This fic is for xthefirestillburns' Sheamus one shot contest. I chose the first plot and AJ Lee. While AJ is quite frequently used, I hardly ever see fics of them (though I may just be missing them). Since the first time they had a segment, I've shipped them, so it's a real treat to write a one shot about them. Especially since I've never wrote a story with AJ or Sheamus as the main characters. They've been in my stories, just never as the main ones.

"I'm sorry, Stephen. I'm so sorry..."

He couldn't believe it. His mind simply would not wrap around the feeble idea that he could not do what he was made to do any longer. Who would have thought that a routine, simple match on Smackdown against Alberto del Rio would cost him his entire career?

That was what Dr. Robbins kept trying to tell him. "I'm sorry, Stephen, but we can't risk it."

One day, he had been one of the biggest faces of the company, a man most WWE fans loved and respected. And now, he was a thing of the past.

No longer would he lace up his boots and hang his Celtic cross around his neck. No longer would he go out to the ring and work himself right to the bone. No longer would he hear and feel the amazing zest of the WWE universe.

He was done.

...

Stephen sat alone in the locker room, long after everyone else in the WWE had left to head to their hotel rooms before heading to San Francisco for Smackdown the next morning. Everyone but Stephen, that is. His neck injury had brought his career to a screeching halt and he had just participated in the last RAW of his career. And there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

He hadn't gotten past that just yet. Though he had a house in Tampa, he was contemplating moving back to Ireland with his family. Yet, there was a small part of him that left him wondering if he should stay. Now, he knew that there would be no more opportunities for him in wrestling, unless it involved announcing or managing, both of which he just wasn't cut out for.

It was unfair. There were guys in the business who didn't care about the business itself, only the fame. Stephen, on the other hand, didn't really care if he got famous or not. He had a pure, true love of wrestling, which was why many legends had called him a very rare gem. They weren't wrong, of course, but Stephen couldn't help but feel that he was letting them down, especially William Regal, one of his best friends.

Sighing, he stood up, deciding that it was best he begin to get ready to go back to the hotel. The following day, he would be catching the first flight to Tampa. After that, he wasn't sure what he would do. His entire life was with the WWE and it was over, over way too soon.

While throwing his wrestling gear into a gym bag, he heard a hesitant knock on the door to the locker room.

"It's open," he called in his thick, Irish accent, settling down on a long bench.

Still throwing things into his bag, he watched the door slowly open and reveal a very small, brunette girl in blue jeans, a T-shirt, and converse tennis shoes.

"Can I come in?" came a quiet, tentative voice from the other side of the room.

Stephen looked up, his eyes meeting hers. He nodded slowly.

She gave him a small smile before walking across the locker room to where he sat with his bag at his feet.

"Hey April," he said, trying to give her a smile.

"Hi Stephen," she replied, smiling back.

Stephen had known April ever since she'd started on NXT. They weren't close, but he'd always liked her. She seemed genuine. Shy, but genuine. Perhaps even a little nerdy, which was something he admired. Most of the divas he knew were materialistic and cared more about their looks than anything else. April was obviously a beautiful woman, but she was a natural pretty instead of a more worked pretty. However, they'd never been this close. Never had either of them ever visited the other in their locker room. This was a bold move and Stephen couldn't help but wonder what she was doing there.

It was silent for a few moments. Stephen was pondering the reasons for April visiting him and April was contemplating the best way to inform him of the rationale behind her staying behind with him.

As if reading his thoughts, April said, "You're probably wondering why I'm here..., right?"

He nodded, a small smile threatening to appear on his grim face.

She continued, "I heard you weren't too happy tonight."

Stephen noticed that April was wearing her thick, black-framed glasses instead of the contacts she usually wore while she was in the ring. He liked the glasses, they made her different.

"You're right," he replied, "Let's just skip me bullshitting the positive side because there is none. AJ, my life's over, is it not?"

She bit her lip and shrugged. "I guess so. You're not married, you don't have a girlfriend, and you can't do the one thing that you're good at anymore."

Stephen was stunned. Subconsciously, he'd expected April to deny his statement and tell him what all was wrong with it. Evidently, he was dead wrong. "But-"

"But what?" April asked, "isn't that what you wanted to hear? I agreed with you one-hundred percent."

He sighed. "Guess so."

"You wanted me to tell you that you're talented, no matter the injury. That you're such a nice, sweet, caring, cute guy that you'll find a woman in no time. That you're life isn't going to hell and that you're gonna catch a break soon...," she trailed off, her eyes, though hidden behind frames, searching to meet his. "Right?" she finished.

"Guess so," he repeated, eyes falling to stare at the floor.

She smiled wanly. "Look, Stephen, I did come here to tell you something."

His eyes met hers again. "And just what might that be?"

"That you're not alone," she replied, softly.

Her statement puzzled him. "What do you mean, lass?"

"I mean that if you ever, ever need anyone to talk to, don't you dare hesitate to call me. I know what wrestling means to you and I know how hard you worked to get here. I know offering my phone number isn't much, but it's something. I just want you to know that someone cares...," she trailed off, a small smile appearing on her lips. "By the way, your life isn't over. Just because you can't wrestle anymore doesn't mean that you can't be in the business. Not only that, but you will find a woman. All that stuff I said before about you being sweet and caring, I meant it." Her smile grew bigger.

And Stephen blushed. "Thanks, April. Thanks a lot. It means a lot to me, it really does."

The two shared a small glance and they both knew that something important was happening between them. The very flower that had their friendship blooming was now blossoming into something so much more. But for now, they would be friends, something both of them needed desperately.

After a short period of silence, Stephen broke it. "So...Are you hungry?" April nodded, smiling. "I could really go for something Vince would kill us for eating."

Stephen beamed. "Me too, April. Me, too."