Chapter 2
Sheamus O' Shaunessy was on top of the world. He didn't care about the Nexus, he didn't care about the company, he didn't care about the fans, his fellow wrestlers...
Nothing mattered to him.
Except the WWE Championship currently resting on his shoulder.
As he stood in the middle of the ring, the crowd began to boo-not that he gave a shite. He didn't care if they loved him or hated him. These people meant nothing to him. They were a bunch of mindless puppets, who cheered for the likes of happy, smiley Cena.
That gobshite got right on his nerves, with his technicolour t-shirts that could blind a fella, and his insistence on being the nice guy all the time. Jaysus, he was some eejit!
Hadn't anyone told him that nice guys finished last?
'Me name is Sheamus!' He called out-as if they didn't know. 'I'm the WWE Champion! I'm the star of this show! No-one can beat me-not Cena, not Triple-H, nobody! And as fer those Nexus lads, well, we have an understandin'. They're goin' ta leave me and me title alone as long as...'
'You think you know me, know what I do,
But all you think about, is what it all means to you...'
Sheamus' face scrunched up in confusion as the Women's Champion Sharona came strolling down the ramp, a smirk playing on her dark features.
What the Hell?
He knew who Sharona was, of course. And he'd noticed her.
Well, he was a heterosexual male, who could see-of course he'd bleedin' noticed her! She was gorgeous.
But what did she want with him?
'Hi!' He began sharply, as Sharona got in the ring with him. 'Were ya never told that ya shouldn't interrupt someone when they're talkin'?!'
'Oh, yeah, I was.' Sharona seemed to be considering this. 'And I'd apologize, but since I'm not actually sorry, that would be a lie.'
And immediately, his infamous temper flared. The days when he would have let anyone talk to him as if he were insignificant had long passed. He was the WWE Champion-she should show him some respect!
Before he could berate her, however, she went on: 'I gotta tell you Sheamus, this whole 'I don't need anyone and I'm better than everyone else' crap you got going on, is really starting to get old!'
Sharona hadn't planned this, had already told herself to stay away from this volatile Irishman, after all, but she was so sick of his gloating, of his unearned grandstanding, when the company she worked for and loved was in danger of being taken over.
As Sheamus glared at her, lip curling in an angry snarl, she stared right back, expression set, refusing to be afraid.
Instead, she scoffed and told him, 'Sweetie, I have stood in this ring and faced up to people who were a lot scarier than you. Just ask Triple-H, who is-and I never thought I'd say this, considering our history-a bigger badass than you could ever dream of being. I hate to break it to you, bub, but jumping someone from behind and beating them with a steel pipe doesn't make you a badass-it makes you a jackass! So, don't try your little intimidation tactics with me-they don't work.'
Sheamus was honestly taken aback-and truthfully, he felt a smidgeon of grudging respect for the way she had come out here and was standing up to him. Of course, Sharona's reputation preceded her-he knew how tough she supposedly was, how fearless.
And yeah, she was displaying a lot of courage right now-but she also wasn't showing him the proper respect.
'D'you know who yer talkin' to?!' He snapped, and the girl actually smiled at him. She bleedin' smiled at him!
'Sure I do.' She replied. 'I know exactly who I'm talking to. I'm talking to an egotistical Irishman who thinks that just because he's WWE Champion, it makes him untouchable!'
Sharona had an often detrimental habit of letting her mouth run away with her, regardless of the consequences, just like right now. 'Speak first, think much later' had pretty much become her mantra.
Acknowledging that this man was bad-tempered and dangerous, didn't seem to be helping, either.
What was it her best friend CM Punk, Phil Brooks, often told her?
'Someday, Shar, you're gonna pick a fight with the wrong person.'
Yeah. Like right now. Because Sheamus looked positively furious with her. And she'd seen how unpredictable this guy could be.
But she'd be damned if she was going to let him shake her up.
'I get it.' She continued, as Sheamus' face reddened with as-yet unexpressed rage. 'You wanna be the man, you wanna make a name for yourself. You wanna dominate the entire roster. Which is great, really. I applaud your ambition, Sheamus, I really do. Except it's gonna be kind of difficult to dominate the roster when there's no longer a roster to dominate!'
Sheamus sighed and rolled his eyes. That dinosaur Arn Anderson had tried to tell him something similar not long ago-and he hadn't been interested in listening then, either!
'Listen, darlin',' he replied, swallowing his anger with effort. When all was said and done, after all, she was a woman. And he wasn't going to start pushing a woman around. He was capable of some brutal stuff, but not that. He'd never lay a hand on a lass.
Even he had limits.
'I couldn't give a good shite about what's happenin' around here.' he continued. 'As long as I'm WWE Champion, I don't care...'
'I'm curious-is this an Irish thing?' Sharona interrupted. God, she felt like slapping him. 'Being deliberately dense?'
Sheamus' nostrils flared, and she knew she'd pissed him off again.
'You don't get it, do you?' She went on. 'This whole company is falling apart right under your nose! Nexus are taking it apart, piece by piece, while you...you're like Nero, playing the freakin' fiddle while Rome burned!'
Sheamus still looked unfazed, so she played her trump card. Sharona didn't know a lot about Irish history, but there was always google. She'd known coming out here that she'd need to use something to get under his skin, and since he was always going on about how proud he was of his Celtic heritage, she knew just the thing.
'Oh, wait, you won't get that reference, right?' She added sharply. 'How 'bout this one? You're like Brian Boru, High King of Ireland. He thought he was invincible, too. Until the Vikings turned up. And I'm pretty sure that, just like you, Brian thought he was unbeatable. Okay, yeah, the Viking leaders were defeated in the Battle of Clontarf-just-but you see, Brian got cocky. Thought he'd won. Which gave Brodir plenty of time to sneak up on him and cut his damn head off!'
She looked right in his eyes, registering the amazement in them, and concluded, 'Sound familiar?'
Sheamus' mouth dropped open, eyes widening in shock. He definitely hadn't seen this coming, hadn't expected her to use a little Irish history to try to get through to him. His respect for this woman was growing with every word she'd said-but he wasn't about to show that.
Instead, he laughed dismissively, and retorted, 'Is that supposed to impress me, lass?'
Sharona felt like hitting him all the more. It had been a long time since a man had aggravated her this much, and she wanted nothing more than to slap him right in his arrogant face. But that would solve nothing right now.
In fact, he might even strike her back.
He definitely seemed like the type who'd do just that.
'You think I came out here just to impress you?' Sharona looked him right in the eye-he did have beautiful eyes, she acknowledged, to her surprise-as she spoke. 'Oh, sweetie-don't flatter yourself.'
Sheamus now knew that losing his temper wouldn't work with Sharona-she wasn't in the least afraid of him. But she had some cheek, talking to him like that!
'So, what do ya want?' He demanded, and Sharona allowed herself a small sigh of relief.
Was she finally getting through to him?
'I want you to get your head out of your ass and help!' She said emphatically. 'Because eventually, Nexus are gonna target you. They're gonna exploit your weaknesses, and...'
Sheamus rudely interrupted by laughing in her face. 'Sorry, darlin', he chuckled. 'But like I told that old man Anderson, I don't have any weaknesses.'
Sharona could only gape at him. How could he be so insufferably arrogant, so blind to what was so obvious to everyone else?
'Actually,' she shot back, standing so close to him now that their bodies were almost touching-Sheamus seemed shocked, even slightly uncomfortable, with her sudden close proximity. 'You have one very noticeable weakness, Sheamus-and it's sitting on your shoulder right now.'
She pointed to his WWE Championship as she spoke, and Sheamus looked from the title into brown eyes full of absolute conviction, and felt an unfamiliar flutter of dread.
Sharona believed what she was saying.
What if the lass was right? What if Nexus did target him?
Before he could say anything further, however, Sharona concluded, 'Guess you'll need to think about what I said-just don't take too long.'
Sheamus watched her walk away, in turmoil-and completely surprised by the Women's Champion.
But she was right-he did have a lot to think about...
Coming up: Sheamus agrees to help get rid of Nexus-but both he and Sharona are shocked to discover they have a mutual desire. For each other. There will be smut coming up soon-just a warning! Please R&R! :)
As you can see, I added a little more detail to Sharona's speech about Brian Boru-though I'm ashamed to admit that I had to consult the history books for that one. I learned all about Brian in school, but retained none of the information, lol. Paint me red and call me mortified.
Ellen.
