x ~ Kiss The Stars ~ x

Author's Note - Thank you for your lovely reviews, keep it up! Sorry it's a little late, exams and whatnot. Here' the next chapter, hope you like it! The lyrics are 'Come Back To Me' by David Cook.

Warnings - Contains strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and other such naughtiness.

Disclaimer - I own nothing but the actual writing in this story. The story concept came from another member of this site and the characters in it belong to themselves. This is merely a work of fiction; it came from my brain, however messed up it may be. At no point do I suggest this story reflects reality, it's entirely made-up. Any other songs, cars or brands mentioned also belong to their respective owners.

Chapter Four: ~

So I'll let you go I'll set you free

And when you see what you need to see

When you find you

Come back to me

Phil was working in the practice ring with Daniel Bryan. They were trying out some submission holds. Hearing a cough behind them, Phil released the hold and turned to the source of the noise.

"Taking a break guys?" Shane enquired.

"No…I believe we were practicing submission manoeuvres" Phil corrected.

"Things have changed a lot since I was here, pretty sure the old school wrestlers didn't have to practice their submission holds" he chuckled.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Phil glared at him.

"Hmm, nothing…just didn't think a submission hold was particularly difficult"

Phil could tell Bryan was itching to say something but held his tongue in the presence of the people who considered themselves 'in charge'. Phil had no such problems telling them what he really thought.

"Oh, so you're one of the old-timers stuck in the past who think submissions have no place in modern pro wrestling huh?" Phil asked, attitude emanating from every pore.

"No Punk, I think you'll find I'm a man of the future, and the future is kids. Kids don't want to see two sweaty men lying on the mat…they want excitement" he sneered.

"Well Daniel Bryan here, who I'm sure you'll have never seen wrestle what with you being so out of touch with the company, happens to be a submission specialist and considered by many to be one of the best if not the best wrestler in the world. And not everyone shares your jaded view, he's another one of your champions…world heavyweight to be precise" Phil snapped in response, watching Shane's blood boil.

"Well that explains the ratings drop doesn't it" Shane chuckled, walking away.

"Phil leave it" Bryan said, placing a hand on his shoulder. The irate expression on Phil's face saying it all.

"I can't stand that man" Phil growled.

"I know…most of us agree with you. He likes the big guys…like his dad I guess"

"Yeah but at least his dad sees what's good for business too…what's good for the wrestling community as a whole"

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Phil yelled, not caring who heard him.

"Calm down…" Zack tried to diffuse the situation.

"I won't calm fucking down! What the fuck?" he shouted, storming off to find Vince. He burst into the office, wielding the source of his anger - a piece of paper. More specifically, his schedule for the next few weeks.

At first Vince looked startled that anyone had the audacity to just storm into his office like that. However on seeing who it was, he'd been expecting it.

"What the hell is going on?" Phil asked through clenched teeth.

"With what?" Vince asked, though he knew exactly what Punk was talking about.

"The schedule! You can't ask me to do this! This is crazy!" he argued, struggling to control his temper.

"It's a new initiative suggested in the meeting. We're giving it a try. Everyone has to make sacrifices sometimes Phil" Vince reasoned.

"Sacrifices? Are you kidding me? I've made so many more sacrifices than you'll ever know for this company! I've given up seeing my family, relationships and friendships to jump through hoops for this business! Every time you called me to say one of your top guys has called in sick or been suspended for taking steroids, I'd be on the next flight to fill-in at the signing or press-meet for you! I was nothing but reliable and what did I ever get for it? Nothing. Now I'm the champ and you pull this? I'd bet my entire years salary that this wasn't your idea" he raised his voice, losing it.

"Firstly Phil, I'm your boss and you'll address me as such. Don't raise your voice to me and don't suggest ideas are not my own" he said calmly.

"Surely you're smart enough to see that this is suicide? Taking me out of house shows to send me round the country doing public appearances? How can the champion not appear at house shows?" he asked in total disbelief.

"Actually, you'll still be doing some of the house shows. It's just a trial of something new. Your travel expenses are covered and these sorts of things are tied into your contract Phil…I'm sorry if you're not happy about it but it is what it is. When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. I appreciate that you're a reliable worker, keep it like that please" Vince said as the phone rang. He gestured towards the door as he took the call.

Phil ran an angry hand over his face, fuming. He couldn't believe it. As if the current schedule wasn't bad enough, he was going to be travelling more, getting even less sleep and doing more work. Trying to calm down, he took a few deep breaths and headed back to his locker room.

"What did he say?" Zack asked.

"That this is some new initiative that they're trialling. It's ridiculous…why are they doing this to me?" Phil collapsed onto the bench, head in his hands.

"Do you think it's got something to do with…?" Zack started.

"Oh there's no doubt in my mind this was Shane fucking McMahon's doing. What's my sister gonna say when I tell her I can't be home for her birthday? What the fuck is Maria gonna say?" he sighed.

"They'll understand…it's your job"

"But I missed three birthdays in a row and I told her I was pretty sure I'd be around this time…and Maria…you know how little we used to see each other" he ran a hand through his hair.

"They said a trial…it's not forever and surely they'll alternate and make someone else take a turn" Zack offered some words of comfort.

"Maybe" Phil sighed frustratedly.

"…and that's all we have time for tonight"

"Tune in next week to see more high-flying, exciting action on Afterburn"

"I've been Maria"

"And I've been Justin. See you next week" they waved off as the cameras stopped rolling.

"Good show guys, that's a wrap" the producer called as they finished filming.

"I'm gonna go…I have to tell Phil the good news" Maria beamed as she waved goodbye to her colleagues. She practically ran all the way to his locker room, stopping just outside the door to collect her thoughts and pull her tight grey skirt down a little. She ran a hand through her voluminous red hair and knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" she heard the distinct voice of Zack Ryder reply.

"Can I come in? It's Maria"

There was a few seconds of silence before Zack opened the door.

"I'll leave you in peace" he said, holding the door so she could enter and closing it as he left.

"Guess what?" she asked, biting her lip excitedly. When Phil didn't respond, his eyes still on the floor she continued.

"They called me into the office earlier, they offered me a contract for three years!" she squealed, ready to jump up and down. She failed to hide her disappointment when Phil barely even looked up from re-doing the tape on his wrists.

"Phil?"

He looked up.

"I thought you'd be happy…" she said softly, suddenly feeling her mood drop. Her eyes welled up a little, wondering why he wasn't happy for her.

"I am…I'm so proud of you" he said, patting his lap for her to sit. She remained standing.

"Why aren't you happy? You're lying to me" she said, wiping angrily at a traitorous tear that escaped over her eyelid.

"I'm so happy for you Ri, you don't even know…you worked so hard for this" he said, standing and taking her in his arms.

"What's wrong then?" she asked, another tear sliding down her cheek and onto his shirt.

"I really don't want to bring you down…you should be celebrating"

"I'm already down now Phil! Just tell me what's going on!" she pleaded.

"They handed out the schedules for this month and they're sending me all over the place on signings and stuff…I'm only gonna be with the tour once or twice a week" he said sadly.

Maria was silent, trying to process what that meant. "For how long?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know…so far the next month"

"I don't want to be away from you again Phil" she whispered, feeling weak but unable to stop the feeling of déjà vu spreading through her.

"I know…we'll figure it out though, I promise" he kissed the top of her head and placed a hand under her chin, tipping her face up towards his.

"You can't make that promise Phil…" she trailed off, unable to look him in the eye.

"We'll be okay, we've learned from the past" he said, kissing her jaw because her face was turned away. She shivered as his lips and the cool metal of his lip ring made contact with her skin. As she turned her face to his, he wasted no time in pressing his lips to hers. Actions speak louder than words, and he wanted to show her that this was a minor speed bump in their relationship. Deep down he was worried, because he was scared that at some point he would once again have to choose between his career and his girlfriend…and he didn't want to face that decision.

Maria woke up on the morning Phil was due to fly out to New York, three hours away from Afterburn filming and found a bunch of flowers on the pillow next to her. She nearly fell off the bed in surprise; she couldn't recall a time he ever bought flowers…

She blinked the sleep away, reaching over and gently pulling them closer. There were an array of different flowers and colours and she brought them to her nose and inhaled deeply. They were held in pink tissue with a silver ribbon. A card was attached. She couldn't keep the huge smile off her face as she carefully unpicked the seal of the envelope.

Maria,

Happy two month anniversary. Here's a quick poem I wrote for you:

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

I suck at poems,

But this one will do

I love you in ways words cannot explain

Though when you sing, you always make it rain

You're beauty to me is second to none,

If I have your heart I've already won

That was shit I know but I'll make it up to you

So don't for a second be feeling blue

I might be away for a little while

But check underneath the washing pile

Phil xxx

Her eyes widened as she clasped a hand over her mouth. When they were together years ago, they didn't ever celebrate anniversaries, even important ones like their first year together…Phil was never keen and they agreed it wasn't a big deal. So this was a complete surprise. Men would never understand how something as simple as flowers could make a girl feel like the only girl in the world. She read through the card a few more times, holding the flowers close. Reading the last line, she furrowed her brow.

She pulled back the blankets and stepped out of bed. As she padded into the bathroom, she saw the pile of dirty clothes unceremoniously tossed into the corner and curiously rifled through them. She gasped as her gaze fell on a present wrapped in pink paper, a silver bow around it to match the flowers. She took it and walked back to the bed, climbing in. She opened it slowly, carefully, making sure not to rip the paper. Inside was a long, red velvet box. She flipped up the lid, the case lined with cream silk.

An overwhelmed smile appeared on her lips as she stared down at the beautiful silver necklace complete with heart pendant; a tiny diamond in the centre of the heart. "It's beautiful" she whispered to herself, almost scared to touch it. This was definitely the most romantic thing Phil had ever done. As she took in the pretty design, caressing the box in her hands, she failed to notice Phil standing in the doorway.

When something moving caught her eye, she looked up. He smiled and walked up to the bed. Maria reached up to embrace him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Do you like it?"

"Phil…I love it…I love you" she kissed him.

"Do you want me to put it on you?"

She nodded and turned around, holding her hair over one shoulder so he could take the necklace from the box and fasten it. When he was done, he accompanied her to the mirror. It was stunning. She watched through the mirror as Phil gently fingered the chain, sending goosebumps up and down her spine. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her neck.

"I have an hour…what do you want to do?" he asked, wishing he didn't have to catch his flight so soon.

"Cuddle" she answered simply, leading him to the bed and lying down, feeling him settle in behind her. "Thank you so much for the flowers and the necklace Phil…now I have something to remind me you're near me…even when you have to be far away" she placed her hands over his which were resting over her stomach.

"It's not for long, I'll be back soon" he sighed, burying his face in her hair and drawing lazy circles where her top rode up her midsection.

No matter how much she told herself she'd see him soon, it didn't make letting him go any easier. As he dragged his suitcase to the door of their hotel room, she followed him sadly. They decided it was best she didn't accompany him to the airport, she'd get too upset. She watched him get the last of his things together, wearing a plain white tank top and grey ¾ sweatpants. She hadn't even put any make-up on or brushed her hair. All her attention that morning was on enjoying being in Phil's arms while she could. She wanted to remember how he felt, commit it to memory so when she was alone she could hold onto the fact that he'd be back soon. Knowing that this wasn't even necessary, just some stupid new company idea didn't make it any easier. But he had to do it and she didn't want to make it any harder for him.

He checked he had his wallet, keys, bags and jacket before leaving them by the door.

"Right, that's everything" he mused, turning to face her. He walked to her and wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders. "I'll see you in a week" he kissed her. "I love you"

"Love you too" she said, staring down at the floor. She didn't want him to see, but he saw the tears escaping her eyes. It was all too familiar, the goodbyes. But this wasn't permanent, it was going to work out, they'd already been ripped apart once…

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