Disclaimer: I own nothing, the WWE owns it all.
Author Notes: Because I find John Cena and Maria adorable and wonderful together Enjoy and please review.
WARM MY HEART
Maria had won. John Cena couldn't quite believe it. The ditzy interviewer, who often found it hard to string together a logical sentence, had pinned Lita and won their mixed tag team match. An important win which could help him keep his championship. After getting over the shock of Maria winning, Cena'd made his major announcement about choosing Mick Foley to be his handpicked referee next week. He knew Mick would be fair and it would please the Chain Gang. Plus Mick was the Hardcore Legend and one of his all time favourite wrestlers. All in all, a great night.
He didn't think it was gonna turn out this good. Maria was not his first choice for a diva tag team partner. Hell, not even his fourth or fifth choice since she couldn't wrestle and would probably get herself hurt trying. She wasn't employed to wrestle, she was employed to ask questions and look good in a bikini. She did both well, being cute to look at with a sweet innocent temperament that made him smile whenever she interviewed him or talked to him backstage. She was also one of the few divas he could stand to hang out with without wanting to rake his own eyes out from the superficial nature of their conversations or sexual come-ons. He liked to flirt as much as the next guy but damn if some of the Raw girls couldn't take no for answer!
As he reached the backstage area, he caught sight of Maria hurrying up the corridor towards the Divas Locker Room. He hadn't had the chance to congratulate her yet on her win since getting Mick out had caused so much commotion. John narrowed his eyes as he watched her progress down the corridor, she didn't look happy. Her shoulders were hunched and she seemed in a real hurry to get away.
"Maria!" he called loudly, starting after her. "Yo, Maria! Wait up girl, I want to talk to you."
She didn't turn back, in fact she seemed to walk faster. Damn, what was wrong with her? She'd just pinned that skank Lita, getting revenge for the brutal beatdown the redhead had her given at the top of the show, and gotten to be in the main event on Raw. She'd even gotten a kiss from the champ, an extra unexpected bonus. John smirked, he'd surprised himself with that but it had seemed the only way to stop her worrying and to shut her up. It had worked too and he'd definitely enjoyed it. She'd tasted sweet and her lips had been alluringly soft. He wouldn't mind repeating that technique if she panicked again.
He heard a door bang nearby and sped up. He wasn't sure why he was so worried but most people didn't react that way when they'd won the main event on Raw and he needed to know she was ok. Skidding to an impressive stop, he knocked on the door.
"Maria, I know you're in there. I need to talk to you. Come on, open it up. If you don't, I'm coming in there. You know I ain't afraid to do that…."
Before he could continue, the door swung open and there stood Maria. She was still in her alluring brief ring outfit and she looked surprisingly frazzled and upset. The pain in her eyes caused an uncomfortable pang in his chest and he immediately planted a foot in the doorway in case she got any ideas about shutting him out.
"Why'd you run away like that? We won the damn match!" he asked with a smile, hoping he put her at ease. "You pinned Lita! You got that no-good ho back for what she did to you, you should be happy and proud of yourself."
"I…I know and I am," stuttered Maria, her eyes looking firmly at the carpet. "I just, I can't talk to you, John."
"Why not?" John was surprised to find her words hurt.
"Oh I want to, don't think that I don't because I really do. I just can't," finished Maria miserably.
Now he was confused. She couldn't talk to him? Was there something in her contract about spending time with the champion? Did she have a boyfriend? A jealous one?
"I need to shower and go back to the hotel," Maria said at last into the awkward silence. "Thanks for stopping by."
"Woah woah woah," John almost stepped into the locker room to stop her shutting the door. "Now you can't leave it like that! I have no goddam idea what you're talkin' about and I can't have you thinkin' you can't talk to me! The champ is available to everyone, no exceptions."
That made her smile and John's heart lifted as the expression lit up her eyes. He made a quick decision.
"Look, why don't we grab a drink or something? You can tell me what's on your mind. How's that sound? Or is not allowed?" he teased, brushing a strand of her rebellious hair behind her ear.
Her eyes followed his hand as it made contact with her skin and then they fixed on his face, searching it for…..something. Ulterior motive perhaps? God, there were some slimy assholes in the WWE but was it really that bad? John's fists clenched as he thought about what some of the male superstars boasted about in the locker rooms. Then Maria nodded.
"Ok, just for a drink. I don't want you to worry or think I don't like you or something," she decided at last.
"Now that's more like it! You know where my locker room is? When you're ready, you wait outside there for….."
"No, no! I can't do that. You come and find me here and don't tell anyone who you're waiting for," cut in Maria flustered.
He was very intrigued now. What was with all the secrecy? A painful thought hit him. Was she ashamed to be seen with him? Was that it? Before he could ask, he found himself being shoved out through the doorway whilst he was distracted and the door shut firmly in his face. He was really confused now. Why was he bothering when she'd made it plain and obvious that she didn't want to be seen with him? Because she owed him an explanation. Was she mad because he hadn't been able to protect her from another beat down from Lita? Why did this even matter to him? He thought of her smile and how it transformed her face. He liked making her smile. That was reason enough to meet up with her.
A quarter of an hour later, once he'd showered and packed his stuff up, John was back outside the Divas Locker Room. He found himself checking his watch and quickly dropped his wrist to his side. Why did women always leave you hanging when you were ready to leave? Then the door opened quickly and Maria flew out. She was wearing a short black skirt that showed off those lovely legs of her's with a dark zipped-up jacket over the top and was carrying a heavy looking holdall.
"You want help with that?" he asked, indicating her bag.
"Oh no, thank you. You have enough to carry with your belt and all," Maria replied with a pleasant smile. "Do you have a rental car? I took a taxi from the hotel."
"Sure, you have anywhere in mind to go?"
"I think I know somewhere where you won't get bothered by fans, somewhere we can talk," Maria clarified, following John as he led the way to the car lot. "Unless you have any ideas?"
"No, that sounds good."
So with Maria giving directions and John trying his damnedest not to get distracted by those exposed legs so close to him, they found their way to a tiny parking lot somewhere in the centre of the city. Maria led the way to a small bar that had hardly anyone in but was still open and found them a table at the back away from the windows.
"How'd you know about this place?" asked John after a tired-looking waitress took their order.
"I found it a few years back. I have friends here and they told me that this is a good place to come late at night. It's open practically twenty-four hours," answered Maria enthusiastically.
Her fingers were fiddling in her hair, much like they had earlier on in the night in the locker room. John remembered his hand cupping her face and her breathy sigh as he pulled away. Definitely an experience he wanted again, he knew that much. So why was she so nervous?
"You gonna tell me what's wrong?" he asked bluntly, leaning back in his chair comfortably. "Why you think you can't be seen with me?"
"It's……hard to talk about," murmured Maria.
"You ashamed to be seen with me?"
"No! I'd never be ashamed of that!" protested Maria quickly as her eyes found his face. She sighed and took a deep breath. "I like you, John. I really do and I'm afraid."
"You're afraid of liking me?"
Maria giggled, a hand touching her lips.
"I'm not afraid of that! You…….you kissed me and I liked it."
"Hell, girl. I liked that too."
That memory assaulted him again; soft lips, the smell of her vanilla perfume, the feel of her hair in his fingers, his painful awareness of the proximity of her barely dressed body. Damn, he didn't know he'd memorised it that well! He looked at her across the table, trying to work out what she was thinking in that pretty head of her's. She really was pretty, in a kinda girl-next-door way. Refreshing, different compared to some of the sluts who tried to drape themselves over him backstage daily.
"But here's the thing, I really liked it," emphasised Maria, her fingers in her hair again. "And….and I know what happens when relationships happen here. Bad things happen."
"Woah woah, we have a relationship now?" John raised a comical eyebrow at her.
Maria faltered, uncertain and…was that hurt in her eyes? John felt like he'd missed a step, overlooked something important here. Gently he clasped her nearest hand with his, wanting to reassure her and make that look in her eyes disappear.
"Is this why you can't be seen with me?" John asked at last.
"Kind of," admitted Maria. "Why did you kiss me, John?"
John blinked at the rapid subject change and thought through the answer carefully. It was evidently important to her.
"Because I wanted to stop you feeling so nervous. You were babbling, girl," he answered with an easy smile. "I know it helped my nerves."
"But is that the only reason? I mean, did it mean anything to you?" Maria's voice got quieter.
Ok, this was harder. They'd both liked what had happened in the locker room, did that mean anything? John took a deep breath.
"I liked it," John replied slowly. "I know that. But I don't want no relationship, Maria. I haven't got the time to commit to nothin' that serious, you know?"
"I know," Maria said softly, a world of regret in her voice. "I just, need to know if that kiss meant anything to you, if it was just a kiss."
"It was something," John said, squeezing her hand reassuringly. "I keep thinking about it and I'd like it to happen again as soon as possible."
Maria laughed in delight and John enjoyed the way she scrunched her face up and how it made him smile. She really was something.
"I'm afraid," Maria admitted. "Because I've seen what happens when people find out that a guy cares for someone and that person gets hurt or kidnapped or something bad….."
"Slow down there, I might have to kiss you again," John warned playfully. "You're worried that someone might hurt you because, what? They saw us kiss tonight?"
"Yeah! I know people think I'm stupid but I see what goes on! I see when people get hurt to get back at someone else and it's not fair," Maria replied adamantly. "And I don't want you to get all angry and upset if someone did that. It could cost you a really important match or…or your championship!"
John looked at her admiringly. This girl had gotten a pretty brutal beat down from a former Women's Champion twice in one night, almost speared by one of the male superstars, and she was worried about him? About what affect that kiss might have had on him and his career? He shook his head.
"Maria, shit happens," he said matter-of-factly. "People get hurt, physically and emotionally. Now, I'm not saying we've got anything serious here but I do know I liked how it felt earlier so there's no harm in exploring that, no matter what people might do. You can't live in fear."
Maria smiled as the waitress brought their drinks and silence reigned as they drank. John's thoughts turned over in his head.
"What do you want out of all this, Maria?" he asked suddenly, his eyes intent on her face.
"I don't want to cost you your championship."
"Don't be thinking about me, girl. I asked about you."
At that Maria smiled shyly, her fingers twisting in her hair again. She looked genuinely bashful about revealing her feelings.
"You've already said you liked kissing me," John reminded her. "There ain't no surprises there."
"I know," Maria touched her lips again as though recalling the moment. John's smile broadened. "I…I'd like to spend more time with you. Maybe even…..a date?"
Her voice was tentative and her eyes met his on the final word. It was like she was trying not to scare him off. Worrying about his reaction, again. John reached for her hand again and squeezed her fingers. There was something so genuine about her.
"I think we can work that out," he replied sincerely. "Spending time with you, it's something I want to do again."
He was treated to another heart-warming smile and he couldn't help but smile back. Finishing off the last dregs of his drink, he got to his feet.
"See, doing out for a drink was a good idea," he teased, pulling her to her feet by their joined hands.
"Yeah, it was," murmured Maria.
After they sorted out how much they owed and left the tired waitress a tip, they made their way out onto the street and back to the car. John knew that the warm feeling he felt inside was not just from the bar he'd just been in. How long had it been since he'd felt this comfortable in a female's company? Too damn long. And this girl has somehow remained innocent and sweet in the WWE, that was pretty special. He squeezed her hand as they walked, seeing her smile out of the corner of his eye. He was definitely going to enjoy spending more time with her.
As they reached the car, John regretfully let go of her hand to retrieve his keys from his pocket. Time had really flown but he knew he had to go try and get some sleep. They both had an early start the next day before a full day of driving. He winced just thinking about it.
"John….?"
"Hmmm?"
John turned his head and found his arms full of Maria as she wrapped herself around him and kissed him. For a few seconds he didn't react in the pure shock of how close she'd pulled her body against his and how deeply her lips were moving. Then he registered her tongue teasing his lips apart and he was lost. He moved so he was properly facing her and pulled her closer, enjoying the tiny gasp she gave out at the sudden movement. He didn't know how long they stood there wrapped up in each other and enjoying the feel of each other's lips but he knew it wasn't long enough. Then Maria gently pulled away and smiled a somewhat sly smile with a look of triumph in her eyes. That made him smile too.
"So I guess you're not the quiet shy girl," he managed, still aware of how close she was.
"I wanted to surprise you," the shyness was back in her voice and somehow that made him smile even more.
"Well you did that," he laughed. "Feel free to surprise me again, any time you like."
"Really?"
God, she actually though he wasn't into the kiss? It had felt damn good to him, deeper and with more desire behind it than the one in the locker room. And the feel of her body had been an unexpected delight. She fit perfectly against him. He was going to enjoy getting to know her more. As his eyes traced her face, his hand lifted to stroke her honey brown hair.
"Girl, there's no complaints here," his voice had gone down a notch, a more intimate level seeing as how close they were with his hands resting on her hips and her's twined around his neck. "So we're still keeping it light? Nothing serious, right?"
"Right," Maria smiled. "I just…wanted to kiss you again."
"Glad you did. You got a travel partner for tomorrow?"
"Uh uh, Trish and Ashley travel together and Mickie scares me," Maria wrinkled her nose at Mickie's name. "And Torrie, Candice and Victoria don't like me so I usually travel alone."
"I've got a spare seat…" John deliberately trailed off.
"I don't want to get in the way or mess up your schedule. Don't feel like you have to offer me a ride."
"I don't feel obligated, Maria," he cut in. "I'm askin' because I dig your company."
"You do?"
"I don't lie," he leant down and brushed his lips against her's briefly, savouring the texture.
"And then we have a date sometime?" Maria looked as though she could scarcely believe it.
John had to laugh, squeezing her around the waist.
"Yes, we have a date, girl! I'm not gonna change my mind on it so stop worrying."
As he bent down for another kiss, the early start tomorrow vanishing from his mind, John found himself reeling from the events of the night. He'd won the main event on Raw, gotten to choose his own referee for his next title match, bring the beloved Mick Foley out to the excited crowd and kiss a beautiful girl who was worth it. That might even be the most important part. He needed more days like this.