Feeling misplaced, dejected and misunderstood after losing the 2006 Divas Search, Maryse packed her things up and zipped the duffel bag.
"They don't want to give me a chance but cheer for that oh so adorable brunette out there who appeared with Mike tonight! Fuck this place!" Maryse says, her voice in a mocking tone for a few seconds as she left the locker room… and stopped when she saw Mike and Amanda talking.
"That really wasn't easy to do babe, especially after we had to end the search two weeks early because of Layla's torn MCL… but the company wants to move on from this stereotype and you're the way to do it. You'll do amazing here." Mike says, a slightly bittersweet smile appearing on Amanda's face as she shuffled her left foot back and forth… before both heard Maryse scream and saw her storm over to them.
"Don't you think it's a bit sleazy hitting on a girl young enough to be your sister?!" Maryse yelled before turning to Amanda, who pulled on the hem of her racerback tank top. "And you, soaking up the attention like some innocent schoolgirl! Fucking hypocrite! And you said you thought of me as your older sister?! You stabbed me in the back!" She yelled, Amanda's shock giving way to anger.
"Okay, first off, back up out of my face before I rip your arm off and beat you with it." Amanda says, Maryse's duffel bag hitting the floor as she backed up. "And second, I worked just as hard as everyone in this contest! There was only gonna be one winner and this is a business, not a dream factory." Amanda says.
Maryse snapped and tackled the small brunette, Mike having no luck breaking up the fight as Maryse kicked him back a few feet while trying to escape an armlock that Amanda added a crisscrossed leglock around Maryse's ribcage in a move she called the Mistress Chamber.
Standing up, Mike managed to pull the girls apart as they glared at each other.
"Are you two done?!" Mike asks, both girls nodding before Maryse stormed off and the dark haired man turned to the petite brunette.
"I really should go apologize to her." Amanda says, Mike stopping her.
"She'll calm down, you were defending yourself, kiddo." Mike says, Amanda pulling her long curls into a ponytail.
But she had that eerie feeling that this had kicked off a chaotic chain of events...
New Orleans, Louisiana was the kind of atmosphere Amanda normally liked… but the Cajun food she normally ate when there made her feel sick and decided not to eat the Jambalaya that Dolph had offered her.
Talking with Shinsuke and Dolph about the twins after managing to keep two grilled chicken sandwiches down and readjusting her Balor Club racerback tank top, all three jumped as a pair of manicured hands slammed onto the table, Amanda instinctively rubbing her stomach as she looked up at Maryse.
"Can I help you?" Amanda asks, stopping Shinsuke and Dolph from getting involved and glancing at Natia, Joe, Finn and Mike as if to say "Don't worry, I got this.".
"Yeah, what was that crazy crap you pulled on TNA, getting into the ring with those two and risking those unborn lives?!" Maryse asks in a shrill tone, Mike, Finn, Natia and Joe running over towards the group as Shinsuke and Dolph went to go find Kurt, Joe and Natia following them.
"Those guys have been my friends for years, I stuck by Jeff when his life was in turmoil, Maryse! And before you start, Jeff has been clean and sober for almost a decade, he doesn't even drink anymore! Beth trusts him around their daughters, Matt and Reby trust him with their sons and John trusted him whenever Jeff was around me… why shouldn't Finn and I trust Jeff around the twins?" Amanda says, thirteen years of chaos on top of chaos spilling out as the four returned with Kurt.
"Maryse, is there a reason you're here stressing Mandy out?" Kurt asks.
"She puts hers and Finn's children at risk around the Hardy family and I'm the problem?! She doesn't deserve to be a mother!" Maryse screamed.
Those words evoked a hard slap across the face from an infuriated Amanda, who Finn gently restrained and Kurt turned to the two, walking over and whispering an idea into Amanda's ear.
Amanda nodded, Kurt walking back to Maryse, who Mike was checking on.
"I said that Mandy could go there and Sting was there the whole time protecting her and the little ones. I have an idea and she agreed to give it a shot… we settle this on Tv when the show goes live." Kurt says as Natia turned to Maryse.
"This has to stop one way or another, Maryse. Whether you two fix things and be civil to one another or you keep your distance, this can't go on!" Natia says, Maryse nodding in agreement before she left.
"You okay there, Mini Cena?" Mike asks, handing Amanda a napkin and Amanda wiping her tears away.
"Yeah… just gotta calm down." Amanda says, Finn, Shinsuke and Dolph turning to one another.
"We know a way that can happen." Shinsuke says, lightly tucking some of Amanda's hair behind her right ear before the group left.
Reaching the arena after getting out of the stalled traffic, Roman, Galina and Joelle got out of the Chevrolet Equinox and Joelle's eyes lit up immediately.
"Auntie Mandy!" Joelle says excitedly, running over and the two hugging.
"Oh sweetie, you are getting so tall." Amanda says as they let go, Joelle having grown to 4'11 which Amanda considered tall for a 10, soon to be 11 year old as at that age, Amanda was only 4'5".
"You're shaking… but it's not cold out here." Joelle says as they let go, Galina and Roman walking over to them and Amanda hugging both of them.
"She mouthing off again?" Roman asks.
"I'll sort this out." Galina says, Amanda carefully stopping her.
"It's gonna be sorted out later, everything out on live Tv, Lina…" Amanda says, turning to Joelle. "Jojo, there might be some hurtful things you'll hear tonight but don't worry, okay? Everything will be fine." She says.
"Alrighty, Auntie Mandy. And as Mommy sometimes says, ladies need to act like ladies, not their shoe size." Joelle says, everyone laughing slightly.
An hour before Raw, Balor locker room…
"Stop fidgeting, you look beautiful." Finn says, wrapping his arms around Amanda's waist and his hands resting on her stomach.
"I'm a bit nervous… 13 years this has been going on, chaos on top of chaos. There needs to be some kind of resolution, not only for us but for the future generations." Amanda says, touching up the bronzer she was wearing before closing it and putting it and her brush away.
She swore she saw her younger reflection staring at her after she and Finn kissed and he went to find Aries.
"You can do this… we can do this, this is what they would want for us." The younger Amanda says, lightly readjusting her purple leopard print ring shorts.
"Yes we can… for the ones we lost." Amanda says quietly, the younger Amanda smiling before she faded away.
A part of her innocence had died that day… and now she was looking to get it back.