CHAPTER 2

Thanks for the reviews/follows/favourites so far-very much appreciated. Did everyone see the 6/8 RAW? Am I the only one who wanted to go for a ride with Sheamus in 'Bertie' 's Ferrari? *sigh* Keep dreaming, girl. Anyway, here's chapter 2. We'll see how The Great White feels about Sharona in a bit, shall we? Enjoy. :)

'When your hand brushed against mine, I thought I'd collapse;

I'm no rolling stone, I gather too much moss.

Maybe it's 'cause I'm getting a little bit older,

But oh, how your neck floats to your shoulder-

It draws me, draws me to your flame...'

-Bell-X1, 'Flame'

Phil Brooks had that look on his face, Sharona realized. That 'I can't believe you could be so dense' look. She was about to get an earful, she just knew it. She had told him about her second encounter with Sheamus, how he had saved her from the wrath of The Big Show. 'I don't know why he keeps doing this.' She groaned, and that was when her best friend had hit her with that look.

'Shar, did it ever, at any point, occur to you that maybe the big lug likes you?' He asked. 'Y'know, that maybe he's trying to get you to notice him?' 'As a matter of fact, Phil,' she snapped. 'It did occur to me. And if that's what he's up to, he's wasting his time. I'm so not interested. He's not even my type.'

Phil rolled his eyes at her. 'That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.' He retorted. 'We both know you don't have a type.' He paused, then added, 'Look, he seems like a cool guy. Would it be so bad if-?'

'Yes.' She interrupted sharply. 'Yes, Phil, it would. I don't date people I work with. Not anymore. Period.' She shrugged, and then told him, 'I might be wrong, anyway. He might have no interest in me whatsoever.'...

It wasn't that Sheamus had bad luck with women, but since moving to America, his pale skin and red hair had seemed incongruous to the tanned beauties he'd come across. They had overlooked him in favour of the dark and handsome type. Now, as a WWE Superstar and 2-time World Champion, he had women flinging themselves at him on a regular basis, but he knew they were only interested in what he was, not who he was. And maybe he was an old-fashioned guy, but he wanted a girl who actually wanted him, rather than his celebrity status, or bank balance.

He'd always thought Sharona was beautiful, but she'd never paid him much attention, until recently. And twice now, she had defended him. Okay, maybe he should have kept his nose out, because he knew about her tough reputation, knew she probably wouldn't want him riding in on his proverbial white horse, but he'd been raised to believe that women were to be treated with respect, and having a sister, he had a protective streak when it came to women, anyway.

But he was under no illusion that Sharona felt any attraction towards him. Women who looked like her weren't interested in guys who looked like him. That was just the way of the world.

Trouble was, not only did he fancy her, after the things he'd heard her say, he was starting to genuinely like her as well. And staying away from her might prove difficult.

He wished she could just look beyond his physical appearance-he was a good guy underneath. He really was.

Sharona had been hoping that she would be left alone now, regarding Sheamus' protectiveness towards her in preceding weeks. She was to be disappointed. Two weeks later on RAW, she was backstage, when a smarmy-looking Christian came strolling up to her. Then again, she thought, when did Christian ever look anything but smarmy?

He looked around furtively, then said, 'Hey, I wasn't sure it'd be safe to talk to you, Shar. Your boyfriend not around?' Before Sharona could protest, Christian continued, 'Hey, hey, I'm just kidding. I know Sheamus isn't your boyfriend-I mean, like you'd be interested in someone like him.'

Instead of instantly agreeing, Sharona's hackles went up. She didn't like the tone of Christian's voice at all. 'What do you mean, someone like him?' She demanded. He looked around, in a blatantly dramatic fashion, then replied, 'Well, first of all, I really doubt you'd wanna be with a guy who resembles a jar of mayonnaise, no matter how many times he saves you. But...well, I think someone should warn you about him, Shar. Seriously.'

Normally, if Christian told her the time, she'd still have to check her watch, so she was dubious at best about what he was saying-not to mention annoyed about his description of Sheamus-but her curiosity was piqued. 'Warn me how?' She asked. 'Look, I know you don't like the guy.' Christian told her. 'Not like that, anyway. But...I don't think he'd take no for an answer, Shar. Let's face it, the guy has a reputation for kicking people in the face-be careful, or you could be next.'

Sharona watched Christian walk away, feeling confused. She didn't think Sheamus was the kind of man to physically hurt a woman... but then, she didn't really know him, did she?

Christian didn't have much time to congratulate himself on perhaps planting seeds of doubt in Sharona's mind. He had barely turned the corner, when a huge white hand, attached to a massive white arm, snatched at the collar of his t-shirt, and Christian was slammed against the wall-and found himself staring blearily up at a furious-looking Sheamus. 'Been tellin' tales, have ya, fella?' He hissed, through clenched teeth. 'Think I beat up women, do ya?'

Christian was in real danger of losing control of his bladder. He knew Sheamus had a temper, but he had honestly never seen him so angry-the man was literally trembling with rage, and Christian knew he'd gone too far. Damn him for listening.

'I-I was just trying to mess with her head.' Christian stammered. 'I didn't mean...' He was flung away, back bouncing off the opposite wall, and he slid to the floor with a muffled 'Oof'. Sheamus towered over him, hands clenching and unclenching. 'Yer not worth it.' He growled. 'But if I ever hear ya tellin' lies about me again, I'll rip yer bleedin' head off.'

Sheamus staggered away, trying desperately to keep his breathing in check. He knew that if he'd started beating up Christian, he wouldn't have been able to stop. He was used to the insults about his appearance, they hadn't fazed him since he was a kid, but for that sonofabitch to actually say something like that, to even imply that he was capable of...

He saw Sharona heading up the corridor and gave chase, calling her name. The wary look she gave him when she finally slowly turned around, made his heart sink. He didn't think she'd normally give Christian's opinions any credence, but she had no way of knowing he wasn't telling the truth-and Sheamus needed to put her straight.

Sharona groaned when she heard a familiar voice call her name, and at first, she wanted to keep walking, to get as far away from him as possible, but she didn't want to be rude.

Not to him, especially.

So she turned and let Sheamus catch up to her, the expression on his face telling her everything she needed to know. 'You heard what he said, didn't you?' She asked, surprising herself. Finally, she was actually talking to him.

Sheamus nodded. 'Yeh.' He replied. 'I did. And I needed to talk to ya, to clear somethin' up.' He paused, and Sharona waited expectantly, until he continued, 'I've done a lot of things since I came here, that I'm not necessarily proud of. But I wanted to make a name for myself, and I did what I thought I had to.' Looking her right in the eye, he concluded, 'But hand on me heart, Sharona, I'd never raise my hand to a woman. So obviously, I'd never raise my leg to one.' He smiled slightly, then added, 'That's why I've been...helpin' ya, I s'pose. I respect ya. I respect all women, it's the way I was brought up. So ya don't need to worry, ok-I'd never hurt ya.'

Without another word, he turned to leave, but Sharona being Sharona, she couldn't let it go. It was what got her in trouble, her inability to keep her mouth shut at crucial times. Smiling, she called after him, 'You're assuming I'd let you.'

Sheamus froze in mid-stride, and when he squared his shoulders and turned around, Sharona's heart plummeted. He looked furious.

Phil had told her often that someday, she'd pick a fight with the wrong person. She'd always laughed it off, but she certainly didn't feel like laughing right now. It wasn't that she was afraid of Sheamus, not exactly, but the look on his face told her she'd taken a step too far.

She wanted to tell him that she hadn't meant it, that it had been a joke, anything, but as he towered over her, face like thunder, the words died in her throat. He'd said he'd never raise his hand to a woman, but he certainly looked capable of it now.

And then, just when she thought he'd explode, he grinned at her, a full, beaming, mischievous grin that caused Sharona's heart to react in an entirely different way.

At that moment, she realized she'd lied to Phil, and, most importantly, to herself.

She was attracted to this man. It certainly explained her nervousness around him, why she struggled to form complete and coherent sentences. She'd certainly never been this...affected by a man before.

Sheamus, still grinning, leaned closer, and said, 'Not short on confidence, are ya?' When Sharona merely shook her head, his grin grew wider, and he added, 'S'alright. I like a girl with a bit of fire in 'er.'

Sharona watched him walk away, still chuckling to himself, and she couldn't help but smile. He certainly had a sense of humour, however twisted, and if he wanted fire, she'd give him all the fire he could handle. However, if her racing heart was any indication of things to come, she could find herself in serious trouble with this man...

NEXT: Sharona and Sheamus' mutual attraction becomes obvious to those around them-but will they ever act on it? Personally, I love it when Sheamus gives people that 'I'm going to tear yer head off' look and then grins at them. I just find that funny. :) Also, I made him a little insecure about his looks, I just get the impression that he doesn't think he's particularly good-looking. Which is mad! Reviews are welcome, as always.