Can I Ask You Something?

Summary: Zack Tyler a.k.a. Machetti has been brought in from OVW to compete on Raw. But what happens when he starts to have special feelings for a certain backstage announcer? Story goes parallel to WWE programming, starts at the June 9th addition of Smackdown.

Pairings: OCxMaria

Disclaimer: I don't own the WWE or any of its superstars' trademarks, names or slogans; it all belongs to a great man named Vincent Kennedy McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment. But any characters you don't recognize (Zack Tyler) are mine!

Rating: T

---x---

Chapter 4: Save Me

Zack was lounging around his hotel room desperately looking for something to do. He and Carlos were rooming together; but Carlos was never really around during the day. He was always out being cool or something. It was Monday morning and Zack new that he had at least three hours before he needed to be at the arena. But suddenly Zack's cell phone rang, allowing him to escape from his period of boredom.

"Zack this is Vince McMahon do you have a second?" asked the voice on the other end.

"Of course I do sir," said Zack, "what did you want?"

"Well the Board of Directors and I have decided to give you a match at Vengeance," said Vince.

"I would love that sir," said Zack, "who's it against?"

"Well you're going to be facing Rob Conway in a Street Fight," said Vince.

"Okay and is there a story line involved?" asked Zack.

"Yes there is actually," said Vince, "how would you feel about working with Miss. Maria Kanellis?"

"Oh, that would be fine," said Zack, "what does it involve?"

"Well I think you might like this," said Vince, "I actually thought up the story line myself."

"Alright lay it on me," said Zack.

"Well here's what you're going to do," said Vince, "tonight on Raw…"

Vince went on with a detail description of what Zack was going to be doing and all the different backstage segments that were going to be involved. Zack actually smiled as he listened to Vince's story line for him. If nothing else I would be very interesting.

---x---

(Author's Note: On Raw Rob Conway interrupts Maria and Eugene's interview segment and gets owned. Just to avoid confusion let's just say that never happened.)

Later that night the cameras were rolling and Raw was live from Blue Cross Arena, in Rochester New York. The Carlito vs. Nitro and Benjamin match had just finished and Maria was starting her interview segment with Rob Conway.

"Rob Conway," said Maria as she held the microphone, "last week you had a match against Machetti and you lost. How do you feel?"

"How do you think I feel you stupid…" started Conway, but paused before continuing, "You know what, I'm letting this get to me. Last week was a fluke, and will never happen again. This nobody came into MY ring and by some stroke of luck, beat me. Also he couldn't have won had he not exposed that turnbuckle and made me run into it. Machetti cheated and managed to win."

"But Rob haven't you cheated in some of your matches?" asked Maria.

"That is beside the point," said Conway, he was starting to get angry, "Machetti had to cheat to beat me and he would never have beaten me if he fought clean. So tonight I'm challenging Machetti to a rematch, right here right now in Rochester."

"But Rob, Machetti doesn't have anything to prove to you," said Maria, "he beat you last week and he doesn't have to do it again. How are you going to get him to face you?"

"Hey you're actually right about something," said Conway, "maybe I'll just have to force him to come out to the ring."

"How are you going to do that?" asked Maria.

"Have you ever heard of a damsel in distress?" asked Conway with a smirk.

"What's that?" asked Maria.

"Well I'll show you," said Conway, as he grabbed Maria and threw her over his shoulder.

Conway then took the microphone and stared into the camera. "Machetti," said Conway, "I know you're backstage, and if you don't want Maria here to get hurt you will get your ass out to that ring and face me in a rematch."

With that Conway dropped the microphone and started walking towards the ring, as Raw went to a commercial break.

---x---

WWE Unlimited started up with Conway's music hitting and Conway and Maria made their way down to the ring, with the later still on the shoulder of the former. Conway took Maria off of his shoulder when he made it to ringside, shoved her into the ring and quickly followed after her. Conway then held his arm around Maria so she couldn't escape, and took a microphone in his free hand.

"Now I bet all of you stupid fans are thinking that Machetti is going to come down here and kick my ass," said Conway as a 'what' chant started.

"Well I have news for you!" ("What!")

"This isn't a fairy tale!" ("What!")

"The brave knight…" ("What!")

"Isn't going to rescue the princess!" ("What!")

"When Machetti comes down here…" ("What!")

"I'm going to give him…" ("What!")

"The worst beating of his life!" ("What!")

Conway dropped the microphone and faced the entrance daring Machetti to come down as WWE Unlimited faded away.

---x---

When Raw came back from the break J.R. told the fans that they were still waiting for Machetti to come down to the ring.

But as soon as J.R. finished saying that Machetti's them song hit…

Let's get it on
From city to city
The future looks bright
But it ain't looking pretty

C'mon!
(C'mon)
C'mon!
(C'mon)

Machetti then appeared on the entrance ramp, decked out in his orange and black wrestling gear with a microphone in his hand and told them to cut the music.

"So is this the type of man you are Conway?" asked Machetti, "Holding a defenseless woman hostage so you can get what you want? Well I beat you last week and I'm going to beat you again!" Machetti then dropped the mic and took his vest off. Then ran down to the ring, as Conway shouted for Mickie Henson to get in the ring and referee the match.

Machetti got in the ring and faced Conway, who was still hiding behind Maria, and holding her in front of him. Then Conway pushed Maria into Machetti and then ran and nailed Machetti with a clothesline, sending him crashing down to the mat.

Maria slid out of the ring as Conway started working over Machetti's knee, with several vicious stomps. While the referee was checking on Maria, Conway dragged Machetti over to one of the ring posts and wrapped Machetti's legs around it. Conway then got out of the ring, and took the leg that he had been stomping on and smashed it into the metal post. Then Conway quickly slid back into the ring as the referee was turning around.

Conway applied a side leg-lock to Machetti's leg applying immense pressure to the knee he was working on, causing Machetti to scream out in pain. Machetti finally managed to crawl to the ropes and forced Conway to break the hold. Conway then stood up and dragged Machetti back into the center of the ring, and locked in a single leg crab. Machetti screamed in pain and clawed at the mat as Conway continued to apply pressure to his knee.

Conway eventually stood up and stomped on the back on Machetti's knee, then reached down and grabbed Machetti's black knee pad and pulled it down, exposing Machetti's knee for further punishment. Conway then stomped on the back of Machetti's exposed knee and then went back to the single leg crab he had in before.

After enduring a lot of pain, Machetti, with a tremendous effort managed to make it to the ropes again, forcing Conway to release the hold, which he only did when the referee had counted to four. Machetti wrapped his legs around the ropes so Conway couldn't drag him back into the center of the ring. Then Machetti quickly rolled out of the ring as the referee told Conway to leave him alone.

Outside of the ring Machetti managed to get to his feet, but stood gingerly on his injured leg. The referee followed him out and asked Machetti if he wanted to continue the match. Machetti looked around and noticed an extremely frightened Maria still at ringside, then told the referee that he was going to continue the match.

Machetti pulled himself into the ring and stood up and face Conway from across the ring. But Conway quickly ran at Machetti and took him down with a single leg takedown. Conway got back on his feet and stomped on the back of Machetti's knee continuing his relentless onslaught on the limb.

Conway then held Machetti's leg in his arms, as Machetti got back up and stood on one foot. Then out of no where Machetti swung his good leg and connected with the back of Conway's head with an ensuguri. Machetti went for a desperate pin attempt but Conway managed to kick out at two.

Machetti used the ropes and pulled himself up to a standing position and then ascended one of the ring posts and stood on the top rope. Machetti then lunged at Conway and tried to hit a diving head-butt but his leg gave out and Machetti didn't make it to Conway and crashed and burned.

Conway crawled over to Machetti and covered him for a pin, but Machetti just managed to kick out. Conway looked at the referee in disbelief, but decided not to make an issue of it, as he got back up to his feet. Conway then grabbed Machetti's leg and swung him around the ring with it, when Conway finally let go Machetti went flying across the ring and skidded into a ring post.

Machetti managed to make it to a sitting position and leaned against the bottom turnbuckle pad, but then Conway made his way over to Machetti and kicked him in the head. Conway then wrapped Machetti's leg around the bottom rope and pulled back on it, applying an immense amount of pressure to the knee. The referee started the five count that would disqualify Conway, and Conway used every second of it, and finally let go when the referee was going to count to five.

Conway then grabbed Machetti's leg and dragged him into the center of the ring. But just as he made it to the center, Machetti pushed up with his arms and pushed back with his good leg, connecting with Conway's head and knocking his attacker to the ground.

Machetti got back up to his feet and hobbled over to Conway and lifted him to his feet but was met with a poke to the eyes. Then Conway ran at Machetti and nailed him with a running Ego Trip. Machetti rolled around the ring and found himself next to the ropes but unable to move. Conway then applied a pin to Machetti, but Maria chose this moment to interfere and put Machetti's foot on the bottom rope. The referee saw Machetti's foot on the rope and stopped the count, which really pissed Conway off. Then Conway pulled Machetti away from the ropes and applied another pin, but just as the referee's hand was coming down for the three Machetti managed to get his shoulder up.

At this point Conway snapped! Conway got off of Machetti and left the ring and got a chair. Conway then got back into the ring and stood behind Machetti who was pulling himself to his feet with the ropes. Conway raised the chair above his head ready to blast Machetti with it when he turned around. But just as Machetti turned and as Conway was bringing the chair down, Maria grabbed the bottom of Machetti's leg from behind and pulled him down. The chair then ricocheted off of the rope and connected with Conway's head. Conway had just knocked himself unconscious with the chair, but the match was still going on due to the fact that he had used the chair on himself.

Machetti pulled himself up to his feet and climbed onto the ring apron, Machetti then pulled himself up to the top rope, and winced in pain as he pushed off with all the force he could muster. Machetti soared across the ring and landed on Conway for the springboard body splash. Machetti hooked Conway's leg, and then got the three count for the win.

Maria got in the ring and help Machetti to his feet as they celebrated his second victory over Conway and in the WWE. Maria and Mickie Henson then helped Machetti out of the ring and to the back, leaving Conway lying unconscious in the middle of the ring.

"Nice match kid," said Mickie Henson, when they got through the curtains, "you sold that pain so well, I wanted to stop the match for a second."

"Thanks man," said Zack, as he lifted his arms off of their shoulders and stood on his own.

"No problem," said Mickie, as he started walking away, "and I'm definitely looking forward to refereeing your matches in the future."

"My hero," said Maria once Henson had left, "thanks for saving me from mean old Rob Conway."

"It was no problem at all," said Zack with a smirk.

"But doesn't the brave knight get a prize after he rescues the princess?" asked Maria.

"Usually," said Zack, not really sure where this was going.

"Well here you go," said Maria as she gave Zack a quick kiss on the cheek, "see you later Zack."

As Maria walked off Zack felt a smile spread across his face. He was definitely going to enjoy the rest of this story line. Zack then turned and saw Conway coming through the curtains, to a loud boo.

"Dude what did you do?" asked Zack.

"I flipped off the fans as I walked up the ramp," said Conway with a smirk, "good job kid, that was a great match."

"Yeah I just hope I get a fair share of offense in the next one," said Zack.

"We'll see about that, see you later," said Rob as he walked off.

As Zack walked down the hallway his thoughts were occupied by a certain Diva. Zack was so out of it that he walked into the ECW guys.

"Hey you're the guy who did that dark match before One Night Stand," said Tommy (Dreamer) Laughlin, "nice job kid, some of those spots even made me proud."

"Yeah Zack that was an awesome ladder dive," said Terry (Sabu) Brunk, who had met Zack at the Smackdown! taping..

"Zack it was an honor to have you do the dark match for my show," said Heyman.

"No problem guys," said Zack, "it was fun. Let me know if you ever want me to do it again."

"I might just do that," said Heyman, as he started walking off, "see you later crazy."

The ECW guys then walked off, a few of them stopped to shake Zack's hand, but eventually Zack was left on his own.

Zack smiled as he walked back to the locker room and was met by Carlos and Gene Snitsky. They congratulated him on his match and told him that he preformed a good solid match.

---x---

Zack sat around the locker room, until several minutes later he heard a knock at the door. He walked over and opened it to find Maria and a camera man waiting outside.

"You ready for our interview segment?" asked Maria, "we're on in five."

"Are Rob, Lance, and Trevor ready?" asked Zack.

"Yeah they're waiting around the corner," said Maria.

"Alright let's do this," said Zack.

The minutes finally winded down and the camera man got the signal he was waiting for and started rolling. The promotion for the Highlanders had just ended and now it was time for the final interview segment of the night.

"Hey Machetti," said Maria, as Machetti was about to head into the locker room.

"Oh hey Maria," said Machetti, as he turned around, "what's up?"

"Well I just wanted to thank you for saving me from Conway," said Maria.

"Oh it was no problem," said Machetti, "and by the way thanks for saving me from that chair shot."

"Oh just returning the favor," said Maria with a smile, "so anyway, tonight marked your second win in the WWE, how do you feel?"

"I feel great," said Machetti, "I've been working really hard to get into this level of competition and I'm happy that my hard work is finally paying off."

"Well I'm glad to…" Maria suddenly stopped what she was saying and let out a loud scream.

Machetti turned around in time to see Cade and Murdoch charge at him and knock him to the ground. Conway then appeared and grabbed Maria and threw her over his shoulder for the second time that night. Cade and Murdoch then held Machetti up so that he was facing Conway.

"Listen punk," said Conway, "tonight you got lucky, and that's the only reason that you beat me."

"Yeah right," said Machetti, "you were the one who brought in the chair."

"Look I don't need to prove myself to you," said Conway, "but I've decided to anyway. If you want to see Maria again you will face me at Vengeance in a street fight. If you win I'll let her go, but if you lose… well let's just say, you might not be seeing a lot of Maria any more."

"Fine," said Machetti, "but you have to promise me that she won't get hurt."

"Fine," said Conway, "but you really aren't in the position to be making deals."

"Here's a taste of what's in store for you one Sunday," said Conway as he threw Maria to the ground and grabbed a chair.

Conway then delivered a sickening chair shot to Machetti's head knocking him out cold.

"Let's get out of here boys," said Conway as he picked up Maria and carried her away. Cade and Murdoch then dropped Machetti, leaving him unconscious on the floor. The camera man then filmed Machetti as he laid unconscious on the ground, before powering off the camera. Ric Flair's music then hit in the arena and he made his way down to the ring.

Before walking away the camera man gave Zack a thumbs up sign, and Zack got back up to his feet. Rob, Maria, Lance, and Trevor then came back around the corner.

"Well played man," said Lance.

"Thanks," said Zack.

"Gee Zack do you think you'll be able to save me this time?" asked Maria, "it is three on one."

"Actually that gives me an idea," said Zack.

"What is it?" asked Rob.

"Well it involves something having to do with after the match," said Zack, "I'll go talk to Vince about it."

"But what is it?" asked Trevor.

"You'll find out," said Zack as he walked off towards the Chairman's office.

---x---

Oh boy what does Zack have in mind?

Next Chapter: Vengeance…

Peace!