At eight o'clock the next morning, the sound of twinkling bells echoed in Stormie's decently sized bedroom, lasting barely a second before her hand reached out from under the blanket and her finger slid across the screen, effectively silencing it. Despite only sleeping two hours last night, Stormie felt completely energized as she pushed her blankets down to her ankles and swung her feet to the side of the bed, the plush carpet warm beneath her toes before she stepped onto the cold hardwood floor and made her way to the bathroom. She turned on the water in the shower and brushed her teeth as she waited for it to heat up before stripping out of her Smurf pajamas and jumping in the shower.
Her flight to Des Moines left at ten o'clock in the morning, and she briefly cursed herself for not showering the night before as she lathered her long dark brown hair with shampoo, she still had so much to do, and she had less than two hours.
During the long waiting period last night, she texted Chelsey and told her the details of her flight, funnily enough Chelsey had the same flight and no way of getting to the airport. She insisted on taking a taxi from her apartment, Stormie insisted that she and Bo would pick her up on the way.
After showering and changing into a pair of light blue jean shorts and a peach hooded sweatshirt with Spiderman, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk and Ironman on the front, Stormie put her laptop and cell phone into her carry on and paced around her tiny apartment anxiously awaiting the text from Bo she received five minutes later saying that he was waiting in the parking lot.
Stormie slid on a pair of peach colored suede fringe gladiator sandals and put her suitcase and carry on in the hallway, locking the door and double-checking it before she dragged her luggage down the seven flights of stairs. Bo was waiting by the door in the lobby and took Stormie's luggage when he saw her. Stormie hopped into the passenger seat and Bo began shoving her suitcase in the backseat.
"Sweetie, you need to put the luggage in the trunk." Stormie said, pulling her iPhone out of her carry on.
He stopped shoving the suitcase into the small space and rose an eyebrow. "Why?" He asked.
"The backseat is tiny and Chelsey won't have any room to sit." She said, going through her list of contact until she found Chelsey's name.
"What?"
"Chelsey has the same flight as me and I told her we would pick her up on the way to the airport." Stormie answered, typing a quick message to Chelsey, telling her that she and Bo were on their way to get her.
When she was met with silence, she turned around in her seat and looked at Bo, he was frowning. Stormie frowned as well. "What's wrong?"
He bit his lip and shook his head, pulling the Winnie the Pooh suitcase out of the backseat. "Nothing." He said in reply, shoving the suitcase in the back of the trunk and slamming the trunk closed. He got into the drivers seat and turned the key in the ignition, before pulling out of the parking lot. They rode in silence until Bo pulled into the parking lot of Chelsey's apartment and saw her standing by the lobby doors with her suitcases, he popped the trunk but didn't bother to get out of the car and help her put her luggage inside.
Chelsey climbed into the backseat behind Stormie and smiled at them as she buckled her seat belt. "Thanks for picking me up, I really appreciate it." Bo bit his lip and pressed his foot down on the gas pedal harder than he needed to, speeding off towards the airport. He helped get Stormie's suitcase out of the trunk and sped off again, she frowned as she watched his car drive away.
"He didn't even say goodbye..." She muttered. Chelsey frowned sadly and linked their arms as they walked into the airport together, dragging their suitcases behind them. Stormie had the bar code she receive via email scanned and her luggage checked before she got on the plane.
Unfortunately she and Chelsey weren't seated near each other, but thankfully it was only about four hours until they reached Des Moines and she had plenty of things to keep her occupied, including a childish pink Tamagotchi that hung on her rainbow lanyard with dozens of other key chains and only two keys.
It was almost three o'clock when the plane landed in Des Moines, Iowa. Stormie and Chelsey quickly met up in the baggage claim and sat in the terminal as Stormie dug through her carry-on to find her cell phone and take it out of airplane mode.
To her disappointment, she received no new texts from Bo. Instead, she created a new text message telling him that she landed safely in Des Moines before she pressed send and created a similar text to Cody only adding on by asking where he was.
She received a reply about five minutes later.
'I'm busy, can you call a taxi?'
Stormie grumbled to herself and rolled her eyes, angrily texting him back. Chelsey frowned at her aggression, something she never saw unless Stormie was in the ring, and even then it was more playful. "What's up?"
"He invited me to join him on the road and he can't even pick me up from the airport?" She tossed her phone back in her carry on and rubbed the heels of her palms into her eyes in frustration. Chelsey was about to reply when her phone dinged, signaling a new text message. She read it and a smile grew on her face.
"You won't have to take a taxi to the arena, cookie." She said, stowing her phone away in her own carry on bag as she stood up and held out her hand. Stormie eyed it for a few seconds before she took it and allowed Chelsey to pull her up. "We're going to give you a ride."
"Who is 'we'?" Stormie asked as she and Chelsey walked out the airport and a black Chevy Tahoe pulled up to the curb beside them. Chelsey didn't bother to answer, instead she grinned as the driver hopped out of the Tahoe and walked around the back of the vehicle, wrapping his arms around Chelsey in a hug when he reached her.
"You're a good driver, right?" Stormie asked, only half-teasing and Dean Ambrose scoffed playfully.
"I didn't pay those six speeding tickets for the hell of it." Dean told the girls to wait in the car while he loaded their luggage.
Stormie eyed him a little nervously from the back seat, Chelsey noticed and smiled. "The only time you need to worry about his driving is when I'm not in the car." She told her reassuringly as Dean closed the tailgate and began walking back to the driver seat. "You'll be perfectly safe with me here."
Somehow she doubted it, but she was pleasantly surprised when Dean pulled out of the airport parking lot and obeyed the rules of the road, driving the speed-limit, using his turn signals, slowing down at yellow lights and eventually they made it to the Wells Fargo Arena in one piece.
The backstage area was bursting with life. There were all sorts of people around, from techs and trainers to Superstars and Divas. "Do you know where you have to be?" Dean asked as he and Chelsey walked ahead of Stormie, their hands intertwined. Stormie pulled out her cell phone and happily noted a new text from Cody.
"He wants me to meet him by the men's locker room." Stormie informed them, and Dean and Chelsey graciously escorted her to the men's locker room before they had to go to The Shield's private locker room.
"Don't go peeking inside." Dean said in a teasing voice as he and Chelsey walked off. "Wouldn't want to scar your virgin eyes." Stormie flipped him off, even though he couldn't see it with his back to her and sat down cross legged in front of the locker room door with her back against the wall, browsing through her Twitter timeline on her phone until Cody emerged from the locker room ten minutes later dressed in his ring gear.
Despite being a jerk for the past couple of months, Stormie decided to forgive him right away when she saw his mustache-less face. He smiled and immediately pulled her into a hug, he seemed so happy to see her and it made Stormie happy as well to know that she had one of her big brothers back in her life.
Stormie linked her arm with Cody's and stayed close to his side as they walked down one of the hallways in the Wells Fargo Arena, stopping every once in a while to chat with other Superstars and Divas. Eventually Cody showed her the catering area and chuckled in amusement when Stormie went off and began filling a paper plate with caesar salad and grilled chicken, picking up some plastic cutlery and a small plastic cup filled with water and a slice of lemon.
There were several small tables, a few potted plants and a large flat screen television mounted to the wall. When Stormie sat down at one of the tables, Cody joined her, picking the croutons out of her salad.
"Are you scheduled for a match tonight?" Stormie asked, nibbling a piece of chicken.
"No, but you should always have impromptu ring gear with you." Cody answered. Stormie supposed this was why he had changed into his ring gear earlier. She had no need to worry about this because she was only a rookie and she wasn't allowed to be on camera, like ever.
Cody swallowed the last crouton and stood up abruptly. "I need to go back to the locker room to get my jacket. You stay here, I'll be right back." Stormie nodded in understanding, stuffing a forkful of lettuce in her mouth. The large television on the wall was showing what was happening live on Raw, Stormie rose an eyebrow when she saw Cody appear on the screen five minutes later carrying his jacket over his arm before he was stopped by Randy Orton and Triple H.
The entire conversation was tense, but it only got even tenser when Cody said the taboo words "best for business". The conversation changed from what was "best for business" to Cody's wedding. Stormie's heart fell into her stomach when Triple H put Cody in a match tonight against Randy Orton as a wedding present with a stipulation that followed it: If Cody didn't win, he would be fired.
She watched Fandango and Summer Rae dance their way down to the ring without really seeing it. Her mind was working a mile a minute, trying to keep up with all the emotions she was feeling and stop herself from doing the things she wanted to do. Scream, cry, she even had to sit on her hands to keep herself from wringing them, or biting her fingernails, or even pounding them into the table like a two year old throwing a temper tantrum.
The only thing that kept her in her seat was remembering that Cody said he would be right back. When he reentered catering, Stormie upset the table in her haste to get over to him. He smiled in amusement, despite the worry he was feeling and caught Stormie when she launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Don't look so sad." He murmured into her hair, "I'm still here, you just have to trust me."
He was right, he hadn't even had his match yet and Stormie was acting like he was already fired and on the next flight back home. This wasn't helping him and she knew it. If anything, she was making things ten times worse for him by the way she was reacting.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and pulled back from the embrace, giving him when she hoped was a convincing smile. "I'm sorry." She apologized, "I do trust you."
For the rest of the night things seemed like they hadn't changed at all between Cody and Stormie in the last few months. She asked him questions, and he answered them. They got caught up in their personal lives, they talked about comic books, Stormie's ideas for her first tattoo, Cody's desire to try the sushi restaurant located about five minutes from the arena.
Anything but the present.
Eventually Cody had to buckle down and start warming up and stretching his muscles for the fight of his life. Stormie walked with him to the Gorilla position but stopped outside the curtain that separated the WWE Universe from the backstage area.
Stormie gave him a tight hug and kissed his cheek, trying to keep the reassuring smile on her face until Cody's music began to play and he made his way to the ring. As soon as he was out of her line of vision, Stormie clasped her hands together and said a silent prayer before forcing her way in front of a small group of Superstars and Divas that decided to watch the match on one of the many television screens backstage.
As soon as the bell rang, Orton had Cody backed into a corner, and it seemed like every time Cody gained the upper-hand, Orton would turn the tables. Stormie was something of a wreck as she watched the match progress. She cheered, she winced, she almost cried a few times when it seemed like Cody wouldn't kick out when the referee began counting to three.
Stormie squealed loudly when Cody reversed the RKO and planted Orton with his finishing move, Cross Rhodes, but somehow only managed to get a two count.
"Stay on him Cody!" She yelled at the television. "Stay on him! Don't get distracted!" She watched with wide eyes as Cody attempted another Disaster Kick but Orton ducked out of the way and Cody tweaked his knee.
"Kick out." Stormie whispered quietly, after seeing Orton connect with his second RKO and cover Cody. The other Superstars and Divas were watching Stormie now, listening to her continue saying "kick out" like a mantra, practically screaming it at the television set when Cody didn't kick out and the referee announce Orton the winner via pinfall.
Orton stood at the top of the stage with his WWE Championship held high and Triple H stood next to him. Orton continued going backstage and Triple H stayed where he was, looking down at Cody in the ring, who sat on the mat looking on in disbelief when Triple H told him, "You're fired."
He didn't cry, he was probably too numb to even feel anything right now. But Stormie felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest and stomped on. She did nothing to prevent her eyes from filling with tears but refused to let them fall from her eyes.
She could hear the other Superstars and Divas muttering, felt their hands patting her on the back and people telling her it was going to be okay. But what did they know? Cody being fired wasn't effecting them personally. Their brother wasn't out of a job.
Stormie was vaguely aware of a small presence against her back and a familiar, feminine voice said, "I'll take care of her. Come on, cookie." She let herself be steered away and found herself sitting on the floor of the Divas locker room with Chelsey hugging her from behind, telling Stormie that no matter what happened, she would always have the support of herself and even Dean.
It was at that moment that Stormie's own situation hit her hard.
She had been so preoccupied with worrying about what was going to happen to Cody that she didn't even think of how him being fired would effect her. The only reason Stormie was traveling with the main roster to gain on road experience is because of Cody. Sure, she had others to help her with her training, like Daniel Bryan, but what would happen to her now that Cody wouldn't be here?
Would they send her back to developmental? Her heart physically hurt at the second thought that entered her mind. Would they fire her as well? With so many negative thoughts swirling around inside her head, Stormie effectively worked herself into a panic attack, she moved from Chelsey's arms and crawled on her hands and knees to the bathroom where she emptied the contents of her stomach and Chelsey held her hair back.
She helped Stormie back to the bench and frowned at the sound of her wheezing, trying to get air into her lungs, Chelsey dug through her carry on before she found Stormie's inhaler and forced her to take two puffs.
"Stormie, listen to me." She paused for a second. "Are you listening to me?" Stormie inhaled a shaky breath and nodded. Chelsey pulled her into a hug, petting her hair softly and tucking some strands behind her ear.
"You're okay." She told her trying to sound reassuring. "Cody's going to be okay. You need to calm down. Slow, deep breaths." She reminded her when Stormie started gasping for air again. "Everything is going to work out."
If only Stormie could believe her.
Chelsey wasn't making her main roster debut tonight, so she was pretty much free for the entire night until Dean and the rest of the Shield were ready to leave. She offered to get Stormie some water and something to eat from catering, Stormie didn't have a chance to tell her that she wasn't hungry before she left, but upchucking left a gross taste in her mouth, so she welcomed the water.
Five minutes after Chelsey left, there was a series of loud bangs on the door, Stormie stood up from the bench and crossed the room in 14 short strides, wiping at her sore and glazed over eyes with the heel of her palm. Cody was standing just behind the door dressed in his street clothes with his suitcase behind him.
Stormie tried to hold herself together, but she failed miserably and launched herself into Cody's arms; he didn't seem to mind that her tears were staining his nice suit.
"I don't have much time." He started off, pulling away from the embrace, he took hold of her chin between his thumb and index finger to make sure she was paying attention. "I won't be around to help you. I need you to listen to me, Stormie. Don't trust The Authority." He said firmly. "Hold your tongue, mind your own business. Stick with your friends, they'll help you out as best as they can."
He pulled her into another tight hug and murmured into her hair. "You'll be an amazing Diva, baby girl." He kissed her forehead. "I just know it."
"Is that Cody's fiancé?" JBL asked. Michael Cole shook his head. "No, that's his sister."