A/N: New story alert. It's half AU and half WWE universe. It's going to be rated M for obvious reasons. Just a heads up, I won't be able to update this one with four chapters a night like I've done in the past but I'm really excited about this one and don't want to rush it. And please try to bare with me as I get these first few chapters to really set the tone for the entire story. Thanks for your continued support and enjoy the new story :) (P.S- I don't own any of the characters except for the creepy psychopaths I create with my mind)

Summary: Becoming a wrestler was not something April had ever considered until one faithful summer where she began to question everything. Seven years later will be given the opportunity of a lifetime and run into old friends and old loves along the way.


Seven Years


April Jeanette Mendez sat patiently in the small office of Michael Hayes. She was beyond nervous and trying to resist the urge to chew her finger nails. He was already five minutes late and she was starting to think they didn't want her anymore. This was a long shot for sure and she saw some of the other women in the lobby and she didn't compare. Barely over five feet, no makeup or heels on, not much of a body and no blonde hair. Eventually the man entered the office looking over a file and sat across from her.

"I apologize for my tardiness." he said not even looking at her and that's when AJ saw a woman sit next to him. "This is Jane and she's in charge of talent relations."

"Hi." AJ smiled shyly tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Hello..." Jane trailed off and leaned over Haye's shoulder. "...April." she finished and gave her a warm smile.

"So, April." Michael announced placing the file down and looking up at her then smirked. "You seem nervous."

"I am." She admitted.

"Do you have stage freight?" Jane asked her.

"No. I'm good in front of large groups, just two makes me sweat." She admitted with a small laugh.

"So let's start off with why you want to be a WWE Diva." Michael said leaning back in his chair and eyeing her.

"I don't." AJ said to him and both seemed confused and looked at each other. "I want to be a wrestler." she corrected.

"I like that." Hayes smirked writing something down.

"Being a Diva does come with the territory." Jane noted.

"Of course it is but the 'Diva' isn't just hair and nails. I'm not your typical woman's wrestler and that's why I'll appeal to the audience." She said to them. "There is no female currently in the company who has what Amy had or Molly Holly or even Luna."

"Amy?" Jane questioned.

"Lita." AJ corrected her slip up quickly. "She retired a few months back and no one has been able to fill her shoes."

"And you think you could?" Michael asked her.

"I know for a fact I could." She said confidently.

"This new NXT competition is just that." Michael warned her. "You need to appeal to our audience they''ll hold your fate in their hands."

"I'm not worried." AJ said to him and Jane smiled. "I can talk in front of a crowd and more importantly I can actually wrestle which is what the fans want to see. They're sick of two minute slap matches between the girls, they want to see them actually battle."

"You're awfully small." Michael noted and AJ tried to hide her smile.

"That's my advantage." she said to him and he nodded seemingly enjoying her confidence.

"Who trained you April?" Michael asked her.

"A few people." AJ said to him. "But I attended Jay Lethal's school."

"He's good." Michael nodded. "I saw some of your matches from a year back are you two still a thing? If that's too personal-"

"It's not." AJ assured him. "And no."

"You two were very good together." Michael noted. "In the ring that is."

"I'm good with anyone in the ring." She shot back and Jane's face lit up.

"I like you." Michael chuckled.

"What brought you here?" Jane asked her. "And I don't mean to WWE but to wrestling. Are you a long life fan?"

"No." AJ told her honestly. "I met a few wrestlers my summer home from college and I worked out with them and they taught me some things. After that I dropped out of college and looked for a wrestling school."

"Must have been some inspiring wrestlers." Jane noted.

"He was." She smiled then frowned. "I mean they." She corrected.

"What were you studying in college?" Michael asked her.

"Drama." AJ told him.

"Your application says Juilliard." Michael noted and AJ nodded. "You dropped out of Juilliard to wrestle?"

"I did." She said to them. "My parents weren't thrilled but wrestling school was a lot cheaper."

"Your parents were ok with this?" Jane asked astonished.

"My parents are very open minded people." AJ stated proudly. "Whatever makes me happy makes them happy."

"So tell us about that summer." Jane said to her. "What enticed you into the ring?"


Seven years earlier...

AJ stepped out of the backseat of her parent's car and let out a groan. The last place she wanted to spend her summer was a snooty country club but her parents had spent the last three summers here and they guilted her into it. Her sister was backpacking across Europe and her brother was serving in the military and stationed in Iraq, which for the time was extremely dangerous. They didn't want to be alone this summer so AJ canceled her plans for the next eight weeks and joined her parents.

"I hate it." AJ said not even removing her sunglasses.

"It's wonderful." Her mother Janet smiled as someone walked over to their car and took their bags.

"We're not these people." AJ whispered seeing all the ritzy people walk by.

"Don't ever judge a book by it's cover." AJ's father Robert reminded her sternly.

"Your father finds it very relaxing." Janet said eyeing AJ subtly who nodded. Her father suffered a heart attack last September and knew he needed to relax. Running your own law firm was stressful.

"I'm going to look around." AJ said to them.

"Do you know what cabana we're in?" Robert asked her and she smiled and nodded. "Don't be too late we have dinner at six."

"I won't." AJ said then walked off.

The area was beautiful. There was a gorgeous lake she could look at for days and seemed so peaceful. Although it seemed peaceful she wasn't fond of being away from her friends the entire summer and she originally had planned on taking a few summer classes. Although AJ and her family were very well off, probably the wealthiest people at this ritzy club, she never fit in with that part of society. Most of her friends were struggling artists or nerds she read comics with and played video games.

AJ walked further down the rocks and away from everyone so she could be alone in her thoughts. She missed her sister but missed her brother more. If she ever stopped to think about him she'd wonder if he was even still alive. He was her best friend and if she didn't hear from him for longer than two days she'd become ill with fear, as would her parents but that's a big reason she agreed to come this summer, to take care of them.

AJ walked up the rocks where she assumed most people came to fish since the water was so much deeper but everyone was getting ready for dinner as the sun began to set. She thought it was so beautiful and snapped a photo quickly before putting the phone in her back pocket. She tipped closer to where the water was hitting in the rocks and heard a voice that startled her.

"Don't jump." A man stated nervously and AJ turned around amused to look at the man covered in tattoos.

"Could I even drown? Is it that deep?" AJ asked him smiling.

"I don't know. All I know is someone would drown and it would probably be me." the man said cautiously walking over to her. "See, I don't know how to swim and if you fall in I'd have to jump in after you."

"You're a guest at a country club and you don't know how to swim?" AJ asked with a giggle.

"I'm not a member, I'm staff." He said pointing to the name of the club on his shirt. "And I'm not staffed as a lifeguard."

"What are you staffed as?" She asked curiously.

"Handyman." The man told her. "So if you could please come away from the edge I'd greatly appreciate it."

"Would you really jump in after me?" She asked curiously not moving.

"Are you crazy?" the man chuckled. "I don't mean that in a bad way, I kind of dig crazy chicks."

"No just dramatic." She said backing away from the edge. "And don't worry I know how to swim."

"Most members at the club do." Punk retorted. "Thank you for not making me embarrass myself by drowning in a lake."

"I would help you." AJ shrugged and he gave her an amused grin. "It's just a lake."

"You feel that wind?" he asked her and she sure did. "Makes the water rough because a big storm is coming in tonight. I was tasked to clear the area so you should get back."

"Ok." she said passing him and he couldn't help but check her out subtly as she passed. As she passed she read the name on the shirt. "Punk?" she asked and he rolled his eyes.

"My boss thinks it's funny." Punk said to her.

"So it's not your name?" She asked.

"No, everyone calls me it." Punk said to her following her off the rocks.

"I'm AJ." She introduced and stuck her hand out to him but he didn't accept it.

"I can't mingle with the guests." Punk smirked. "Dinner is getting served soon." he said nodding towards the catering area.

"I feel like you're trying to get rid of me." She noted folding her arms.

"I'm doing my job." He defended. "I was told to make sure no one was near the water and now I'm done." he said simply. "Enjoy your summer."

AJ walked away and looked back to see Punk watching her until she physically entered the hall. The minute she did he was across the way at the employee cabanas. AJ knew that was where all the fun was...

Later that night the rain was pouring. She was sitting on the window bench and couldn't help but notice a few flashlights. It wasn't just employees running into a building that wasn't open to guests but a lot of guests were using flashlights to get there. She grabbed her jacket and checked on her parents who were on the couch watching a movie. She snuck out the back door and placed the jacket over her head in an attempt to shield her from the rain. She ran through the mud and pouring rain and knocked at the door everyone was entering.

"Who's your bet?" someone asked opening the door on a crack.

"My bet?" AJ asked confused.

"I think you're in the wrong spot." The man said starting to close the door but AJ stuck her foot in.

"If you don't let me in I'll find my own way in." AJ warned him. "Relax I'm not going to say anything." She assured the man who she had recognized as the waiter from dinner. He stepped aside and nodded for her to enter.

When AJ walked into the rundown large shed-like cabana she saw a wrestling ring and a ton of guests were surrounding the ring. She had no idea what she had just walked in on.

"Are you lost?" A voice questioned.

"No." AJ said looking up at the beautiful woman with long red hair.

"We don't get many chicks in here." Amy said to her.

"What is this?" AJ asked her but Amy remained quiet. "I'm not a rat." she assured her. "I'm not leaving either."

"It's wrestling night." Amy said to her.

"Wrestling?" AJ asked her.

"A bunch of guests come around and put money down on some matches." Amy said to her.

"Who is wrestling?" AJ asked confused.

"Do you know anything about wrestling?" Amy asked with a laugh.

"Some." she lied.

"What is she doing here?" Punk asked walking over.

"I came to watch wrestling." AJ said almost proudly and he eyed her.

"Let her stay." Amy said taking a liking to the girl for some reason. "She's cool, right?"

"Cooler than ice." She said seriously and Amy let out a laugh as Punk just shook his head in annoyance and walked away.

"He's a grouch." Amy said to her.

"He was nice earlier." AJ shrugged.

"You must have gotten to meet him at a rare pleasant second." Amy teased. "It's alright though I'm sure he'll get his ass kicked a bit tonight."

"He's wrestling?" AJ asked astonished. "He's so small." she cringed.

"Don't let him hear you say that." Amy whispered. "Punk has always said that being small is his advantage."

"Interesting." She said genuinely intrigued.

She could feel the electricity in the small room and even though there were fewer than fifty people in the room to watch everyone was genuinely excited. She felt this surge inside of her that she couldn't describe as a man who she assumed was a ref read the rules aloud for the few people watching but they all seemed to already know. She was immediately enthralled.


"I think this went very well." Michael Hayes said to her and Jane nodded in agreement. "You have an amazing back story, charisma, talent, drama background- I have a feeling we'll be seeing you at final callbacks for NXT season 3."

"You won't regret it." AJ said standing up and shaking both of their hands.

"I hope not." Michael said.

"Thank you both for your time." She said then walked out of the office.

"Ms. Mendez!" Jane's voice shouted as she caught AJ just short of leaving the performance center.

"Yes?" AJ asked turning to face her.

"The man you met at the country club, what happened to him?" Jane asked curiously and AJ gave her a sad smile.

"We had a great summer." AJ smirked.

"Did he ever make it?" Jane asked him.

"You could say that." AJ said to her then looked towards the lobby area of the performance center where WWE champion's CM Punk's picture was blown up as his picture was the promotional art for the next pay-per-view. "I haven't seen or spoken to him since that summer." she told her and Jane nodded.

"Our current champion told me a story about how he worked a country club during the summers to help his father out and he would wrestle for the guests and make money off the bets." Jane noted with a knowing smirk.

"You don't say." AJ said with a laugh.

"I don't recall which country club you said you attended." Jane said to her.

"I didn't say." She shrugged cutely and Jane was amused.

"Think he'd remember you?" Jane asked her.

"I doubt it." AJ said to her brushing it off.

"I bet if you would have put in a call to him he could have helped you lock this spot." Jane pointed out.

"I want to do this myself and besides like I said I doubt he'd even remember me." she said to her. "He made it big- him and Amy both."

"They did." Jane agreed. "And the fact that you worked with them tells me you're going to be just as a big."

"That's the plan." She said to her. "Thank you again." She said then walked out the door.

"Everything ok?" Michael Hayes asked her.

"She's going to be a star." Jane said to him surely.

As AJ opened her car and pulled out of the lot she passed a car coming in and the driver did a double take.

"You alright?" Kofi asked from the passenger seat.

"Yea." Punk said shaking his head and looking in his rear view mirror to catch a glimpse of the car. "Thought I saw someone I knew."

"The woman you threw out of your bed this morning?" Kofi asked him and Punk cringed.

"No someone else." Punk said quietly pulling into the spot but again glanced out the mirror.

"The car is gone man." Kofi laughed taking his seat belt off. "Who did you think it was?"
"A girl I used to know." Punk said getting out of the car.

"You know a lot of girls so I'm sure you knew that one." Kofi teased grabbing his gym bag.

"Eh she wasn't like that." Punk said to him. "She was more memorable."

"That good, huh?" Kofi asked with a cheeky grin.

"She was...I don't know." Punk said annoyed as they walked through the door. "I think she used to be a member of the country club I used to work in."

"And you remember her face?" Kofi asked with a laugh. "You must have slept with her."

"I slept with a lot of women during those summers." Punk smirked. "I mean a lot a lot."

"Yea I get it you're a slut." Kofi said seriously. "But you remember that girl?"

"She's a hard one to forget." Punk sighed remembering his last summer at the country club and the woman who made it amazing.

"Is she a wrestler?" Kofi asked him.

"Nah." Punk said shaking his head.

"So it wasn't her because she pulled out of here." Kofi pointed out. "It must have just looked like her."

"Yea you're right." Punk agreed gruffly.


AJ was laying in bed with her mind running a mile a minute. It had nothing to do with nerves for getting this incredible opportunity for WWE but since she told some of the story of her summer she couldn't stop thinking about her 'summer of Punk'.

AJ sat in the back of the shed and watched the few matches in awe. It was like she opened her eyes for the first time. It was such a small show but everyone went out there and wrestled like it was their last match. It didn't matter that there were only fifty people, there could have been five or five thousand. The last match was Punk and he was just amazing. Not just in the ring but the way he grabbed the cheap microphone in the end and spoke to the few people and morphed into this character was amazing. Once everyone was done AJ helped the few people clean up the chairs and the mess the guests left behind with the other employees.

"What are you still doing here?" Punk asked her, clearly coming out of the shower.

"Helping." She shrugged holding a chair that he took from her and moved to the side.

"That's not your job." He reminded her. "You can go back to your cabana now."

"You were really good." AJ said chasing after him as he walked away.

"Yea?" He asked with half a smile.

"I thought it was amazing." She said to him enthusiastically. "When does this happen again?"

"It happens every Sunday night." He said not even looking back at her.

"Just Sundays?" She asked and he finally turned to look back at her.

"Sundays are half days here at the club." Punk said to her.

"So what about other nights?" She asked him.

"I work real paying shows." Punk said to her.

"Can I come?" she asked him.

"No." Punk laughed and began to walk again.

"Why are you being so rude?" AJ asked him.

"I'm not trying to be." Punk said again stopping and turning to look back at her. "But you my dear are a guest and I'm the help and I can't be around you or trust you're not going to run off and rat us out. The few guests that come through here and place bets have a great time and I make good money off of it and won't risk you blowing it."

"I'm not going to say anything." She said sighed. "I just want to watch." she insisted. "What's so wrong with that? I like it better here then out there."

"You're better than being in here." Punk said to her.

"You don't even know me." AJ argued.

"I know your type." Punk noted. "I've been working here with my dad since I was kid."

"No you just think you know it all." AJ said to him. "I don't even know why I'm asking you permission. I'm an adult and can come and go as I please."

"Oh really?" Punk asked with a laugh. "You're what? Sixteen? Seventeen? I know your not allowed to slum with the help and slumming with jail bait will not only get me and my old man canned but I'd probably get arrested for just breathing to close to you."

"I'm nineteen." She informed him and he let out a loud laugh.

"No way." He said to her and she narrowed his eyes at him.

"I live in New York City by myself." She added. "I go to school there and take care of myself. And as for 'slumming' it with the help I wasn't raised that way. The only one judging here is you. My parents love this club and would never get you or your dad fired."

"Who are you parents? I've never seen you here before." Punk noted.

"Robert and Janet Mendez." She informed him and Punk's face softened.

"I know them." Punk admitted. "They're pretty cool."

"I haven't been here before." AJ said to him.

"No but your brother and your sister were here last year, right?" Punk remembered she nodded. "Robbie was going into the service."

"You must have spoken to him." AJ noted. "He loves wrestling."

"He always bet on me." Punk smirked. "I knew Robbie pretty well actually. How is he?"

"Good." She said to him. "It's been a full 24 hours since I've heard from him and it makes me a little crazy with fear but so far so good."

"Alright." Punk sighed. "You can hang around."

"I was going to anyway." She shrugged innocently. "But thanks."

"You're something else." He smirked. "Do you even know anything about wrestling?"

"Just whatever Robbie has told me but I'd like to learn." She said to him. "This is the most fund I've had in a long time."

"It's amazing." Punk agreed. "But you don't have to stick around and cleanup you really should get back to your cabana."

"Ok." she said putting her jacket on and walked to the door then stopped herself.

"You have no idea how to get back do you?" He asked her seriously and she looked back at him and he just shook his head. "Vince!" Punk yelled out.

"What's up Punk?" An overeager kid around AJ's age asked running over to him.

"Take Ms. Mendez back to her cabana." He said to him and he nodded.

"Hello there." Vince smiled at AJ.

"She's a guest here." Punk reminded him in a warning voice. "You know where the Mendez's stay, right?"

"Yea of course." Vince said walking over to AJ. "Your dad is a great tipper."

AJ looked back at Punk one final time before leaving and caught his eyes before heading out the door.

When she thought back to that time she wasn't sure if the electricity she felt was from the excitement of the wrestling or Punk. It was pretty forbidden at the time but she was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. That was not only the best summer of her life but the best time of her life period. What she experienced with him not just physically but emotionally changed her life. She'd never forget her first love...


A/N: It's very Dirty Dancing-ish but minus the dancing and more of the dirty. Every chapter will feature flashbacks to give you the Punk/AJ fill until they eventually come face to face in WWE. So, what happened that summer? How did they fall in love? How serious were they? Why did they end? Curious? Leave a review and let me know what you think ;)