Piece of the Puzzle
A Nikki Bella/Seth Rollins fic
Thank you for your appreciation, guys! x
Chapter 3
"With a little help from my friends"
It was 3 days later and the whole Raw crew was in Maine for the scheduled live event of that night.
Sitting at a table in the terraced café area of the designated hotel, Nikki was enjoying an afternoon drink with whom presently seemed to be the only friend she had left on the roster. At least among the girls, for no one of the guys had -luckily- to show her any open hostility yet.
"Oh this is nice, way too nice." Renee showed all her appreciation as she grabbed another triangle-shaped mini sandwich from the plate set at the centre of the small round table.
Nikki closely mirrored the petite blonde, both in gesture and appreciation, opting for a triangle decorated with a cocktail stick with a little pink umbrella on top.
"Salmon and butter, yummy!"
"If we didn't have to be at the arena in like an hour, I would totally clean the whole plate."
"Go ahead," Nicole encouraged with a wave of her hand, "it's not like you have to wrestle. Pig out all you want, honey."
"Oh no, I can't." Renee relaxed with her back against the white wrought-iron back of her chair, a hand on her full stomach, "Otherwise I'll snort at the superstars instead of interviewing them."
"Fair point," Nicole laughed, "I shall stop too. Even though I wouldn't mind so much if I ended up throwing up on my opponent."
It was Renee's turn to laugh now. "Do you know whom you're facing?"
"Does it make any difference?"
"I'm afraid not." The blonde commented with a grimace. "Are you excited to get back in the ring, though?"
"That, absolutely." Nikki sincerely said, clinking glasses with her friend.
"Sorry to interrupt, ladies." A voice apologised as Seth Rollins approached the duo. "Dean lost his keycard and needs to take his stuff for tonight." The superstar thus explained with an amused grin in Renee's direction.
"Oh, not again." The latter protested.
"So it seems." Seth confirmed with another grin, outstretching his hand like a child waiting for his mom to give him either some candy or some pocket money.
"Nope, I'll go myself." Renee picked her purse up with an eye-roll. "If this is the only one we got left, I won't take any chances."
"Just don't shoot the messenger." The Iowa native raised both his hands in innocence before his friend's annoyance.
"Nope, just keep Nicole some company, would you?"
"Absolutely," Seth's smile this time was aimed at the Bella number 2.
"Sorry for leaving like this, I never remember I actually married a 5 years old."
"And one with a foul mouth at that." Seth promptly added.
"Thanks for reminding me," Renee offered another eye-roll at the comment as she apologetically touched Nicole's arm on her way out.
Nikki's amused giggles at the emergency situation met Seth's boyish grin. "Is him always so desperate?"
"Hopeless case, trust me. Roman and I should make Renee a statue for having taken such trouble from our hands, at least in part."
"Wow." Nicole couldn't refrain from laughing some more before sobering up. "Nice of you to have accepted, by the way, but I'm still capable of sitting on my own. I don't want to keep you."
Nicole's polite smile was met by an expression of mock hurt on Seth's part.
"Are you saying I'm not a keeper?"
"Not at all, Seth Rollins, just that you don't have to feel obliged."
"No obligations, just pleasure. Now shall I?"
"Of course, then." Nicole cheerfully surrendered with a smile as the superstar first gestured for the chair previously occupied by Renee and then sat down.
"So, what was the topic of discussion? I want to do my best to substitute for Renee. Shoot."
Nikki easily picked her glass up and played with the straw, taking her time in casually swirling the transparent drink inside before answering with the most nonchalant tone. "Actually, we were just discussing superstars' sizes, you know."
"Is that so?" Seth shot back, unperturbed. "Then you've just got yourself the winner, baby."
"Oh my God, you're the worst." Nicole couldn't help but laugh, giving in as the joke backfired on her.
"I'm afraid I am." Seth offered a lopsided grin before sobering up. "How are you feeling about your return?"
"Definitely excited, just a bit deflated about the locker room's situation, you know?"
"I think that's understandable on your part. On the other hand..."
"Yes?" Nicole prompted as he trailed off.
"May I be blunt?"
"I'm a big girl." She conceded with a smile.
"Who gives a fuck if the girls love or hate you? Mind you, I found it ridiculous myself that they all seem to have taken it personally, but you've not come back to make some friends. I suppose you're here for yourself, for the title. Am I correct?"
"Absolutely."
"Then I say you go on and do you. It's only my opinion, but don't let them get to you or slow you down."
"I appreciate it Seth, thank you."
"You're welcome, Nikki Bella." He emphasized her name with that accent of his, making her giggle. "After all, you know I've had my fair share of controversy over here too."
"Oh God, yeah, that awful double coloured hair."
"...Excuse me?!" Seth's outraged expression at such serious observation was almost comical. "I was referring to my run in with the Authority, but anyway my blond hair was the bomb, thank you very much." He grumpily crossed his arms on his chest.
"It looked cheap as hell." Nicole pointed out with a grin, "And you know that too, Seth Rollins."
"Well, forgive me, Miss High Maintenance." Was the childish protest that followed, prompting Nicole to giggle some more.
"Here, help yourself." She moved the plate closer to him as some sort of peace offering. "Try the pink umbrella ones."
Seth eagerly obliged, removing the stick and leaving it in what was Renee's empty plate before shoving the whole triangle in his mouth. Then he pulled a disgusted face.
"Ew." A few seconds later, after having swallowed his sandwich, he stuck his tongue out, reminding Nikki of when Birdie tried some food for the first time and didn't particularly enjoy it.
"Not a salmon's fan?" Nicole tentatively asked, trying to contain her amusement but failing miserably.
"Gimme that." Seth feigned a glare and snatched the cocktail glass from Nicole's hand, washing up what remained of her drink.
"Stephanie Nicole!"
"Oh my, the full name. Why am I in trouble?" Nikki wondered as she held her phone in the crook of her neck, her hands busy carrying her bags from the parking lot to the arena.
"Are you kidding me? When were you planning on telling me?" Brie demanded in a quite upset tone.
"Um... tell you what, exactly?" Nicole inquired in genuine bewilderment. For a brief moment she thought someone might've snapped a pic of her and Seth at the café earlier and consequently started the spread of new rumours on the internet – thing she wouldn't even find surprising at this point – yet why would have Brie been so gullible and believe them?
"Oh, I don't know, perhaps the fact that the whole women's locker room has basically turned on you?"
"Oh, that."
"Yeah, that tiny, little detail you seem to have left out from your report of the other night." Brie pressed on, sounding pretty much like an angry, scolding mom on a roll.
"Perhaps I forgot to mention it." Was Nikki's sheepish, tentative reply.
"Try again." There was no need to see Brie to know she was rolling her eyes.
"Alright," Nicole eventually gave in, not without a sigh though. "I didn't mention it cause I didn't want for you to worry about me."
"Nicole, I'm your sister, of course I'm gonna worry about you."
"Which is exactly why I didn't want to share that particular information." It was Nicole's turn to accompany her words with an eye-roll. "How did you find out, by the way?"
"You seem to forget I have a husband who last night was regularly on Smackdown Live where, obviously, he heard what happened on Monday night." Brie explained, progressively raising her voice at an alarming rate with each word.
"Wow."
"What now?"
"I think I just witnessed firsthand your transformation into our mother. Last time I got the same scolding we were 15 and I decided to go swimming in an all-white swimsuit at Lucy Evans' house. Basically see through after 5 minutes."
"Nicole."
"Alright, alright. I'm sorry I didn't tell you myself."
"How are you coping?"
"You know Brie, I actually think I'm gonna be fine."
"Are you?" Brie skeptically inquired.
"Yeah, I mean I came back for a precise goal, didn't I? And I won't let anything stop me." Nicole explained, still hearing Seth's words in her mind and feeling already more confident than how she had in the past 48 hours.
"Are you sure? Cause I was thinking perhaps we could look at Daniel's schedule and see if he can come over to Raw one of these days..."
"Oh my God, Brianna, you're indeed such a mom." Nicole giggled. "I love you and I love Daniel, but I don't need a chaperone. I swear. Besides, it's not like I'm all by myself, I've still got Renee on my side and I can hang with some of the guys as well."
"...Oh, I know about the last part."
"Bitch."
A somewhat relieved laughter echoed through the speaker. "Just promise me you'll tell me if anything like that happens again, okay?"
"Pinky swear." Nicole lightly agreed, genuinely touched at her sister's protection. She knew she had people who loved and supported her and about the rest of them... well, who gave a fuck, as Seth had kindly advised her?
Dressed up in her usual red and black in-ring attire later on that night, Nikki was standing right outside the canteen sharing a cup of coffee with Roman Reigns while the show was currently going on.
They were casually chatting and at the same time keeping an eye on the show on a monitor.
"So your in-ring debut is for tonight?" Roman inquired as on the screen Elias insulted the town they were currently in.
"Yup, and so the games really begin." Nicole replied with a grin. "Tag team match with Sasha Banks and me against Ronda Rousey and Nia Jax."
"Ouch." Roman offered a grimace, "Don't get offended but your opponents seem likely to be able to break in two the both of you."
"Tell me about it." The former Divas champion let out an anxious giggle, "I half expect my partner to turn her back on me on top of that, too. Damn, Brie, where art thou?!"
"Well, don't you worry, if it comes down to that worst case scenario you just whistle and I'm pretty sure the Hounds of Justice won't mind giving it another go." And with that he let out a low whistle in demonstration.
As if right on cue, Seth chose that exact moment to turn the corner and come towards the duo.
"Who's calling us?" The self-proclaimed Beast Slayer inquired as he joined them, casually placing an arm around Roman's neck and prompting Nikki to chuckle in amusement.
"That would be me, it seems." She grinned.
"Hounds of Justice at your service then, miss." Seth charmingly said.
"Aw, how cute." Natalya's voice interrupted the friendly gathering as she approached them from behind Nicole. "You guys are so sweet... perhaps you're both hoping to get princess Nicole to pull some strings for you? Speaking of," the Canadian added, this time focusing on Nicole herself, "how's John doing these days? Still buddy buddy with Vince?"
"Oh give it a rest, Nattie. And choose something new if you want to actually offend me." Nicole simply rolled her eyes, unfazed by the accusation. "By the way, if you wanna play this game, honey, I'm not the one with a famous surname here. Now excuse me, but I do have something better to do than listening to you." The Bella twin thus concluded and turned on her heels, leaving Natalya literally open-mouthed at the naively unexpected comeback.
As she walked away though, Nikki looked back just once to offer her best gloating smirk in her fellow Diva's direction... and in the process distinctly receiving a conspiratorial wink from Seth, who was still behind the Canadian.
When the latter, verbally defeated, left the scene, Roman nudged his best friend in the ribs.
"That's not true, by the way."
"What's not true?" Seth asked in genuine confusion.
"She's really done with John. She just told me she's been living on her own for months."
"And why are you telling me?"
"Just sayin', man." Roman shrugged, hiding a smirk as he followed Seth back in the locker room.