Disclaimer: The names of all World Wrestling Entertainment televised and live programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans and wrestling moves and all World Wrestling Entertainment logos are trademarks, which are the exclusive property of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2008 World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Author's Note: Every now and then I am stopped in my tracks by a review that I read. Usually it is the poignancy and/or humor of the review that makes me take pause, however, one review for this story that I recently received made me take pause for another reason.
After reading the review, I was so ready to come back loaded for bear, even so far as to plan a special chapter (which would have been right here where you are reading) devoted entirely to said review, in which I would respond to this review that was, shall I say, a pointed indictment of the subject matter that I write about in my stories. I told one of my fellow femslash author friends that I was ready to launch a full-scale counteroffensive that would have probably left in a lot of scorched Earth in its wake. But I decided against it.
Now I am not going to spend time here discussing the content of the review. It is on display for your personal analysis along with all the other reviews I have received for this story. The one and only thing I will say to the reviewer is this…
I am a proud, patriotic citizen of the United States of America. And as a citizen of the United States, I abide by all of our country's laws as they pertain to me. And as a law abiding citizen, I have certain protected rights and freedoms. Under the protection of the first amendment of the United States Constitution, it has been guaranteed to me that, and I quote…
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
In layman's terms, my country has passed no law making what I or any other fan fiction author that creates work on this site illegal. This is the free exercise of free speech that is taking place here; nothing more, nothing less.
Furthermore, the ninth amendment states…
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
In other words, we are not to twist and distort the words in the Constitution to withhold these rights from any of our citizens or put down those citizens that attempt to claim those rights.
Now, saying that, let me say that I acknowledge and respect your view point, Ms. Reviewer. You have every right under that same Constitutional protection to voice your point of view. Here is what I take issue with you on.
The moment that you realized that the material that you were reading was offensive to your sensibilities, you had the choice to click your way out of the story and move on to read something else. Every one of the summaries for every one of my stories contains the names of both characters that will be involved in the romantic relationship in the story as well as the word femslash. For you to ignore not one, but both of those warning signs and read not only one chapter, but SIX CHAPTERS, and leave a review, smacks of ignorance and pettiness on your part and not of the intelligent repudiation of this story that I believe you intended to convey.
You also made disparaging remarks in your review about many of the writers on this site, even going so far as to refer to us as "second rate writing perverts" when you yourself had two misspelled words in your review of this "second rate pervert" who is in the middle of laying out a constructive, well thought out, intelligent rebuttal of your review without using a single four-letter epithet, a reference to lesbian sex or misspelling a word.
My recommendation to you is that if you are going to remain a reader on this website and wish to avoid material such as this, then avoid warning words such as femslash or slash. If you see two male or female names with a slash mark in between them, that means the same thing and should ring the warning bell in your head to stay away from that story. Don't walk into a yard that has a sign posted out front that says, BEWARE OF DOG, and then get angry when the dog bites you. Don't walk into a fast food restaurant that clearly says Burger King and expect seafood. The warning signs are there. I am not questioning your beliefs, I am questioning your judgment in reading something you knew going in would be patently offensive to you. Best of luck in seeking the literary material that you desire to read and in sharpening your communication skills to engage in the intelligent discourse of the intellectual among us. Now if you will excuse me, I have loyal readers to attend to.
And to all of you who enjoy the writing of LaughLoveLive, please excuse my expansive author's note. I wasn't going to go on for so long, but since the review was written for everyone to see, I felt it only fair to put my response out there as well. Now, without further adieu, here is chapter 7 of Now… You're A Diva. I hope you enjoy it.
Now… You're a Diva
Chapter 7
Ton of Bricks
Monday, July 28, 2008 – 11:15 pm – Verizon Center – Washington, D.C.
Mickie was lying on the trainer's table receiving a massage from one of the trainers after the successful post-match attack from Kat. Beth, unwilling to face Mickie or Kat after her breakdown, showered and left for the hotel soon after her match. Layla had also gone back to the hotel, leaving Kat as the only Diva in the locker room as she stayed to watch the entire show. When she was finished, she slung her bag over her shoulder and walked out of the locker room, headed for the trainer's room.
Mickie was deep in thought as she lay on the training table. She knew that she had to terminate her plan for a dual conquest of Kat. In the light of the new revelation that she unearthed, she felt it would be amoral to continue to pursue her. She and Melina would now have to concentrate their energies into helping Beth work through her feelings. But first, she would have to tell Melina, which she was planning on doing right after she left the arena.
"How's that Mickie?" The trainer asked as her worked muscles in the back of her neck.
"Better. I think the massage and the Motrin will help. Thanks." Mickie said as she lay on her stomach, receiving a few final kneads of the flesh from the trainer.
Just then, Kat arrived at the door to the training room.
"Hey Kat. You need something?" The trainer asked.
"No. I just wanted to see how Mickie's doing." Kat said as Mickie turned her head to face Kat.
"I'm good Tommy. Thanks." Mickie said as the trainer stopped his massage and headed out of the room.
"Sorry about that last shot. It was a little stiff." Kat said.
"You have a club for an arm. You know that, girl?" Mickie said.
"Paul pissed me off one day and I gave him a shot across the back. He said he felt it for the rest of the day." Kat said with a light chuckle. "Look, I wanted to ask you something in confidence."
"Fire away." Mickie said.
"Do you know what's gotten into Beth? After I came back from the hotel, she was acting very strangely. I think she's avoiding me. Did I say or do something to offend her?" Kat asked.
"You are closer to her than I am." Mickie countered.
"But you were talking to her earlier. She didn't say anything to you?" Kat asked.
"No. She didn't. We had just started talking when you came in." Mickie said. "Did you have an argument or something with her before you went to the hotel?"
"No. We were just talking like we always do. She was about to start ribbing me about… I told her about something that happened to me recently and she teased me and I teased… her… back…" Kat said.
"What?" Mickie asked as she watched Kat hesitate.
"Did I…" Kat paused. Then her epiphany struck. The light bulb went on inside Kat's head. "Mickie, I think I might have gone a bit too far."
Mickie sat up on the table and cocked her head to the side. "What did you do?"
"I was teasing her… and I got a little too close in proximity to her and she might have been a little uncomfortable." Kat said.
"How close is close?" Mickie asked. Kat stepped forward and demonstrated how close she got to Beth and exactly what she did. Kat moved her face insanely close to Mickie's ear, moving down to her neck. Mickie shuddered and felt herself get instantly wet as Kat purred slightly when she reached her other ear. "Holy shit." Mickie whispered. "Did… you… uhh… purr… in her ear too?"
"Yeah." Kat said in a voice just above a whisper as she slowly pulled her head back. Kat felt her heart hammering hard inside her chest. Kat had a vivid fantasy about Mickie and Melina but of the two, the diminutive firecracker from the Old Dominion was the one that really made Kat's engine race. Mickie took a deep breath as Kat lingered at Mickie's ear. "Mickie, I know that we're talking about something else right now but I have to tell you something and if I don't I think I'm going to explode."
"Okay." Mickie said shakily as she closed her eyes. Mickie had once thought to herself that she sometimes felt like Kat could make her come by just talking to her. She was now in the middle of her prophetic words coming back to haunt her.
"I know you have a significant other, but there is no one in this company that turns me on as much as you do, and if I thought for a second that you would have me, I would show you exactly how much." Kat purred.
Mickie paused for a moment as the war raged inside her. She had just told herself that the whole Kat thing was history and that her attention was going to be focused on Beth and Kat together. But now, in a twist of fate more cruel than either Matt or Jeff Hardy could deliver, here was Kat practically giving herself to Mickie.
Mickie closed her eyes, refusing to look at Kat as she spoke slowly. "The only thing keeping me from doing unspeakable things to you is a 120-pound Latina back in Los Angeles." Mickie said.
Still anchored in her spot off to Mickie's side, Kat responded. "Funny. I was going to say the same thing." Kat purred again. She then delivered another breathtaking line. "So why don't you… initiate me?"
WHAT? Mickie's mind screamed. "What?" Mickie eked out.
"I found out about your little club." Kat said in a whisper, her breath sending chills through Mickie's body. "I'm taken aback that you haven't asked me yet."
Mickie was still sitting bolt straight on the massage table facing straight ahead. She knew that if she turned her head in Kat's direction, her tongue would go straight down Kat's throat. So she sat perfectly still.
"I can't… approach Divas cold. They… have to be… recommended." Mickie said.
"Are you all right?" Kat asked.
"You know goddamn well I'm not all right." Mickie whispered in an exasperated tone.
"It's okay. I'm wet too." Kat whispered.
"Fuck you." Mickie spat softly.
"Now we're getting somewhere." Kat said. "I want to be a member of your Inner Circle. Are you interested in having me as a member and fucking me into your group?" Kat put emphasis on the f-word.
It was at this moment that Mickie's mental filter failed as she spoke in the same exasperated tone as before. "I want to fuck you and it has nothing to do with the Circle." Mickie admitted. "And you CANNOT be this calm and cool."
Kat's voice suddenly took on the tone of exasperation. "I'm not. I am so nervous. And I swear if you touch me, I will spontaneously combust."
"I do it for you, huh?" Mickie asked, suddenly feeling a surge of moxie flow through her. For the first time, Kat showed a chink in her previously impenetrable cool, calm and collected armor. Mickie's rising lust was beginning to override her better judgment. She was seconds away from giving in to the libidinous feelings that were overwhelming her. Kat was hers for the taking. But just as Mickie went in for the kill, two mental images flashed across her brain. One was of Melina smiling lovingly at her as they sat in Mickie's living room watching TV. The second image was of a broken Beth, sitting on the bench in the locker room with tears streaming down her cheeks, lamenting the apparent unrequited nature of the love that she had for the woman that Mickie was seconds away from ravaging. Mickie and Kat eyed each other with the cloud of sexual tension hanging thick in the air. They were engaged in a game of sexual chicken. And just before they reached the moment of no return… Mickie blinked. Mickie dropped and shook her head slowly as she mouthed, "No" to the floor.
Kat's eyes never left Mickie but the burning lust that they contained slowly slid away, replaced by a sobering realization.
"You really love her. Don't you?" Kat asked with an air of humility.
"I just can't do this to them… her." Mickie said, catching herself as she thought about the potential hurt that this rendezvous might cause Beth and Melina.
"Them?" Kat asked.
"I should get going." Mickie said. She slid off of the trainer's table and stood to her feet. She was about to grab her bag from the nearby chair when Kat gently grabbed her arm near the elbow.
"I know that it would probably hurt Melina but… who else? You said 'them'." Kat said.
"That would be saying too much. And, I don't officially know myself. I'm just… making an educated guess." Mickie said.
"Care to clue me in?" Kat said.
"If you think hard enough, your guess will be as good as mine." Mickie offered before placing a chaste kiss on Kat's cheek, grabbing her bag and walking out of the trainer's room, leaving Kat to begin the search in her mind for the mystery woman that, according to Mickie's subtle Freudian slip, would be hurt by a Kat-Mickie tryst.
Kat, as she tended to do when she was stressed, began to talk the situation out to herself, feeling as if a ton of bricks were perched over her head ready to fall when she figured out the identity of that mystery woman.
"She can't do this to them." Kat said in a near whisper as she began to pace. "Mickie probably knows I slept with Layla but… it can't be Layla. I haven't known her long enough for her to have feelings like that." She continued to pace. "Lillian gives me funny looks every now and again but… she's straighter than an arrow fresh out of the quiver." More pacing. "I've said ten words to Kelly since she's been on Raw, so it can't be her." Kat paced even more. "It can't be Melina." Kat then threw her hands up as she paced. "Damnit. There are no femmes left over here. And the only person I am close enough to have a reaction to Mickie and I… is…" The flashes then began to flood her brain. The constant teasing, the sensitivity to jokes thrown back at her, the last teasing episode from the locker room that in retrospect was more tension filled than Kat remembered and finally, an uncharacteristic outpouring of emotions in the locker room of all places. "Oh sweet Jesus, no." Kat whispered in stunned disbelief. "I've thrown… every Diva in the company… up in her face… and she just…" Kat sat down in the chair behind her as the trees in her mind began to disappear leaving the forest floor to be seen. "… she just laughed it all off…" Tears began to well up in Kat's eyes. She did the one thing that she was terrified of doing; she hurt her best friend. "… all the while…" Those same tears that pooled at the bottom of her eyelids began streaming down her face. "My God in Heaven. Beth… is in… l-…" The first letter of the word stuck on the tip of her tongue in suspended animation for what seemed like an eternity as Kat began laboring for breath as if Mark Henry were sitting on her chest.
As the tears continued to flow, Kat finally brought herself to utter six words, not the six that she had intended to utter when she walked into that room to talk to Mickie. No. On that night the words "I want you to fuck me" would not be rolling off of Katarina Waters' tongue directed at Mickie James. On that night, in that room, the six words she would speak were words she never expected herself to say in a million years.
"Beth… is in love… with me."
Cue the ton of bricks.
Maybe I should have called this story As The Locker Room Turns. But I figure one story with a soap opera-themed title is enough for now. Time to get out your scorecards. Mickie and Melina wanted Kat who wanted them. Mickie and Melina hatched a plan to get Kat but their plan is thwarted when Mickie finds out that Beth has a secret love for her best friend who now realizes that Beth, whom she teased about sleeping with, really does have a thing for her and now has no idea what to do next. Got it? Whew, I need a drink of water after that one.
So now, Kat will rush to the hotel to profess her love to Beth and they will make love and live happily ever after, right? Come on. You know me better than that. What do I always say? It's not about the destination, it's about the journey. And the next stop on our journey is chapter 8. I can't wait! Can you?
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