maria, I know I said this a lot last night, but I need to tell you this," said Machetti, "I'm sorry. Now I'm going to be completely honest with you, I'm not going to tell you I don't remember what I did to you, because I do. And that's what makes this so much more painful. I saw myself doing everything I was doing, but I was unable to stop it. When I bumped my head back at New Year's Revolution, I was out cold, and unfortunately I was not the first one to wake up. What woke up was the rage, determination, and hot-headedness that I had deep inside me. It's always been there and is still there, it's just melded with my normal mindset again."

Machetti glanced at Maria, "are you following me so far?" he asked, he didn't want to confuse her. Maria slowly nodded then Machetti continued, "my normal emotions and thoughts awoke a little later than that, but I was no longer in control. So I watched helplessly as I hurt everyone who cared about me. Trust me, the last thing I ever want to do is hurt you. You mean too much to me."

"Finally at WrestleMania," continued Machetti, "Dude Love piledrived me through that table off of that ladder, which knocked me out cold. I slowly fought my way back and managed to regain my normal thoughts and emotions. I did a lot that I regret, and now I have to start making up with it. And the first thing I'm going to do is gain your forgiveness. And I am not going to do anything else until you forgive me for everything I've done."

Maria looked like she was going to say something, but then to the surprise of everyone in the arena, Machetti dropped to his knees in front of her and slowly took her hands with his hand that wasn't holding the mic. "Maria, I always thought that I would never knowingly hurt you, but now I actually did, physically, mentally, and emotionally." Machetti looked up into Maria eyes trying to express that he was completely serious. "I couldn't sleep at all last night knowing what I did to you, so now I need to know if you can possibly find it in your heart to forgive me. I don't know how else to say this, but I love you, and I am willing to spend the rest of my career trying to make it up to you."

Machetti looked up at Maria as the fans started chanting For-give, Ma-chetti followed by a series of claps. Maria smile around at the fans then turned back to Machetti. Maria slowly pulled her hands away from Machetti then took his mic. "Machetti," said Maria, "I've always known that you never knowingly do anything to hurt me. The reason I worked so hard to get you back was because… I love you too." Maria paused and smiled down at Machetti, then pulled him back up to his feet, "and there's no way I can stay mad at you. You're forgiven." In a flash Maria reached out and wrapped her arms around the back of Machetti's neck then pulled his head down and kissed him.

Machetti quickly responded by wrapping his arms around Maria's waist and pulling her into him. Machetti pressed Maria's smaller body into his then returned her kiss. When they broke apart both of them were smiling. "God I missed that," said Machetti as he released Maria. "Now where was I? Oh yeah, I have a few apologies to make."

Maria reached out and grabbed Machetti's free hand then nodded for him to continue. "Alright, next is another real important one," said Machetti, "I want to say I'm sorry to all of the fans. I'm sorry I turned my back on you and I'm sorry about the conduct I have been using recently. And to show how sincere I am, I'm going to start over and I'm going to earn your approval back, starting with tonight." The fans cheered Machetti as he and Maria turned to face JR and King at announce table.

"King," said Machetti, "you're next. You're not a has-been, and you're not washed up. I think you proved that to me and all of these people when the two of us had our match a few weeks ago. And to show that I'm being honest and sincere, I've got a gift for you."

Machetti let go of Maria's hand for a moment and got out of the ring, then Maria followed him out over to the announce table. "Jerry, I remember back a few times a slapped you across the face, so right now, I'm going to offer you a free shot, and I hope that's enough so we can settle this." Machetti walked over to King's side then held his arms behind his back, then nodded for King to hit him. "Come on," said Machetti without the mic, "I know you can pack a punch, teach me the lesson that everyone of these fans once wanted me to learn."

Lawler slowly stood up and glanced at Maria, who shrugged then nodded for King to go ahead. King brought back his arm then shot it out and caught Machetti on the side of the face, causing him to stumble back a bit. Machetti removed his hands from behind his back then held one hand up to where King had hit him then used the other to hold his mic. "You've still got it. By the way, congratulations on getting into the Hall of Fame, both you and JR really deserve it."

Machetti moved his free hand from his face and offered it out to King, who quickly shook it. Then Machetti walked around the table over to JR and offered his hand out to him, and JR quickly shook Machetti's hand as well. Machetti saluted the two Raw commentators then took Maria's hand and got back into the ring.

"Alright, next I need to apologize to Paul London and Brian Kendrick," said Machetti, in an attempt to get back on topic. "Paul, Brian, I know you're backstage watching this, and I'd like you guys to come out here. You're my best friends and I want to apologize to your face." Machetti wrapped his arm around Maria's shoulders and stood in the ring waiting for the WWE Tag Team Champions. A second later, London and Kendrick's theme song hit and the two of them came down to the ring.

Paul and Brian got in the ring and stood across from Machetti, who nodded and thanked them for coming out and giving him a chance to apologize. "Paul, Brian," said Machetti, "it's like I said to Maria. I was watching myself hurt you guys, but I couldn't do anything to stop it. Now I'm not going to go as far as saying that I'd never deliberately hurt you, cause hey, I've fought the two of you in matches countless times in the past, but I'd never go so far where I'd physically injury you like I almost did back a few weeks ago."

Paul stepped forward and took the mic from Machetti. "Listen man," said Paul, "you're our friend too. That's why we were working with Maria to get you back. We knew that wasn't the real you, so we figured we'd help her do something about it. And if that involved getting knocked around a bit on the way, we were okay with it."

"You did go a little overboard," said Brian as he took the mic from his partner, "but we'll easily forgive you on one condition." Machetti looked at Brian and mouthed, 'what?' "We want the same shot you gave King."

Machetti smiled and shook his head, then placed his arms behind his back. Brian handed the mic to Maria, then he and Paul stepped forward with identical smirks on their face. Then at the same time, they brought back their fists and punched Machetti in the face, knocking him backwards and causing him to fall on his ass. Machetti slowly sat up then he, Paul, and Brian started laughing. Maria smiled and shook her head then pulled Machetti back to his feet. Machetti nodded to Maria then took the mic back from her.

"I think that's just about everyone. But there's one more person, who I know is backstage that I need to apologize to, or maybe, there's four guys. Mick Foley, get your multi-persona ass out here! I want to say this to your face."

Machetti waited a while but Mick was showing no signs of coming out. "Mick," called Machetti, "I've got this lovely lady in the ring with me," Machetti then pulled Maria closer to him to prove his point, "and I've got my best friends here with me. I'm not leaving until you come out here and trust me I could stay out here for a while with my current company. So come on, I've got to say something to you."

At long last the familiar car crash in Mick Foley's theme music was heard in the arena and the Hardcore Legend came from the back and made his way down to the ring. Mick got in the ring and stood across from Machetti and Maria, while London and Kendrick stepped back and let Machetti do what he needed to do.

"Mick, I'm sorry for everything I put you through, but I know you can take it, especially after the match we put on at 'Mania," said Machetti as he walked up to Mick, "I'd also like to say, that your book does not suck and I'm sorry for treating it how I did."

Mick glanced at Machetti and shrugged then took the mic from him, "Machetti, I'm just doing my job. Maria called me in to help and that's what I did. Of course in the beginning I had no idea what I was getting into, but you took me for one hell of a ride, and you helped me get in another one of those great matches at WrestleMania. Machetti you've earned my respect, and you certainly have the ability to be a really great superstar."

"Thanks Mick," said Machetti as he took his mic back, "but that brings me to the other thing I wanted to say to you. I'd also like to thank you. If it wasn't for you, I'd have never been brought back and I wouldn't be standing here in the ring with Maria. So I'd really like to thank you for piledriving me through that table, and I'm willing to return the favor anytime."

Mick nodded at Machetti then Machetti offered Mick his hand and the two shook hands in the middle of the ring. Then Mick took the mic back from Machetti. "Now Machetti, I've got to get going. But before I do, I have to say something to the fans in this arena. Next week on Raw, I have a HUGE announcement to make. I'm not going to tell you what it is, but it's going to be big and I hope you all enjoy it.

Machetti nodded then turned to the fans, "EVERYONE GIVE IT UP FOR MICK FOLEY!!" The fans started cheering and chanted Foley, Foley, Foley, over and over again the fans chanted and slowly everyone stood on their feet. Machetti and Maria smiled at each other then they, along with Paul and Brian, began clapping as well and joined in with the chant. Mick smiled then graciously left the ring and headed to the back. Machetti, London, Kendrick, and Maria stood together in the ring as the camera faded and Raw went to a commercial break.

---x---

Edge was out on the stage and was talking to the fans about Hardy jumping off of the ladder onto him. Edge said that Michaels, Orton, and Cena may call themselves 'the Showstopper,' 'the Legend Killer,' and 'the Champ.' But he, Edge, was the one who could call himself 'the best,' and soon he would be called 'the new WWE Champion.'

But as soon as Edge said that Riot Time hit and Machetti came from the back holding his pipe, and walked up to Edge. "So Edge," said Machetti and he held his pipe by his side, "I guess you're saying that you want a shot at Cena's WWE Title."

"Yeah that's what I'm saying Chump Stain," snapped Edge, "if that's what it takes to become the New WWE Champion, then that's what I'm gonna do."

"Yeah, but there's just one thing. What if I want to face John Cena?" questioned Machetti, an eruption of cheers from the fans, "and what if I want to face John Cena for the WWE Title? And maybe become the new WWE Champion?"

"Then I'd say you've got a problem," said Edge, "Cause whether you like it or not, I'm gonna be the new Champ, not you, not Orton, and not Shawn Michaels."

"Well you know," said Machetti, "there's one thing I can say about myself that you three can't. I actually WON last night at WrestleMania. When I got piledrived off of that ladder, and through that table, I got back up, and then I went on to win my match. I didn't get carted off on a stretcher."

"Well you have no idea how soar I am right now," said Edge, "it hurts to stand here right now."

"Does it?" asked Machetti, "I wouldn't know. I mean I only fell off of a twenty foot ladder once, got piledrived off of it through a table, dove off of it and landed hard on my ass, got cut opened by a barbed wire wrapped bat, and superplexed into a bed of thumbtacks, yeah I have no idea what you're talking about, but there may be some small chance that I had a hard time getting out of bed this morning too."

"Well unlike you I am a former two time WWE Champion," snapped Edge, "and last night wasn't my FIRST WrestleMania."

"I'll tell you what," said Machetti, "instead of boring the fans by bragging why don't we do something about it. I have a favor that Vince owes me, hair or no hair he has to grant it. So here's what we're going to do. I'm going to set up a Number One Contender's Match for next week. Not only will Orton or Michaels be in the match at Backlash, but one of us will be in it too. Whether Cena likes it or not, he's going to defend his title in a triple threat match, but who he defends it against, is up to us." The fans cheered loudly at the suggested match for next week.

Edge glanced around at the fans then turned to Machetti, "You know," said Edge, "normally I couldn't give a damn what you say, but this time, I like it. Next week you and me one-on-one, and we'll see who comes out on top."

"Sounds good," said Machetti, then a smirk appeared on his face, "oh, Edge, catch!" Machetti tossed his pipe up into the air, then Edge looked up in the air in an attempt to catch Machetti's pipe before it cracked him in the head, but suddenly Machetti charged forward and speared Edge down to the steel stage. Machetti got back to his feet and picked up his pipe, which had fallen to the ground behind them, Machetti smirked at Edge, who was laid out on the stage, then turned and walked to the back, as the fans cheered him on.

---x---

That's the first chapter of the second story. Machetti is back as a face, let me know if you like the idea of him gunning for the WWE Title. If I get a good response I may actually put the belt on him sometime in the future.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!