Montreal

Monday…

Avery nearly bumped into a camera man as they filed out of the car. Paige was lucky she loved her because there was no other way she would put up with the invasive Total Divas cameras. They were woken up by the production crew that morning and cameras filmed Paige getting ready and talking to Foxy while Avery went to Colby's room to get another hour of sleep. Then, they had a dash cam in the car when they were driving to the arena, documenting their obnoxious sing along to a bunch of 80's ballads. Then, as soon as they got out of the car, they were swarmed by the crew to pick up filming at the arena. Avery couldn't for the life of her figure out why Paige had signed on to do this but if it was what her best friend wanted, she would just have to go with it. The large crowd of fans being held at bay by a security barricade quickly caught their attention. Both women made their way over and Avery smiled, "How long have you guys been out here? It's freezing."

There were varying answers but nothing less than 2 hours.

Canadian fans were always a favorite of Avery's. They'd always been very good to her and their love for the business reminded her of her own days as a wrestling fanatic; watching every tape and DVD she could find, attending every single show her grandparents would allow. Since they'd arrived earlier than they thought they would, they stayed outside signing autographs and posing for pictures until their hands started getting too cold. They allowed a last few snaps, and then headed inside, cameras following close behind them.

"What exactly are they filming?" Avery asked, confused. "We aren't even doing anything."

Paige shrugged, "They're just waiting for something to happen."

Fortunately, once they reached the locker room, the cameras backed off. Normally they were the first to arrive but Eva, Nattie, and Ariane had beat them there. Very brief hellos were exchanged. They weren't exactly friends. Nattie and Paige had a bit of a love hate relationship. They'd had several disagreements recently after a series of matches. And Avery and Eva weren't exactly the best of friends. Avery tried to be nice to the redhead for Nikki's sake but whenever Nikki wasn't around, Eva was usually giving her the stink eye. She had no idea why since they'd barely ever had a conversation but she didn't worry about it too much. Eva was rarely even on the road. They brought her to Raw to film for the E show and in instances like that night, when they needed all the women on deck.

"Knock, knock."

Avery looked over her shoulder at the door and her jaw dropped when she saw Ashley Flair, better known as Charlotte, standing in the doorway.

"Ash!" Avery rushed over, not even attempting to maintain her composure. She certainly hadn't expected to see the tall blonde but she was beyond thrilled. The two of them had developed a close friendship while working together in NXT. Avery had been the leader of a group called the BWA (Blondes with Attitude) with of Raquel Diaz and Charlotte for a few months. The group was popular but short lived after Raquel requested her release due to some personal issues. After their group was broken up, they were pitted against each other in a feud and they had a great time working against each other. Ashley often came to Avery for advice and Avery was happy to help such a gifted natural athlete and quick learner. It was easy work.

Ashley hugged her tightly, dropping her gym bag. Paige came over as well, smiling excitedly, "Please, please tell me this means what I think it means."

"I'm only here for the night," Ashley sighed. "I'm a surprise entrant in the battle royal. But trust me, I'm gonna make it count."

As the three friends caught up, and the rest of the divas roster started to trickle in, Avery began to feel like she was being watched. She looked over her shoulder and, surprise, surprise, Eva was staring daggers at them. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, pasting on a smile, "Hey Eva, would you mind taking a picture for us?"

If she was going to stare, she might as well make herself useful.

Eva's jaw clenched for a brief second but she flashed them a big smile, "Sure. Of course."

They all made goofy faces and Eva pretended she actually wanted to take the picture.

"No posting that please."

Avery recognized the voice of Mark Carano as Eva gave back her phone. She turned around, seeing Mark's ever present stern expression.

"We can't have Charlotte's appearance getting spoiled," he explained.

"I won't post it before the show, Scout's honor," she assured him.

"Thank you. Ladies, gather around please," he said, waiting until he had everyone's attention. "As you're all aware, tonight we're going to begin the new angle for the Divas Championship starting with a Battle Royal tonight in the second hour of the show. We just released a video with Stephanie McMahon announcing that the title has been vacated and setting up the match. I have a list here of the order of entry and elimination. Avery and Paige, you're the last two. Someone will come in shortly to work out some of the spots with you."

Avery couldn't help her smile as Mark explained how the match was set to finish. She could see that Paige was having the same issue.

"That's it for the Battle Royal," Mark finished. "Avery, you need to be dressed and done with makeup in an hour. We need you on meet and greet duty with Claudio and Kofi."

"Will do," Avery nodded.

"Okay ladies, have a great show."

Jon walked down the hall toward the meet and greet area in no particular rush. He'd been asked at the last minute to step in for Kofi who was running late at some TV interview. He didn't even know who else would be with him but he figured it would be Nattie and one of the other Total Divas girls. He was never a big fan of meet and greets. It wasn't like he didn't like being around the fans, he just didn't like being in such an artificial environment. People paid extra for their tickets and thought it gave them the right to do and say anything they wanted. Technically, it did, because the talent had to stand there, smile, take pictures and sign autographs. He took a deep breath, trying to get himself in the right headspace. His attempt was shot to hell when he saw Avery and Claudio waiting in the hall outside the room he was about to head into.

"Fuck," his head dropped back and he closed his eyes. He should've known something was up when Carano didn't tell him who else was working. It was common knowledge that he wasn't on good terms with either of them. He ran a hand over his face and opened his eyes, hoping that they'd been a hallucination. No such luck. There they were: the Swiss Superman and the Rebel Diva. The sight of them together drove him up the wall. He could barely remember it now but at one point he'd actually considered Claudio a friend. Now, he saw him as nothing but a snake.

This wasn't the first time he'd had the misfortune of stumbling upon them together. The memory of that first time would be forever burned into his brain.

Jon shoved his hands into his pockets, walking through the production area. He had been searching for Avery and he finally got Ariane to tell him where she'd last seen her. He'd tried asking Paige first but that hadn't gone very well.

He just needed to talk to her. It had been a month since that stupid party. He was trying his best to give her time and space but he hated it. He missed her like crazy. He missed the sound of her laugh. He missed the smell of her hair. He missed just knowing that she was his. She hadn't even looked at him since that next morning. 4 weeks of complete and total silence. He was ready to pull his hair out. The night she made her Raw debut was the worst. He was so happy for her and so proud. He was standing near the Gorilla position when she came backstage and she walked right past him like he didn't even exist. He knew that this was his fault. He brought this on himself. Part of his brain was able to understand that he'd screwed up too badly this time, that he'd never get her back. But there was another part of him that just couldn't let go of her. If he could just get her alone for a moment, maybe he could make her see that he was willing to do whatever it took to get her back. He saw her go around a corner and he followed. She was heading to a more secluded part of the arena. Knowing her, she was trying to get a few minutes alone to center herself before the show but he couldn't wait. He took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders then looked around the corner.

She wasn't alone.

Fucking Claudio Castagnoli was with her. They were talking quietly and she smirked at something he said. He continued to talk and she rolled her eyes, beginning to turn away from him. Jon thought she was going to catch him snooping but before she could turn enough to see him, Claudio had wrapped an arm around her waist, lifting her from her feet, eliciting a fit of giggles. She tried to scramble away, bicycling her legs but he held her with ease, saying something very close to her ear. He finally put her down and she turned around, leaning against the wall. Claudio rested his hand on the wall above her head, smiling down at her.

Jon wanted to stop it. He wanted to run down the hall and pull that son of a bitch away from Avery but then it happened. Claudio lowered his head and kissed her. Jon thought about yelling or punching something but his feet seemed to be cemented to the ground. And then Claudio pulled away and Jon studied Avery's face. She laughed and toyed with the bottom of his t-shirt. The other man spoke and she looked up at him, batting her eyelashes in that way that had mesmerized Jon when he first met her. This clearly wasn't the first time they'd kissed. He'd always been suspicious of her friendship with Claudio. He was always making excuses to touch her. He hugged her every time they saw each other and Jon always had to watch where he put the other man put his hands. They texted each other all the time. There were so many signs. And those times that he'd looked Avery in the eye and asked her to tell him the truth, she always called him crazy. She said there was nothing going on. Now he knew that she was lying.

Jon shook away the thought watching as Avery and Claudio laughed together. He hated how damn good she always looked. There should be some sort of rule that cheating ex-girlfriends no longer appear to be attractive. He should only see her as some terrible dinosaur-monster thing like in some weird sci-fi movie. But no, he saw her as she was, fucking perfect. She was annoyingly beautiful.

She was dressed for the show already in her normal match gear. She always wore a pair of ridiculously short denim shorts and a bustier style top, this one was plaid and stopped just under her bra, revealing all of her flat stomach.

Something Claudio said caused her to feign offense and then playfully slap him on the arm. He reached out in retaliation, tickling her on the side. Avery was unreasonably ticklish and always had been. As soon as Claudio touched her ribcage, she darted away from him, heading straight toward Jon. He tried to step out of the way but he wasn't fast enough and she knocked right into him, almost falling over. Jon caught her like a dancer dipping his partner. She looked like she was going to apologize until she realized who had caught her.

She rolled her eyes, "Get off of me."

"Gladly," he said, letting go, allowing her ass to hit the floor.

Claudio rushed over, asking if she was alright.

She got back to her feet quickly. She looked annoyed but also like she knew she had it coming, glaring at him as she brushed off the back of her shorts, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"They asked me to bring a little star power to this thing," he shrugged.

"You sure you aren't being punished for showing up late again?" she crossed her arms, looking smug.

"You keepin' tabs on me, Matthews?" he smirked, reaching toward her chin. She swatted at his hand.

Claudio sighed deeply, "Can you two stop it please? There are a bunch of kids waiting to meet us and they don't know anything about your drama. Be professional."

"Shut up Claudio," Jon sneered.

"Oh that's very mature Jon," Claudio rolled his eyes.

"I'm known for my maturity," Jon shrugged.

Avery let out a loud, fake laugh.

"We're ready for you guys," one of the handlers came around the corner, forcing all of them to pretend to be adults for a few minutes.

"Lead the way," Avery smiled, following behind the young woman.

Claudio followed behind her like the puppy that he was and then Jon brought up the rear, mentally preparing himself for an hour of misery.

Avery pulled her phone out of her pocket as they walked and he saw her type out something quickly.

His own phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out, seeing a text from Avery.

Try not to be an asshole.

Randy walked into the locker room, heading to his bag and pulling out his elbow pads. He was in the main event and needed to be ready soon. He turned on the monitor, wanting to see what match was currently on. He'd lost track of where they were on the card. The Divas Battle Royal was about halfway over. Avery was in the ring, along with Paige, Eva, Naomi, Nikki, Charlotte, and Tamina. Intrigued, he decided to keep watching since he had a few minutes. He was interested in seeing Avery work.

Nikki was crawling in the center of the ring, selling a back body drop from Naomi. Eva stood nearby, playing to the crowd that seemed completely indifferent to her. Then, Avery came into the shot, stepping onto Nikki's back and then launching her knee into Eva's face. Eva fell to the canvas and Avery stood in the spot she vacated, flipping her hair and mocking the redhead. Charlotte grabbed Eva's leg, smiling and let out a big 'Woo' before putting Eva in the figure four. Eva sold like she was being murdered until Nikki came in, kicking Charlotte in the chest and breaking them up. Nikki relished in the heat she got from the crowd, holding out her arms and smiling. Then, Naomi bounced off of the ropes, knocking Nikki down by hitting her with her ass. Randy never understood when Divas were given ass-based offense. It reminded him why he didn't watch many of their matches. Naomi pulled Nikki up by the hair and then tossed her out over the second rope, eliminating her. Charlotte picked Eva up and hit her with a hard chop across the chest, sending her out of the ring. While Charlotte celebrated, Tamina grabbed the blonde's hair and tossed her out over the top rope. The fans were obviously upset and Avery, who had been distracted by Paige, looked distraught as Charlotte was forced to exit up the ramp. Tamina tried for the sneak attack again, grabbing two fistfuls of Avery's hair and tossing her over the top rope. Avery grabbed the top rope, holding on for dear life and the fans popped again as she pulled herself up, skinning the cat. Randy actually scooted forward in his chair. He was impressed. Not many women could do that. She and Tamina traded punches before Tamina took her down with a vicious clothesline. Then, the Samoan pulled her up, lifting her and placing her on the top turnbuckle. Randy wondered what the hell they were about to do when Tamina seemed to be going for a superplex. It didn't make any sense in a Battle Royal so he figured Avery was going to block it. She did, clubbing Tamina with forearms until the bigger woman stumbled back down onto the canvas. She was dazed but still standing, turning around with her back to Avery. Then, Avery wrapped her left leg around Tamina's neck, hooking her right knee over her ankle. She pushed herself up on the ropes with both hands while she used her legs to choke the other woman. Tamina struggled, scratching at Avery's legs until she started to fade. Avery used her legs to push Tamina over the top rope. Tamina managed to stay on her feet, wobbling a bit on the ring apron when Avery let go of her choke hold. Avery was also standing on the apron and she hit Tamina with a hard kick to the head, finally eliminating her.

Avery, Naomi, and Paige remained. Paige and Naomi squared off while Avery got back into the ring, catching her breath in the corner. Soon, Paige and Naomi were standing on the ring apron and Paige bent Naomi over, hitting her rapid, stiff knees to the chest. Avery burst out of the corner, rushing over and pushing both of them. Naomi fell but Paige held the rope and kept her footing. Paige drove her shoulder into Avery's stomach and climbed back in over the second rope. The two women traded punches and kicks until they ended up on the opposite ring apron and Randy knew the finish was coming. They both looked exhausted and the crowd was hot, equally behind both of them. They were both holding on to the top rope with one hand, punching at each other with the other. Paige headbutted Avery but the blonde held on with a white knuckle grip. Then Avery grabbed Paige's hair and pulled her head down onto her knee. Paige wavered as well but held on. Next, at the same time, they both went for a front kick, connecting hard. Both women fell off of the apron.

Avery felt her feet touch the ground and the crowd popped. She snuck a glance at the monitor, just as the replay was shown.

They'd done it.

It was perfect. She and Paige had touched the ground at the exact same moment. As planned, one of the referees came over and took Avery's hand, raising it in the air. The crowd popped loudly for her victory and she smiled happily, trying to catch her breath. Then, another official ran over, grabbing Paige's hand and doing the same.

"This is my house!" Paige screamed at Avery to a much more mixed reaction. She was the heel but people couldn't help but love her.

The referee beside Avery raised her hand again and Avery nodded, smiling, "Whose house is it now?!"

Paige shook her head frantically, screaming.

They shouted at each other and the officials began to argue as well until the show went to commercial.

The four of them argued all the way up the ramp until they got through the curtain.

Once they were out of sight of the fans, Paige jumped on Avery, wrapping her legs around her, "We killed it!"

Avery hugged her friend tightly, squealing with excitement. They had both been so anxious about that spot. If either of them was just a second off, it would have screwed up everything. The fans would have been all over it. The next few weeks of story in the Divas division relied on their feet touching down at the same time on the same side of the ring and they nailed it.

Paige jumped down, looping her arm through Avery's.

They walked past Nick Nemeth who offered Avery a quick high five as he moved past him toward the opening notes of his music. The girls continued on past crew members and Avery slowed down when she saw Randy Orton standing near a monitor in the interview area. He was pulling up his elbow pads and watching the beginning of the next match.

Paige noticed Avery staring and cleared her throat loudly, drawing Randy's attention.

Avery glared at her friend before turning to face Randy. His blue eyes were focused on her and she felt a little flutter in her stomach, rendering her unable to do anything except smile stupidly. He was dressed for his match in his trunks and boots and Avery hoped he didn't notice her objectifying him. She wondered if this was what construction workers felt when they were catcalling women. Maybe it was due to her recent drought but every time she looked at him lately, she felt like she was going to start panting like an over-excited dog.

"Nice work out there," he nodded at her. "I'm impressed."

"Thanks," both women spoke together.

Randy moved to walk past them and he made no attempt to hide that he was looking Avery over.

"Have fun out there," Avery's words escaped her mouth before she could stop them. He smirked, thanking her before turning and walking away.

"Have fun out there?" Paige mocked her. "That's the best you can come up with?"

"I honestly don't know what just happened," Avery shook her head, embarrassed. "I think my brain broke."

"I don't think that's the part of you he's looking to break," Paige smirked as they both watched him walk away.

"I'm beginning to think you're right," Avery admitted. "And I don't think I mind."

"You should," Paige elbowed her.

Avery rolled her eyes, choosing not to fight that battle at that very moment. They could talk about it later.

The next morning…

Avery frowned, watching as bags slowly went by. She was on baggage claim duty while CJ and Paige handled the rental car. So far, only CJ's bags had come around.

"Need some help Matthews?"

She smiled when she felt Colby's arm drape over her shoulders, "I need the bags to come out faster. Does The Authority have any pull in this type of situation?"

"I'm gonna look into that," he laughed. "Where are the other musketeers?"

"Getting the car," she explained. "They should be back in a minute."

"Are you aware that Orton has been eyeballing you the whole time you've been standing here?" Colby frowned, looking over her shoulder. She turned but Randy seemed to be waiting for bags just like she was.

"Well he turned away now but he was," Colby laughed. "What's that about?"

"I don't know," Avery smiled, glancing over at him again. "But I am not mad about it. I can tell you that much."

"Avery…" his tone sounded like a warning.

"What?" she looked up at him.

"The guy is a dick," Colby insisted, looking annoyed. "Trust me; I actually have to be around him all the time."

"I could see him being a dick," Avery nodded. She shrugged, "But he's also really hot."

Colby's face twisted into a grimace and she smiled, pinching his cheek.

"You have the worst taste in guys," he shook his head.

She sighed, shrugging, "You might be right about that."

"Aren't those yours?" he pointed to the slow moving luggage.

"Oh thank God," Avery threw her head back. She went to retrieve them but, ever the gentleman, Colby was faster than her, grabbing her two purple suitcases and then Paige's black ones and CJ's red set.

"Thanks Col," she smiled gratefully when he set the last bag down.

"Anytime," he said. "Even if you're being weird."

"Me? Never," she shook her head.

"Lopez! Let's go!"

They both turned, looking at Jon. He was standing with Joe and they were both looking impatient. Despite the fact that the Shield had broken up, they still traveled together. Jon tapped his bare wrist, "We don't have all day."

"You should really keep your dog on a shorter leash," she advised.

"He's been in an especially bad mood since yesterday," Colby said. "You know anything about that?"

"I didn't do anything to him," she put her hands up. "He dropped me on my ass yesterday and you don't see me pouting about it."

Colby made a confused face and she shook her head, "Don't ask."

"The train is leaving with or without you!"

"Fine, then go!" Colby spat back, obviously annoyed. Jon could be extremely prickly this early in the morning and it had always grated on Colby. Almost every argument they'd ever had took place before 7A.M.

Avery bit her bottom lip to stifle a laugh at their bickering.

"Is there room in your car?" he asked.

"For you? Of course," she smiled. "But you might have to be on Total Divas."

"Damn it," Colby looked torn.

"I think he's actually leaving," Avery pointed to Jon and Joe's retreating backs.

"I'll see you later," he patted the top of her head before rushing off to catch them. Avery grabbed a stray cart and then loaded their heavy suitcases. Once everything was done, headed toward the rental car area. CJ had texted, saying their car wasn't ready so they were still waiting. She had to walk past Randy, who was on the phone. As she moved his way, he smiled at her and she waved, walking by. When she was past him, she turned around, catching him checking out her ass. She smirked, winking at him before turning straight ahead.