The Divas locker room was in a chatter about Mike and Cristina's getaway. It was a discussion that was hard for Maryse to handle, making her want to put a hole through a wall, or - even better - someone's face. Beth and Natalya and Eve were chattering wildly about how romantic Mike must be to take her to her home city of Palermo to visit her family. They were always going on and on about how Cristina was just so perfect. It made Maryse feel sick.
WWE had rolled into the Arrowhead Pond arena for a house show. Tomorrow the Divas could all return home to their family and enjoy three days off before they were set to go out on the road again. The main event was set to be a tag match between David Otunga and Justin Gabriel, taking on CM Punk and John Cena.
Eve had been harbouring a lot of ill will towards Maryse since she figured out the truth behind Cristina's miscarriage. Sure, Cristina wasn't blaming Maryse because Maryse hadn't known, but Eve knew that Maryse had no business putting her hands on Cristina. Maryse was just a bully. She checked her reflection in the mirror and fluffed her light brown hair. "I think he's going to propose to her soon." Alicia Fox clapped her hands together in glee. Traitor, Maryse thought bitterly.
"Do you think they're that traditional?"
"No way is he going to let her slip through his fingers," Natalya replied excitedly. "He almost did it once. He won't do it again."
"Oh, could you guys just shut up?" Maryse snarled with a roll of her eyes.
"Six guys and you're still bitter about the one that dumped your ass," Eve retorted. Maryse moved towards Eve with purpose, drawing her hand back and slapping her. Eve grabbed a clump of Maryse's hair and yanked, while Beth and Natalya tried to pull Eve off of Maryse. Brie and Nikki Bella, along with Alicia, tried to pull Maryse away from Eve, but was only succeeding at Maryse's extensions getting ripped out.
When they were finally pulled apart, Eve held long strands of Maryse's hair in her hands, while Maryse was fuming behind the barrier of the Bella Twins and Alicia Fox. "Who's waiting for you tonight, Maryse? Is it Dolph? Or how about Swagger?" Eve taunted, waving her extensions in front of her face. Maryse charged again, but the girls held her back. With a grin, Eve turned on her heels and left the Divas locker room with Beth and Natalya in tow. Maryse went to go after her, but Brie and Nikki each held her by an arm.
"You stupid bitch! You'll pay!" Maryse threatened, "Just see if you don't!"
On day three, Cristina and Mike fell into her father's spare bedroom, exhausted from their day of travel. They had gone to one of Palermo's most famous theatres to watch her mother's dress rehearsal for her new opera. Her mother was a director of the show. She had hammered in the marriage thing again, made Mike feel like he should be living in perpetual fear, and then they had left for a romantic dinner date and to see one of the oldest churches in Palermo.
Back at her father's house, she curled up beside Mike, resting her head on his chest, her arm encircling his stomach. "I'm sorry about my mother," Cristina apologized. "I didn't realize she would have you fearing for your life."
"It's all right. I figured it would be just a little bit awkward. Your dad seems to like me."
"He really likes you. He told me so," she answered. "I'm sure my mother likes you, too. She's just getting old and set in her ways." Mike laughed. "Thank you for coming with me, Michael. This is really a beautiful trip."
"I didn't want to miss this for the world," he replied. "Any word on Wacken?"
"Not yet. They should let me know by the end of the month. God, I would love to go to Wacken. All the best metal bands play." Mike nodded. Cristina already promised him her guest pass. It meant he got to travel a lot during the summer. But the word going around was that Rammstein was going to play. He'd seen them before, but he always enjoyed seeing them in concert.
He kissed her forehead and rubbed her back, thinking of the conversation he had with her father. It had been awkward for him, but Giuseppe Cannellucci had been surprisingly relaxed about things. Nothing seemed to faze the guy.
Vince had left him a voice message. He said that he had something to talk to Mike about when they got back from Italy. He wanted Mike to bring Cristina with him. Why, Vince didn't elaborate, but he informed Mike that it would be worth his while if Cristina came along. Mystified, Cristina had agreed. Travel, travel, travel. At least they were going to have a couple days to stay in bed and sleep the jetlag off. Mike's body was still kicking and screaming about the jetlag. Same with Cristina, who had been suffering the worst bout of insomnia since landing in Italy.
"Do you ever think about moving back here?" Mike asked. Cristina shook her head.
"I like my American life."
"Oh yeah?"
"Si." Her words made him feel better. He pulled her even closer than before. She fell asleep in minutes, the jetlag and the business of the day wearing on her. In minutes, Mike fell asleep as well.
"Do you think Vince is going to do it?"
"What? Bring in Cristina? He'd be an idiot not to. She's fucking hot!" Beth replied with a laugh. It was another girl's night, this time with Alicia Fox involved. Eve had become something of a legendary Diva in the locker room for ripping Maryse's hair out. Maryse's bitterness over the end of her relationship with Mike had been driving everybody backstage crazy. For the past year, she had become intolerable.
"Do you think Maryse is planning something?" Alicia asked. Beth shrugged.
"More than likely. Maryse was a total bitch to Mike, though. I can't see him being all that inclined to run back to her, especially if you saw the way that Cristina dotes on him. Running back to Maryse is definitely the last thing he wants to be doing." Alicia nodded.
Eve dropped a big pile of candy in the middle of the hotel room floor. Beth grabbed an individually wrapped Reese's peanut butter cup and popped it into her mouth. "Do you think he loves Cristina?" Alicia asked.
"Oh, without a doubt," Eve replied, grabbing a set of rockets. "She's got him wrapped around her finger. The best part? She never asks him for anything. He's not constantly shelling out for possessions to make her happy like he did with Maryse. God, how many times did I have to go out and help him pick necklaces and earrings for that ungrateful brat?"
"I can't believe he didn't ask for any of that back after they split," Alicia replied. Beth and Natalya nodded their heads incredulously; there were thousands of dollars in diamonds that Mike had spent on Maryse that she had gotten to keep in the split. Eve shrugged.
"He just wanted her gone. Possessions are possessions."
"Fair point," Beth replied.
"I remember the day that she had to move out," Eve replied. "I got to go and sit with Mike and make sure she didn't try anything to stay. She had put up one hell of a fight to try and stay." Eve shook her head, sipping on her root beer. "I always knew Mike was going to end up with Cristina, but God, what a complicated road to get there. Mike needs to learn to be a little bit more blunt about things." Eve sat back. Instead of a movie, Beth Phoenix had brought some punk CD her boyfriend wanted her to check out. They were all listening to it, drinking beer and eating candy. It was their one time a week on the road where they all got to feel like teenagers again.
Maryse leaned back in her bubble bath, twirling her glass of red wine around her fingertips. Her head still burned from where Eve had ripped out several strands of her hair. She was fuming, her ego was stinging that Eve had gotten such a cheap shot at her expense. In front of all the other Divas, no less. Oh, how she hated Eve Torres. She hoped somebody would vaporize her.
She had received several texts from some of the men on the roster, asking if she was in the mood to hook up, but not tonight. Tonight was the night where she could lick her wounds and seethe. Try and repair what was left of her ever-fracturing ego.
She had brought her iPod stereo into the bathroom with her. Lady Gaga was wailing about being on the edge of glory. Maryse wished she could say the same. Everything seemed to be falling apart. Here she was, sitting in a hot tub of bubbled water, with a burning head and a broken heart, while Mike was halfway across the world in bed with some music journalist he became infatuated with. She knew there was a reason why she wanted him to stay away from her. Cristina Cannellucci had spelled bad news for their relationship from the second Maryse had found her number in his phone.
