Chapter VI: Cena? Really?

"Have you tried feeding her," Rayleigh asked into the phone as she waited for her guests to finish taking their relaxing showers, "Adam, sometimes it's just the most obvious answer, now, when was the last time that you fed Lyric? Okay, when was the last time Beth fed Lyric?" Rayleigh waited for the answer and then rolled her eyes at her brother's answer.

"She's hungry," she told him, "Just heat her up a bottle of formula or whatever you and Beth are giving the poor girl and feed her. You know for two people who used to look after me and can remember when I was a baby; you and Jay are pretty damn clueless when it comes to taking care of your own daughters." Rayleigh leaned against the counter and waited silently for her brother to make his daughter a bottle.

"Now, do you remember what mom showed you," Rayleigh asked, "No, you just can't feed it to her, it could burn her tongue and then you have an even bigger problem, just test the bottle like mom showed you." Rayleigh shook her head, as she listened to her brother grumble and moan about the stupid bottle being too hot to even do the test. If she wasn't so worried about her brother possibly damaging her niece's taste buds, she would have started a bet on which swear word would be Lyric's first word just like he had with her and Mike.

Jon walked into the kitchen to see Rayleigh leaning against the counter with a phone attached to her ear and an obvious look of annoyance on her face. He could only guess who she was on the phone with, but from what he heard of the conversation it was probably her brother.

"Adam, it won't take the long to cool," Rayleigh said, as she offered Jon a smile, "If you put the bottle into the freezer, you're just going to have to start this all over again. Just rock Lyric for a couple of minutes, the motion will soothe her and pass the time until the bottle is cool enough for her to drink. Now, I have a daughter of my own I need to take care of, can I go?" Hanging up the phone, Rayleigh looked at Jon and smiled again.

"You want something drink? Eat," she offered, "I was going to order a pizza in a little bit since the two of you must be hungry, but I can make you a sandwich or something if you really need something to eat." Jon shook his head.

"No, thanks," he told her, "I just wanted to talk to you about-"

"About Stephen," Rayleigh finished for him, "I thought you might."

"Yeah, I guess, I just want to know how you knew," Jon asked, "She had to tell Punk for him to figure it out and he had to tell the rest of us for us to figure it out."

"I knew someone like him before," Rayleigh explained.

"You were-"

"Oh, no, I guess what I should have said, was I knew a variation of him," Rayleigh clarified, "A cheater."

"Oh, may I ask-"

"You don't already know," Rayleigh asked, "I would have thought for sure that someone on the roster would have already told you."

"I know some of the details, but I-"

"You don't want to know the backstage garble, you want to know the truth about what happened," Rayleigh finished for him, "Well, it pretty much went like this. I was in love with someone before Mike. He was my entire world, and in the matter of twenty-fours my entire world went from sunshine and daisies to…something just north of a living nightmare. Cheated on me with another Diva, I found out a few months into it, and when I went to confront John about it…"

"Wait John," Jon asked, "As in John Cena…he was the guy that cheated on you? You two are like the best of friends."

"Yeah well, we were good friends when we started in the company and then we started dating and then there was a time that we didn't talk which was before Sophie, but after he cheated and I got with Mike and then some things happened and he proved himself to be a better friend than boyfriend."

"So, you could see right through Stephen's little public act," Jon asked, looking up at the ceiling as they heard footsteps, telling them that Beth was finally coming down.

"Yeah, it also helped that Soph would take two steps near him," Rayleigh explained, "When Beth would come to visit with the bastard in tow; she would cling to me or Mike. I think Beth liked to think that she could keep it a secret, but like I said, it's hard enough to admit you're in abusive relationship to yourself, never mind a friend. It took me months before I could come to terms with what John did and what it cost us."

"Can I ask you another question," Jon said, just as Beth walked into the kitchen. Rayleigh smiled at her, as Beth took the chair beside Jon.

"You just did," Rayleigh joked, "But, go ahead."

"Why are you and Cena friends," Jon asked, "I mean, it's just he cheated on you-"

"Things with John got a little confusing after we found out about the miscarriage," Rayleigh explained, "I didn't really want a lot to do with him, but in a way he and I will always be connected. When my brother found out about Sophie, he and I got into an argument that involved him bringing up said miscarriage, I walked out of mine and Mike's hotel room and went for a walk. Every insecurity-"

"You, Rayleigh 'Hot Ray-Leigh' Mizanin, insecure," Beth asked, with a bit of a chuckle, "I don't believe it."

"A lot of people may not have seen it, but I changed after the miscarriage, at one point I changed so drastically I even attempted suicide," Rayleigh admitted. Both Beth and Jon looked at her shocked, this was the first time they had ever heard about the suicide attempt.

"Yeah, Mike was a little pissed off with me about keeping that from him," Rayleigh continued, "Anyways, when I found out I was pregnant, I freaked, I didn't know if I was going to be a good mom, I didn't know if Mike was going to be like my sperm donor and disappear on me, so when Adam and I got into our argument, he forced me to face all of my insecurities head on and I couldn't take it."

"So, you walked out," Beth said, remembering what she had heard earlier.

"Yeah, I walked out and after I blew off a little steam, I literally walked right into Cena," she told him, "And I just started telling him everything, and with one sentence he made every insecurity just disappear."

"What did he say," Jon asked, genuinely curious as to how someone who had possibly started the insecurities just made them disappear.

"He told me, it wasn't going to be like last time," Rayleigh told them, "Now, to this day I still don't know if he was talking about Mike or the miscarriage, but that chat was one of the reasons why Mike and I invited him to our wedding and is probably one of the reasons why Mike insisted that he be Sophie's godfather."

Jon and Beth were sitting in the living room taking advantage of the Mizanin's amazing cable package and link to the WWE Network, an hour after Rayleigh decided that it had been a long day for her and she needed some rest.

"So, what do you think about everything that Rayleigh told us today," Jon asked, as they sat watching Wrestle Mania 16. Rayleigh had just run in with Rhyno to help her "brothers" out in the match by taking out Spike Dudley with a steel chair.

"I think I admire and look up to her even more," Beth admitted, "It takes a pretty strong woman to admit that to somebody, let alone a stranger. No offence."

"None taken," Jon responded, "Do you think if things had turned out differently and you actually got to break up with Stephen, would you and him become friends?" Beth shook her head almost immediately as she watched Lita and Rayleigh begin to fight one another.

"I'd be too afraid of him to ever become his friend again," Beth admitted, "I'd be terrified that any moment that he would snap and kill me or something. John and Rayleigh compared to Stephen and I are very different, but she knows what it's like."

"Does Mike-"

"God no," Beth said, "Trust me I would know, but Rayleigh knows that people aren't always who they seem to be. John showed her that. I think that's part of the reason why she made it almost impossible for me to say no to her offer to stay here for a few weeks. She knows how drastically a person can change. I still can't believe that she tried to commit suicide."

"Some people think it's the only way out of the pain or the situation," Jon said, "I'm just glad that she didn't, because otherwise we never would have met." Beth smiled at him before turning back to the TV to see Rayleigh and Rhyno push one of the ladders that Devon Dudley and Matt Hardy climbing up to try and grab the titles.

"Do you think if things had gotten any further you would have attempted it," Jon asked. He knew this had to be tough conversation for her, but after everything that Rayleigh had told the both of them today, he needed to know. He needed to know what kind of fate a freak car accident could have saved her from. Beth was silent for a moment, as Jon waited with baited breath.

"Maybe," Beth paused, "I don't know. Probably, if I didn't have any other way out, I don't know for sure Jon, things like that are always a little hard to predict. Things can go several different ways and while, I might see no other way out, a person like for example you can see a million different ones." Jon nodded as they turned back to see Rhyno helping Edge climb the ladder to grab the belts, as Rayleigh lay party conscious on the outside of the ring.

"I still can't believe Cena cheated on Rayleigh," Beth said, breaking the silence after the next match started, "Her and John always seem to be so in sync when I see them together. It's almost like they have one brain."

"I think that goes with working together for so long," Jon said, "Before she retired they always use to say-"

"Hot Ray-Leigh is the only Diva, Diva enough to manage John Cena," Beth finished for him, "No Diva has quite been able to measure up to her manager services since she retired. I don't think they actually had John look for a replacement during that whole shtick when she announced her retirement." Jon chuckled.

"I'm fairly sure he told them that he didn't want another manage," Jon answered. Beth smiled at him.

"Would you look for a replacement if I were to suddenly get injured," Beth asked, a hint of humor in her voice. Jon looked up the ceiling jokingly as he thought about his answer.

"Nope."

"Oh really," Beth asked, "Not even if Hot Ray-Leigh was rumored to be coming out of retirement and Cena was injured?"

"Nope," he answered again, "Because I know that as soon as Cena was back, Hot Ray-Leigh would drop me like that bachelor guy you hate drops names, I'd have no chance." Beth and Jon chuckled as they continued to watch Wrestle Mania 17.

"Okay, now that you've said that I have to say this," Beth said, "If it was a Wrestle Mania match between Hot Ray-Leigh and John Cena vs you and me, and the rest of the Shield was banned from ring side and if Colby or Joe got involved you and I would both be fired, who would win?" Jon looked at Beth shocked for a moment as he thought about it. He wasn't sure. John Cena was a hard competitor to face in the main event at Wrestle Mania and with Hot Ray-Leigh at his side, he was almost impossible to beat, but he was nothing to sneeze at. Since he first debuted, he had won both of the matches he had at Wrestle Mania. He shrugged in response.

"To hard to tell," Jon answered, "We're too evenly matched." Beth snorted.

"I appreciate the compliment, but you and I both know that Hot Ray-Leigh isn't above paying off both Colby and Joe to get involved." The two looked at one another for a long moment, before Beth started leaning into Jon slightly. The pair was so caught up in the moment that they were unaware that they were being watched from the staircase.

It was then just as Jon and Beth's lips almost met that a clap of thunder sounded, causing Mizfit, who had been sitting by the backdoor begin to bark. Jon and Beth leapt apart as they heard Rayleigh's footsteps run down the hallway and into Sophie's bedroom just as her cries began to fill the air.

"Well, I'm off to bed," Beth said quickly, "Goodnight."

"Night."

Jon walked into the kitchen early the next morning as the smell of freshly made coffee and pancakes filled the air. He was glad none of the others had known how great a host and cook Rayleigh Mizanin was otherwise he would have had a whole lot more competition to go with Beth than he did.

"Looks like someone is up early," Rayleigh said, once she spotted him, "Coffee? I can't drink it, but I made a pot just for you and Beth."

"Thanks," Jon said, as he rubbed some of the sleep from his eyes, "Is there anything you want me to do?" Rayleigh flipped the pancake in the pan and then turned back to look at him.

"Would you mind setting up the table," Rayleigh asked, "The pancakes are almost done and as soon as Beth gets her little butt down here, we can enjoy some breakfast and then I'll leave the two of you alone, while I take Sophie to her Mommy and me class."

"There really is such a thing as a Mommy and me class," Jon asked, as he walked over to the cupboard that Rayleigh had directed him to, "I thought those only existed in movies."

"Mike said the same thing," Rayleigh responded, pouring some more batter into the pan, "But, I thought it would be good for her, since I'm no longer on the road to have some normal friends and it gives me something to do until she goes off to school."

"You're not going to start crying right," Jon asked, looking a little uncomfortable.

"No," Rayleigh assured him, "I had enough crying fits on her first birthday that I should be good until she actually goes to school." The two of them laughed, as Rayleigh directed him over to the drawer that had all of her and Mike's everyday flatware.

"So, when does the little munchkin wake up," Jon asked. Rayleigh looked at the clock that hung on the wall.

"Just a little bit longer," Rayleigh said, "I let her sleep in today since we're going to be out when she usually takes her nap."

"Oh, so you're really leaving Beth and I to fend for ourselves," Jon asked, the humor in his voice. Rayleigh chuckled.

"I want to get a few things done before Mike gets home in a few days," Rayleigh said, "He tends to treat me a bit like a China doll when he's home and if I don't go out and get the things I need now, he'll pout at me until I let him go get it and that'll take at least three trips to get it right."

"He gets baby brain and he's the father," Beth joked as she walked into the kitchen, "Oh dear lord, you made pancakes…I never should have come here, Phil and Colby are going to have us work out twice as hard when we get back."

"If they make you work out anymore than necessary, you tell them to give me a call," Rayleigh said. Both Jon and Beth chuckled at the thought of sicking Rayleigh on both Colby and Phil. While the image was entertaining, they didn't think it would be necessary.

"Now, what do the two of you have planned for the day," Rayleigh asked, "I know you don't have a car, but you can borrow one of Mike's. All I ask is that you leave the camaro-"

"Your husband has a camaro," Jon asked, chocking slightly on his coffee.

"It was my wedding gift to him," Rayleigh said, "But, seriously just leave it in the garage, if it gets one scratch on it. Mike will see red." Both Jon and Beth agreed, no matter how much it killed Jon to do it, but since it was a wedding gift the desire to sit in it receded slightly. Beth told Rayleigh about some of the places she wanted to show Jon, and how she really wanted to go back to that bookstore that Rayleigh had showed her the last time she had visited.

"Well, if Jon doesn't mind watching Sophie tomorrow during her nap, you and I can go in the afternoon," Rayleigh offered, causing Beth to give Jon a pleading look that had him agreeing before he knew what he had even agreed too.

"Okay, well, I'm going to take a quick shower and then we can head out, okay Jon," Beth said, placing their dishes in the dishwasher. Jon and Rayleigh nodded, as Sophie was being placed in her highchair, a bowl of cheerios in front of her.

"Jon," Rayleigh started.

"Yeah?"

"When were you going to tell me that you have a crush on Beth?"