Well, a good fortnight after Halloween itself I've finally got around to putting together the second half of this! Thanks so much to everyone who read, reviewed, followed and/or favorited the first chapter. Hope you enjoy :)

RealPaigeWWE: behold the undead diva apocalypse (with added robot) eFtyCDkvAL

Direct from iLikeSamiZayn: No Renee?

Direct from RealPaigeWWE: She's giving it a miss. Says she's got other plans, which is complete bollocks. Coincidentally round about the time you got suspended she became something of a hermit. Hmmm...

Direct from iLikeSamiZayn: Well she's on the road half the week now, she probably just needs some rest

Direct from RealPaigeWWE: I can already see where this is gonna go. You're gonna make excuse after excuse to deny the obvious

Direct from iLikeSamiZayn: Which is what exactly?

Direct from RealPaigeWWE: That nothing's gonna cheer her up but you getting your arse over there pronto and showing her a good time. That's an order, Zayn! I know you're doing fuck all else

Direct from iLikeSamiZayn: You sure that's what she wants?

Direct from RealPaigeWWE: She won't admit it and that's why it's got to be a surprise, but yeah, of course. And it's what you want too

Direct from iLikeSamiZayn: Well I do miss her... but no more than I miss you or any other friend I have there

Direct from RealPaigeWWE: You've never called me a 'general ray of sunshine to all'

Direct from iLikeSamiZayn: That's because you're the blackest of rainclouds and proud of it. You're the last person I expected to be playing matchmaker

Direct from RealPaigeWWE: And doesn't that prove how meant to be it is if even I'm going out of my way to make it happen?

Sami squinted to read the number on the door as he stood at the foot of the drive. He couldn't believe he'd been talked into this. Paige could have been barking up the wrong tree entirely. The girl was barely out of school after all, what did she know about what was 'meant to be'? But he would be lying if he said he didn't hold a special place in his heart for Renee Young, that his interactions with her weren't the most natural, pleasant and refreshing conversations he'd had since arriving in Florida.

In an environment where everyone was clamoring to be noticed, trying to one up one-another in order to be first in line for a main roster spot, losing track of who they really were in the name of fitting the mould; she served to remind him how ridiculous it all was, to remind him the importance of remaining true to oneself.

Amidst this cavalcade and delusion and desperation she remained thoroughly grounded; anything but a Diva and all the better for it. Grateful for the opportunity she'd been given to live out her dream without being overawed or gushing, just enough to be damn good at her job. She could go tit-for-tat with him on wrestling trivia, she made him laugh more than just about any girl he'd ever met, everything was just so easy with her.

But then, maybe this rapport was a sign that they'd found their natural level for their relationship. The last thing he wanted to do was lose what they had by screwing her around trying to find out. Either way, she was a good friend in need of some comfort and some company, and he was happy to provide it. If she wanted it. He'd already absent-mindedly rung the bell amid his reverie, there was no going back now.


"Aha, at last! Told you I'd get it! Perseverance and the element of surprise, two of my strongest suits," Renee crowed proudly as she was finally able to swipe Sami's trademark cloth cap from his head (something which she had been intermittently attempting to do ever since they arrived) and placed it atop her own head.

"Is it me or is there less and less hair under there every time this comes off?" she smirked playfully as they returned to fresh air.

"And that's precisely why I wear it," Sami sighed in reply, resting his hands on his hips and doing his best to look thoroughly unimpressed; a rather tall order when the last two hours had been his most fun, revelatory and potentially significant for a very long while. The trial in his head was over and the verdict was in; Renee Young was just about the most amazing woman he had ever met and he would be a damn fool not to at least attempt to take things to the next level. He only hoped he wasn't being conceited in his presumption that the feeling was mutual. But then, she'd never stopped flashing him that alluring smile all evening.

He'd been on his way back up the drive when she finally answered the door, her hurriedly-applied make-up and erratically-brushed hair seemingly explaining the delay. He had given her complete freedom of selection when it came to their activity for the evening, having substantial evidence from prior interactions that her idea of a good time was similar to his. She said she was tired of adult life; anything involving alcohol, dining, or generally having to sit still for prolonged periods of time was off the menu. He asked what a 10-year-old Renee enjoyed doing. She said climbing trees. He said that was unbecoming of a pair of twenty-somethings. Then she suggested ice skating. He said why the hell not...

"But you wrestle bare... headed?" Renee went on, an amused grin flashing across her face at the clumsiness of her wording. Sami could barely recall being so attentive to and delighted by the minutiae of another person's facial expressions.

"Why do you think I wore a damn mask until forced to do otherwise?" he fired back, his eyes betraying the enthusiasm that these exchanges always sparked in him.

"Well wrestling history has shown that premature baldness is anything but a barrier to success so I wouldn't worry..." Renee went on.

"...It's even OK to be ginger now. Speaking of which, how the fuck did that happen? A pasty red-headed Arab, a hundred years ago you'd be travelling the country in the back of a wagon with the bearded ladies."

"What can I say, I'm a born outcast..." Sami said with a nonchalant shrug.

"...And my head is very cold."

"You're only getting the hat back if you admit you're a vastly inferior skater to me..." she teased.

"...Which again completely baffles me. I've watched you do some of the most graceful and dexterous wrestling manoevres I've ever seen. Do you have magic boots or something?"

"I can't explain it, just like I can't explain why you tripped no less than three times on the walk up here then became Nancy fucking Kerrigan as soon as you strapped those skates on," Sami replied. Of the many superlatives that suggested themselves when he thought of Renee, graceful had not been one of them. However, she had quite literally run rings around him the second they took to the ice.

"Canadians are genetically predisposed to skating prowess," she proclaimed.

"But how does that account for my ineptitude?" Sami questioned.

"Dunno, maybe the Syrian in you nullifies it."

"I'm not all that fleet-footed on sand either. Guess they must cancel each other out."

With a sigh of feigned reluctance she placed the cap back on his head. The brushing of her hands against his hair kick-started a million wonderful thoughts. He couldn't wait a moment longer. She lowered her arms, but he refused to let them return to her side, clasping both hands gently with his as they stood opposite one another. Her grin faded and for a moment he panicked that he'd completely misread the situation. He felt her heartrate quicken through her wrists. All of a sudden his ability to read body language deserted him through his anxiousness. Was that hope in her eyes or reluctance? Was the trembling in her lips a sign of eagerness or of fear?

"Seems a little redundant to ask whether or not you had a good time tonight," he began softly, hoping to slowly lead her towards his desired conclusion.

"It was great. Just what I needed..." she replied, with an altogether more coy smile than the one she had been sporting previously. He liked it even better, if that were possible.

"...And just what you needed too, I'm sure. You're not exactly having the best time of it at the moment either."

"I thought we agreed no work talk?" he replied, cocking his head.

"It's just so fucking unfair. You're the best thing NXT has," she said, before swallowing self-consciously, no doubt somewhat embarrassed at giving him such a glowing appraisal. Sami couldn't stop himself beaming fondly. She certainly was cute when she was unsure. It all but cancelled out his seething frustration at the hand he had been dealt over the past couple of weeks.

"Well, undersized weird-looking guy who'd wrestled his way around the world before WWE even noticed his existence being thrown under the bus in favour of more photogenic second-generationer who's had everything handed to him on a plate seems to be a recurring theme at the moment, doesn't it?" Sami lamented bitterly. He heard Renee mutter something unintelligible under her breath.

"What was that?" he queried. Repeating herself seemed to make her nervous, he felt her fists clench inside his and her gaze fell short of his.

"I... I said you're not weird-looking... far from it in fact," she said, not much louder or less mumbly than the first time.

"And you're way too pretty to be this awkward," he grinned, removing his hands from hers and raising them up to her shoulders, hoping she didn't notice him shaking as he did so. She didn't seem as buoyed and reassured by this compliment as he was hoping.

"Yup. 'Pretty.' That's me. A 'pretty' girl drowning in a sea of sexy. You know, I didn't quite appreciate the difference between the two until I started working here, sitting in that locker room surrounded by all these gravity-defying bodies. Girls with absolute and justifiable confidence flaunting their ludicrously flat stomachs, shaking their taut, spandex-friendly asses while I hunch in the corner hoping to draw as little attention to mine as possible. All around me buns of steel, tits of titanium, abs of adamantium, and then there's me... just Renee."

She delivered those last two words in a shrill impersonation that left Sami in no doubt who had been the main catalyst for her insecurity. Well he couldn't let her feel that way for another moment. Not while the neon signs were reflecting on those gorgeous hazel eyes, not while her luscious golden hair wafted softly in the wind. There was no reason whatsoever why she shouldn't feel like the most beautiful girl on Earth. He lifted his right hand up to her face, cupping her smooth cheek, feeling her give a reflexive gasp. He took a step forward.

"First of all, I've never found zero bodyfat much of turn on. And secondly, pretty is sexy. In my eyes there's only one person that fits the description 'hot blonde on NXT,' and it's not Summer. Or Emma. Or Tyler Breeze for that matter..."

That quip had its intended effect of illiciting a gloriously mischievous giggle from her.

"You can keep your Divas. I want a woman. And you're about as fine a woman as can be. Are you willing to settle for a balding, ginger, pasty Quebecois who can quote entire Simpsons episodes word for word?"

"Well, seeing as my only other potential suitors so far have been a fortysomething married man, a four-foot guy in a mask who doesn't speak a word of English and thinks he's livestock, and worst of all, Zack Ryder... guess one can't afford to be picky."

All of a sudden her apprehension had faded, in its place was the wit and irreverence that had drawn him to her in the first place. This was more than worth enduring Paige's inevitable 'told-you-so's the following morning for. Now the move had been made the very idea of being on the fence about it was ludicrous.

After a few seconds of shared chuckling she grabbed the lapels of his blazer for leverage and leaned forward, her lips were as soft and enticing as he'd hoped. He placed his arms around her back, guiding her around the corner from the entrance and away from prying eyes, hoping this would encourage her to become more adventurous. Her arms knotted around his neck and she pressed herself right against him. He speculatively drove his tongue forward and found her more than accepting of it, her ravenous intensity flattering and arousing him in equal measure.

He ran his fingers through her silky blonde locks, along the curve of her torso and across her backside. He felt the sensuous touch of her hands exploring his chest, his mind habitually getting ahead of itself, imagining the things she would be able to do to him with that touch. He was determined not to rush her, but he knew where he wanted the night to end and hoped her lack of inhibition was an indicator that she felt the same way.

"Wow... that was a thing that just happened," she panted as they separated.

"The right thing," Sami smiled, returning his hands back to hers.

"And permit me to inform you, Renee, that you have a great, great ass."

"Very well, as long as you permit me to inform you that so do you."


Renee attempted to bring her vision into focus, blinking repeatedly. It didn't seem to be happening. She slammed her lids back shut. The feeling of dread slowly began to descend. She had a two-hour flight ahead of her to meet up with the main roster for Smackdown. Another evening amid the fear, resentment and hypocrisy that had come to underpin every facet of WWE life in the past few months, to think that her job had been what kept her sane following her split from her fiancee seemed absurd now. The danger and the decay of any moral fibre the company she loved may have once had only served to emphasise her need for someone to ride out the storm with.

And Summer would be there. She'd be making the same trip. What if they ended up on the same flight? This was just too much.

She arched her back and tucked her knees in, curling herself into a ball. What the hell was this fleshy shape she was brushing up against, way larger and less hairy than her dog? Then it all slotted into place. The fog cleared, as if the veil of angst had been yanked away. Her eyes snapped open again, they couldn't open quickly enough knowing the sight that awaited them was a very agreeable one indeed. Sami Zayn, equally naked and mere inches away on the bed, his warmth radiating through her pores. Suddenly the thought of reporting from the frontline of the backstage civil war was thrilling rather than frightening, just as it used to be. Suddenly Summer was a figure of fun and even mild pity rather than an imposing tormentor. She and Sami were smarter, cooler and all-round better than all of them.

She glanced down and examined herself and for the first time in months found nothing wrong with what she saw, her nude form instead providing her with glorious reminders of the previous night's passions. There was nothing sordid or coercive about it; everything had developed and transpired in the most natural and tender of ways.

She had wondered whether she should have felt comfortable going so far straight away, but the transition just felt so smooth, he'd made her feel so secure. A gentlemen through and through, just as she'd hoped. And it their final moments of consciousness he'd made it abundantly clear this was far from a one-off. He didn't want anyone else... just Renee.