Disclaimer: Honestly, I don't own anyone or anything. I only own Adrienne, and anyone else you don't recognize.

A/N: This is my first multi-chaptered fic, so hopefully it's okay. I'm still a newbie. I hope people enjoy this first chapter, and let me know what you thought in a review, please (:

Cheers (:

It takes her a moment to realize where she is.

She was standing backstage at a WWE house show.

When she blinked, she expected everything to change. She expected the scene to fall away and to instead see the whiteness of her ceiling and feel the comfort of her bed underneath her. After all, this must be a dream.

She glances to the side and watches as stage crew hurry past her, boxes in their hands, talking on their headsets. No, this wasn't a dream. She wasn't going to wake up and suddenly be back in Japan, she really was here. Working for the WWE.

Adrienne Haidar smiles widely as she begins to walk down the long hallway, weaving her way past the backstage workers. A few men look up at her, their eyes widening in appreciation, noticing that she was new. As she walks past them, she gives each one a sweet smile, enjoying the way they look taken aback that she noticed them.

After a while, she stops in front of an unmarked door. It's in front of the door to the stairwell, just like she was told. The women's locker room. Although she had legitimate reasons to feel nervous–she was after all going to come face to face with some of the best women in the industry–Adrienne didn't feel nervous. She wasn't an overly confident person, she wasn't egotistical or smug, but she did feel safe knowing that she was just as good as these women. She was just as good looking and she was just as talented–maybe even more talented than some.

Adrienne grips the strap of her gym bag tighter and without knocking, pushes the door open. She's met by an empty room.

Adrienne frowns slightly, she knew she was early but she didn't realize she was this early. After her meeting with Stephanie, where the older woman had doubled checked that Adrienne was okay with starting out tonight against Maria, Adrienne had left the hotel and went straight to the stadium. It didn't take her long to find–she had never been to Cameron before so she was glad she hadn't got lost–but she didn't realize that she would be this early.

Making her way into the room, Adrienne set her bag down on the bench. She stares at the silver locker in front of her for a moment and wonders if she should get ready. Glancing up at the clock on the wall, she realizes that she has two hours until the show. Maybe she should have rested for a while before leaving the hotel.

Quickly deciding to do something besides stare at the lump of metal in front of her, Adrienne unzips her bag and shuffles the contents around until she can find one of the books she packed. Pulling out two books, she looks down at them, trying to decide what to read in order to pass the time.

The first book was a tattered pocket book copy of Howl. Her heart squeezes slightly when thoughts of who gave it to her filter into her mind. No, she wouldn't think about it, she would deal with that issue later, when she needed to. No, she thinks, this definitely was not the right moment to read this. Tossing the small book into her bag, Adrienne looks down at the second book. Most people considered her weird for always carrying around at least two books with her, but Adrienne found the habit necessary. If she wasn't in the mood to read one, she had a back-up. She liked to have a back-up plan.

Smiling slightly, she opens the book on a random page and it doesn't faze her that she's beginning at page 92 – she had read The Great Gatsby so many times she knows the story inside and out, and could even recite sections of the text. As time passes, Adrienne reads contently, completely focused on the events that lead up to the end scene. She is so focused on what Nick Carraway is saying that she misses the sound of the door opening. She doesn't hear the sound of footsteps approaching her or sense a being standing over her.

It is only when a deep Southern voice speaks, that Adrienne realizes someone else is in the room.

"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us."

Adrienne looks up and notices that the man has a small smile on his lips. She notes the lip piercing and the odd facial hair. Her eyes flutter up to meet his green eyes and she tilts her head to one side. A smile slowly breaks out on her lips as she says softly, "It eluded us then, but that's no matter – tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms further…And one fine morning–"

His smile widens as he replies, "And so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

Adrienne looks at him, her eyes narrowed slightly, and after a second, she grins. "Wise words, don't you think?"

"Fitzgerald defines human nature brilliantly," the man responds before indicating at the bench. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Depends on who you are," Adrienne says, a small smile playing on her lips. Although she knew who he was–you would have to be living in a rock for the last ten years to not know–Adrienne couldn't help but tease him. She watched happily as he sat down and laughed slightly.

He turns to her, his hand outstretched. "Jeff Hardy."

Taking his hand, Adrienne shakes it firmly. "Adrienne Haidar."

His hand slowly slips away from hers and he smiles curiously at her. "Haidar…Mind if I ask where that comes from?"

Adrienne smiles at him, she knew he was bound to ask sooner or later. With fair skin and wavy black hair, it was clear she was of exotic origins; people just had trouble placing where. Her eyes were the big give away; they were large, almond shaped and dark as night.

"It's originally an Arabic surname." When Jeff's eyebrows raise, Adrienne smiles. "I'm half Malaysian."

Jeff looks at her in awe. "I would never have guessed…" Then embarrassedly he adds, "Your eyes…I figured you were half…Chinese, or something."

Adrienne laughs and grins at him, her dimples showing. "I get that a lot; people aren't really familiar with what Malays look like. It's okay, really."

Jeff nods and tilts his head to one side, studying her intently. "English?"

Adrienne shakes her head and grins wickedly. "You'll never get it."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe."

His eyes narrow and then suddenly he exclaims, "Greek!"

Adrienne laughs loudly. "No."

"But Adrienne is Greek," Jeff states, a small frown marring his features.

Adrienne smiles slightly at how cute he appears when confused. "I know it is, and that's why people don't get it. I'm half Italian, despite the Greek origins of my name."

"Oh…" Jeff is silent for a moment, seemingly lost in his own thoughts, before he says, "Dave Batista is half Greek, half Filipino. You're kinda similar…but not."

Adrienne grins at him. It was nice to know he was trying to make an effort welcoming her, even if he was talking nonsense. "That's kinda cool," Adrienne replies. She hadn't caught any of his recent matches, but she knew how big–literally and figuratively–Dave Batista was. It was intimidating as well as enthralling to think she would be working in the same company as him.

Glancing at Jeff, she can't help but ask, "Mind if I ask what you're doing in here?"

"I heard there was a new girl starting today."

"News gets around fast." Closing her book, which had been lying lifeless in her lap, she sets it back into her bag before turning back to Jeff. The first thought that came into her mind when she saw him was that he was better looking in real life. She had seen a couple of his matches and respected him for his in-ring talents, and usually that was enough for Adrienne. She wasn't a shallow person but it was hard to ignore the fact this man was gorgeous. He was obviously kind and intelligent. And he could recite parts of The Great Gatsby. He had just become that much hotter in her eyes.

Jeff laughs slightly. "Yep, like wildfire in this place." He pauses and then says, "I just wanted to see if you were alright. Starting in a new company can be daunting."

Adrienne nods; she knew that all too well. After her stint with Ring of Honor she had moved to Japan to work with All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling. She had stayed there for a couple of months before the company folded, where she then moved to Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling. Each time she moved to a different company, she found it equally intimidating. Though she knew she was just as good as the other women, being in a foreign country and not knowing anyone was terrifying. Adrienne smiles at Jeff; it was nice of him to think of her.

"Thank you," she says and suddenly, she feels like a schoolgirl again. She finds herself blushing slightly under his gaze and she has to avert her eyes. Adrienne glances at the clock and figures that now would be a good time to change into her gear.

Before she has a chance to speak, Jeff speaks. "Are you on tonight?"

She nods but keeps her eyes from looking at him. His stare was far too intense. "I'm up against Maria…" She laughs slightly, "I was hoping to go through the match with her beforehand but no-one seems to be around…"

"Don't worry about Maria. She'll be here sooner or later."

"Is everyone always this late?"

Jeff grins at her and shakes his head slightly, "We're just really early."

"Oh." Adrienne frowns slightly, why would Jeff need to be here so early?

As if reading her mind, Jeff elaborates. "I'm from this area. My house is only a short drive away from here, so I don't see the point in taking my time to get here. I have no excuse for being late so I'm always early."

"Oh, okay…" Adrienne looks up at the door and decides it's best if she got ready before the other women arrived. She also figured it would be better if they didn't see her with Jeff. Making a good first impression was always something Adrienne prided herself on doing, and if the other divas thought she was just another easy slut trying to get on the good side of the guys…Adrienne would hate herself if that happened.

Smiling at Jeff, Adrienne stands up and nods her head towards the clock on the wall. "I better get ready."

Despite her abruptness, Jeff smiles at her and nods. "Okay," he says as he gets up from the bench. "Maybe I'll see you after the show."

Adrienne smiles at him, genuinely relieved for having made a friend. "I'd like that."

"If there's anything you need, give me a shout."

Adrienne feels her stomach twist as she nods at him, her brown eyes steady on his. "Will do. Thanks again."

"No problem." Jeff smiles at her again and nods his head slightly before walking over to the door. When he opens the door, he's greeted by the sight of Maria and CM Punk. He grins at them sheepishly and before he gets the chance to leave, Punk narrows his eyes at him.

"What are you doing in the women's locker room?" Punk asks, his suspicion clear.

"New girl, I was making her feel welcome," Jeff replies coolly before quickly turning around to see a pale faced Adrienne. "Good luck for tonight, Adrienne."

Quickly dodging any more questions from his friend, Jeff leaves the room without another word. Adrienne stares at the place where Jeff had just stood and then, with much effort, her eyes look up at an equally stunned Punk.

It had been five years since she last saw his face.

A part of her thought she would have forgotten his face. When she signed her contract with the WWE she thought she wouldn't recognize him. She would be able to carry on as if he never existed. Since it had been so long, she had convinced herself she wouldn't be able to recognize him.

Adrienne had spent so long forcing herself to forget him that eventually, she had. Or at least, she had pushed him so far down in her memory that she thought he wouldn't resurface. She thought she could ignore him.

She thought she had left him behind.

And yet, here he was. And after five years, he looked the same.

His hair was still black–she was silently thankful he wasn't dyeing it again–he still wore his lip piercing, he still had a well-kept beard. His dark eyes were wide as his mind reminded him of who she was. As the memories of her resurfaced, his eyes instantly hardened and Adrienne felt her heart clench at the sight. It was only then that Adrienne noticed a hand wrapped in his.

The woman next to him was smaller than her and was looking at her curiously. Suddenly, a smile graces Adrienne's lips and she walks over to the couple. Stretching out her hand, she states, "Adrienne Haidar. It's nice to meet you."

The woman grins automatically and slips her hand into Adrienne's. "Maria Kanellis." Maria looks up at Punk and then turns back to Adrienne. "This is Phil Brooks, or CM Punk. Just call him Punk."

Adrienne nods and gives Punk a faint smile. She stretches out her hand, and is glad to see that it isn't shaking. "It's nice to meet you."

Punk swallows, his eyes fixated on Adrienne. It takes him a moment before he takes her hand and slowly shakes it. They hold on for longer than what would be considered normal, but the feeling of her hand in his, their skin touching after so long, causes them both to wish it could last longer. The electricity that sparks between them feels so familiar that they wish it wouldn't end.

But it does when Adrienne pulls her hand away.

She smiles uneasily at the pair before focusing on Maria. "I was hoping we could run over our match," she says nervously, not wanting to be too forward.

Maria beams at Adrienne, "No problem!" Looking up at Punk, Maria smiles sweetly. "I'll see you before your match."

Punk continues to stare at Adrienne before slowly looking down at his girlfriend. He smiles gently at her and although it causes his heart to hurt, he lowers his lips to hers and briefly kisses her. He then looks back at Adrienne and notices the way her jaw is set and her eyes are distant. It had been five years but he still recognizes that look. She was hurt.

But, he reasons with himself, that wasn't any of his business. Not anymore.

He glances at Adrienne and nods his head. "It was nice meeting you, Adrienne."

The sound of her name coming from his lips, the way his accent wraps around it, causes Adrienne to straighten her spine. She could do this, she tells herself as she tries to smile back at him. She had ignored him for so long that she could continue to do it now. It would just be harder. But she could do this.

She'll forget about him eventually.

"Should we get changed first?"

Maria's cheerful voice snaps Adrienne out of her daze. She smiles tightly at the redhead and walks back over to her gym bag. This would definitely be hard.

But she could do this.

Somehow.

Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it (: