Author's Note:

Hey, guys. Now, I know, I know. I have all but left Love, Honor and Glory in the dust, but that is not the case. I still have ideas and outlines for where I want to go with it, but do to other projects and transactions, it will just have to wait. I still have not quit on it, and it will be finished, I promise! I've also been dealing with personal issues at home (nothing too serious, don't worry), but that's no excuse. I know some of my most ardulent readers have been waiting more than patiently for an update. And while this is not the proper update, it's a start.

Now, with that out of the way, I am still hopeful for WrestleMania XXX, even though the card is nowhere near pleasing. It sucks even more now that Punk's gone, but have faith, as I do believe we will see the Best in the World back on WWE television again one day.

And speaking of Punk, how flipping crazy and adorable that he and AJ are in fact together now?! So weird, yet so awesome. And with the drama they've been through the past couple of months, to see them stick it out with each other so far is incredibly heartwarming to see.

So, here's the fic, don't forget to read & review, check out the other great stuff from the likes of RunninOnCrazy, Jean-theGuardian, RonTheRonin, Cody'sxFavoritexGirl, PikaSixJoy, bell'amorexbaci, xPetrovaFire, MellyxBrooks, MyChaosTheory and so many great authors and writers who compose these awesome stories for us all to enjoy.

And remember, keeping showing your love and support for Daniel Bryan, let the YES Movement charge on, and ride all the way to WrestleMania and beyond! Enjoy the story. :)

Disclaimer: The characters, likenesses and references in this story belong to WWE, CM Punk, AJ Lee & Metallica respectively.

Nothing Else Matters

O'Hare Airport - Chicago, IL

Wednesday Morning, February 12, 2014

It was another cold and wintry February morning in the city of Chicago on the outside, but inside of a loft two-story home, it was well warm and cozy. And it was 7:00 am. He could tell it was that time because the alarm was on and it was blaring, going on and on endlessly for a number of seconds. With a cranky growl, the slumbering man used his free arm that was dangling off the edge of the bed, and reached over to the nightstand next to him to turn off the alarm. After that, he slowly opened his eyes and turned over on his bed, lying flat on his back with his stare stuck on the ceiling. He would then turn his head over to the empty space that was on the bed next to him, with a deep and sad feeling of longing in his heart.

Oh, how he missed her. The scent of her perfume was still laced within the pillows and sheets on that side of the bed, and it made his longing for her even more unbearable, and the feeling in his soul even more empty. But that empty feeling would be filled soon enough, and he couldn't wait.

But for now, it was time for the morning routine. And so, after swinging his legs underneath the covers and over the bed, he then stood up and stretched, waking up the muscles in his body as well as his own self. With a loud yawn and a quick scratch to himself, he walked over to the nearby curtains and pulled them loose, exposing the morning sunlight into the room. He then head over to the nearby bathroom, and after a quick shower and brief scrubbing of his teeth, he was ready to begin his day.

This was how CM Punk often started out his mornings ever since he decided to take matters into his own hands, and walked away from the WWE.

It was a decision that shook up the wrestling world, and one that became a polarizing debate amongst fellow fans. On one side, some saw it as a selfish action, an example of a guy getting all that he could have ever wanted, only to then complain about not getting enough even still, and not even be professional enough to finish out a contract that he himself signed his name to. On the other hand, others viewed it differently, as they were well aware of how things were being handled week in and week out on television, and month after month after month on Pay-Per-View, and could sympathize as to him doing what he felt he needed to do.

For Punk, it simply came down to a combination these certain and simple factors. First and foremost, he was just burnt the hell out. Tired, tank on empty, whatever you wanted to call it, Punk just needed a break. He thought he had finally gotten one the year before after WrestleMania, but alas it only lasted two months before he ventured back into the herald battle and grind of daily life as a pro wrestler. He had developed new injuries to coincide with his old nagging ones, and general concern about it affecting how he performed in matches came about as a result.

In addition to that, he was just simply sick and tired of the bullshit. Whether it be him not being in as many a sparking feuds or not getting enough leeway to go full out with his character without completely going heel again, or noticing how certain trends and greed for a certain aspect ignored what the fans truly wanted, Punk was just sick of it. And the Royal Rumble was the straw that broke the camel's back.

He didn't mind the spot with Kane taking him out, or not being seen as a possible alternative for the world title match, even though he was the longest-reigning champion of the modern era, and hadn't even sniffed the title since losing it to The Rock. He didn't even mind his presumed inevitable showdown with Hunter at WrestleMania, as it gave him a high-profile match to work on the Grandest Stage of Them All, while also the chance to get a receipt for putting over Hunter a couple of years back, even though a lot of people both outwardly and internally thought it was the wrong thing to book at that time.

What infuriated Punk so much was the WWE's arrogance and flat out blatant ignoring of it's fans, their "universe" that they had claimed to have loved so very much. The most egregious atrocity of this was how they planned out the Rumble, and how they deliberately left out Daniel Bryan. Daniel Bryan, guy that not only the hardcore wrestling fans loved but casual viewers as well; not just a guy that had been getting rock solid reactions on a consistent basis going back to TWO years ago, but a guy who had to scrape his teeth coming up on the independent circuit for year after year, putting on some of the best matches and getting the best reactions even back then. And to make things even more heartwarming (or heartbreaking, give your take here) is that Bryan was one of the most graceful, gracious and humble human beings you can ever find.

To see him get passed over like that, especially for who he was passed over for was just hard to stomach. Now, Punk was friends with Batista, so while he had nothing personal against Dave, he still didn't think it was fair for him to walk right and just be handed a shot of this magnitude, especially considering who the fans wanted way more instead. And for Punk, this was too much to bear.

When he signed his new contract three years ago, he thought change would be helped ushered in. Yet here he was, three years later, and no change had come. And there was only so much he could put up with and endure, until finally, he had enough. And so the next day, right before RAW went on the air, he let Vince know that he was going home, and he would be staying home.

Since that day, Punk had simply been taking it easy. Being able to sleep in more if he wanted to, hang around his house and be lazy, and most importantly just doing whatever activity he felt like doing, not being constrained or restricted by the rigorous schedule of his profession. It also didn't hurt that he had a certain someone to spend this time with. Just thinking about her again made him ache for her presence again, to hold and touch her again, to see her wonderful smile and gaze into her soulful eyes once more.

Luckily, for Punk, today he could finally experience it again. But first things first, he still had a couple of things to do.

As she sat in her seat, looked out the view of her window to see the clouds, she could hardly contain herself. And as the flight attendant let it be know that they would all be arriving at their destination soon, her heart began to accelerate in a combination of anxious tension with impatient happiness. If it wasn't for the fact that they were currently thousands of feet in the air, she would have jumped out of that plane. That's how badly she wanted to see him, how she needed to see him. Well, in just a little while, she would have her wish.

It's not always an easy task or job dealing with unnecessary drama in your life while on the road performing for almost on a year round basis, but for AJ Lee, it was now daily commonplace. After the overblown and flat out ridiculous "incident" with Michelle Beadle last December while taping for Tribute to the Troops, AJ would have liked to have gone through just a minor time period without crisis-making news. Unfortunately for her, it would happen again, and once more it would be involving the person she was proudly defending against the disrespectful Beadle that day in Washington state: her boyfriend, CM Punk.

While it came as a hard hitting shock to her when Punk let her know of his intentions to leave the company that very day, AJ was one hand not completely surprised. She could see it in his face every day; he was completely and utterly worn out. And with the latest booking plans that Creative had in store not just him, but for Bryan as well regarding WrestleMania, the writing was on the wall, and Punk hit his limit.

While she understood, and well-supported, Punk's decision to walk away, it created a somewhat divided locker room backstage. Both sides had valid points, but in the end, it was Punk's own decision, and he had the right to do so. Also, a part of her was a bit nervous for what repercussions could fall out from this. Not only was AJ Punk's girlfriend, but she was also the Diva's Champion, so it wouldn't have been a surprise if much sooner rather than way later, she would be "punished" for Punk's actions by having to swiftly drop the title, while being humiliated in match after match along the way. They were not that too far removed from the Beadle incident, and since some of the more catty Divas wanted AJ to get taken down a peg still, this would have been a perfect excuse.

Thankfully, there were some people mature enough in Creative to wave this notion off, realizing that not a single person that knew or was close friends with Punk had to be taught some kind of unfair lesson in response to Punk's leaving. Plus, it probably would not have been the wisest of ideas as well to pick on someone that was very close to Punk, if they ever wanted to see him come back ever again.

In fact, in the aftermath of Punk's decision to quit the company, Vince had been working his absolute hardest to do whatever he can to coax Punk into coming back, sometimes even using AJ as a means for persuasion. Whether it was working or not, AJ could not tell, but what she could tell was that in the days that she would spend with him post his decision, she could see how relieved, how tranquil, and quite frankly how happy he was looking lately. Now, she still had to report back to the road for house shows and TV appearances, which made their partings even more bittersweet.

This time, however, AJ had gotten a notice to see Stephanie one day, and what the McMahon heiress had informed AJ of was of a complete surprise of a different sorts. She was going to be given the free option of taking time off. Complete time. Time away from the hectic schedule, as well as time away from some certain spiteful portions of the locker room. But most importantly, time away to be with her man.

Stephanie let it be known that she could tell that this situation was having a negative effect on everyone involved and was dragging down morale. So out of everyone's best interests, AJ was given the green light to take the week off, two even, to relax. And with the awful timing of Naomi's injury leaving AJ without a credible person to feud with on the go, it was merely destined fate.

Before sending her off on her mini-vacation, Stephanie did throw in a plea to AJ of once again trying to find a way to get Punk to come back, with it being this close to WrestleMania and a crucial live taping of RAW taking place soon in none other than Chicago. AJ responded that while she couldn't exactly promise, she would at least humbly try. Recognizing that, Stephanie gave a thankful hug to AJ before sending her on her way.

After working Monday's RAW, and sticking around for the SmackDown tapings for any needed last-minute help, AJ was on her way, taking the first flight that she could to the Windy City. And as the flight touched down at O'Hare International Airport that Wednesday morning, AJ's tiny body was filled with so many butterflies she felt she could burst. Luckily for her, Punk was feeling the same way.

After a quick breakfast and a brief chat with his good friend Chris Hardwick, ruefully discussing the unfortunate reality of him having to not appear on his late night Comedy Central program midnight for the most obvious of reasons, Punk had a small compacted exercise session in his large living room. He knew the plane wouldn't be here for another hour or so, so this was a way of just simply killing time.

When that was finished, he freshened up again, deciding to throw on a simple color-coordinated combo of a black t-shirt with black shorts to boot. He knew he would be getting some odd looks as to why he would exposing his legs to such unforgiving cold, but Punk could really give less than a damn of who might have thought what. That was always a trait of his.

But to make sure he was not too reckless, he did decide to bundle up on the upper body portion, a red sweat hoodie with a black leather jacket over that. After slipping on a pair of his Nikes, he was ready to hit the road, ready to get to the airport. Ready to see AJ.

On the drive to the airport, Punk was not going to stand for the eery silence that plagued the inside of his car, so going through a quick scroll on the built-in Pandora system, he quickly found what he was looking for by stopping at one of his absolute favorite musical groups, Metallica. From what he could tell by listening, he had just arrived right when they were on the tail end of one of their most well-known hits, "Sad But True", from their classic eponymously labeled Black Album. Even if he couldn't exactly rock to the rhythm, he more than welcomed the sound of the music playing in the car.

While keeping his eyes on the road as the drive continued, another song began to play. It started off with a four note arpeggio, repeating a couple of times before the harmonious acoustic of the guitar kicked in, blending in seamlessly with the notes that were playing before, setting the tone for the rest of the track.

It had been a while since Punk had closely listened to the world famous heavy metal band, so he couldn't quite tell what song he was listening to, but when lead vocalist James Hetfield soulfully began the lyrical portion, Punk knew then exactly what he listening to. It was the timeless wonder, Nothing Else Matters.

With the obvious now known, Punk was taking those words extremely close to heart; not just for the sake of enjoying the song, but how much it reminded him of AJ, their relationship with each other, and how badly they had missed each other's presence. Yet no matter how near or far they would be from each other, they would always be so close to each other, their fondness for one another growing even more larger and their love for each other being sometimes the only thing that made their day great.

The chorus of the tune had a message, and it was very endearing: don't care about what others might have said or done to look down upon you or your actions, trust in yourself first and foremost. And while Punk could somewhat apply that to what he did in terms of walking out, it relayed way more to his and AJ's relationship, and that no matter how many weird looks they had gotten in the back, no matter how many times people talked about them behind their back, they didn't care. They had each other, and that was all that mattered.

As the power ballad continued on to it's second verse and bridge, Punk couldn't help but simply reminisce on the wild and crazy journey they both had taken: from introductory hellos in Florida for NXT and FCW, to brief chit chats on the main roster, to forming a close bond through ways of a written love triangle, to after all this time and all these months later, after opportunity had again found them at the right crossroads, they wound up discovering something that could not be ignored: they wanted each other. They needed each other. And nothing else mattered at that point.

Whether it had been bowling trips in LA, baseball games at Wrigley, local shopping at Target or simply a date at the Madhouse for a hockey night, the feeling was there; the closeness was there, the admiration was without question there. And nothing else mattered but that, and that alone.

As he was coming up on the end of the tune, Punk had at last found himself at the pick up parking station at the airport. Coming to a stop in the right lane, he urgently buckled himself before cooly stepping out of the car and walking around the back of it to the other side, being as casual as ever. For a few minutes, he stood there in his spot, jacket zipped down and hands pocketed deep into his hoodie, waiting patiently, nervously, and anxiously for the person he was looking for.

Finally, after peering out over the horizon for the umpteenth time, he saw her. His heart swelled up with immense joy, and whatever cranky or sour mood he was feeling at that moment, completely disintegrated once he saw his favorite Crazy Chick. With her glasses framed adorably on her pretty face and her luggage by her side, she looked around the outside front entrance way before she finally spotted what she was looking for.

After locking eyes with one another, and with both of them sporting blissful smiles, AJ ran as fast she could to where Punk was, exclaiming loudly with a gleeful laugh as she jumped right into his arms, hugging him tightly with her legs wrapped firmly around his waist, a move she had been seen familiarly using on TV. Time seemed to stand still as their embrace deepened and expanded, one not seemingly ready to move from their spot, as if doing so would shatter the illusion. But this was no deceiving illusion; this was raw, honest, and real.

"I missed you so damn much," Punk whispered huskily into AJ's ear.

"Baby, you have no idea how much I was feeling that too," came her just as quiet, as well as honest, response.

Soon, they briefly broke the hug to take a gander into each other's faces, experience the close warmth their bodies were literally and figuratively giving off to one another, and with really nothing else to say, they simply broke out into goofy smiles, laughing with each other in total mirth and happiness, before bringing their lips together in a much needed, drastically wanted, oh so long deserved kiss that lasted as long as they wanted it to last.

After what seemed to have lasted for eons, the kiss was broken. Staring into each other's loving gazes again, Punk finally spoke. "You miss home on the road?" he asked.

"I am home," AJ bluntly stated, letting the impact of what she had said be felt and then some. Upon hearing that, Punk's face spread out into an even bigger grin, it's infectious nature causing AJ to do the same, leading to yet another quick kiss. After getting her things for her and placing them in the car before holding the passenger's door open for his leading lady to get in, Punk got back in the driver's seat, ready to to head back to his home before a soft touch briefly paused him. Looking down, Punk saw AJ's small tanned hand cover his bigger, tattooed one, and with a look back up into her homely features, he let it be known right then and there what he was feeling.

"I love you, April," he simply confessed. "I never truly knew before now, but I do. From the bottom of my heart, I mean that."

"Same here, Phil," she volleyed back. "Same here. I love you so much."

And once more, their lowered down at the same level and for the third time that morning their lips touched, sealing the affection, confirming the adoration, and above all else, letting the other know how much they were in love with that one. And as long as they had each other, in the end, nothing else mattered.

Till we meet again, stay safe, and I'll catch ya next time.

#AJPunk

#Punklee

#PunkleeNation

#YESMovement