Stu was seated in Vince McMahon's make shift office in the arena along with Heath, Big Show, and Natalya. Vince addressed them as a group. "As you know, our NXT show is in trouble. We're looking to liven it up with the addition of some new Pro's. I thought of the four of you first. Stu, where you were the winner of season one, you'd make a great addition. Paul, you're one of our most beloved superstars and we need that type of star power to boost ratings. Natalya, you have wrestling in your blood and we want more Divas with good mic skills on the show. And Heath, well, I think this extra exposure would help with your upcoming face turn. We could also play up the Corre's break up on the show. What do you guys think? Obviously, there will be a little extra money in it for you."
"When does the new season start taping?" Natalya asked.
"Well," began Vince. "The production team is meeting with the FCW staff today to make their picks. If everything goes well, we would start taping the following Tuesday night. I will keep you all appraised"
"I'm in," Heath quickly sputtered. It was a no brainer to him. Like Vince said, he could use the air time.
Stu wasn't so sure and Vince sensed his skepticism by the look on his face. "Stu? What are your thoughts on this? We'd love to have a champion as a pro."
Heath looked at him. "Come on, man, this'll be fun!"
"Sure. I'll do it," Stu stated reluctantly. He knew he needed to be there to help out his best friend. "But I don't really think I want my rookie in my corner during my matches."
Vince smiled. "Fine. That can be arranged. That ostracism definitely goes along with your character. We can make it so that you're more hands off in the spotlight, but I'd still appreciate you being helpful behind the scenes with mentoring and all that."
"Absolutely. That won't be a problem whatsoever," Stu wasn't thrilled about this new task, but he always did what was best for the company. He was also trying to avoid backstage heat from the others and wanted to make sure that he would continue to get over with the fans. Being buried in the mid-card was not something Stu hoped for himself. Plus, he would be able to spend more time at FCW and around Melissa.
Stu shot Melissa a text. Surprise! I'll be spending more time at FCW soon.
Ben peered into Melissa's office. "Mel, do you have a moment?"
Melissa was organizing all the shorts she had finished over the weekend into piles for the different performers. "Sure. What can I help you with?"
"We're making a big announcement today to the talent and I wanted to make you aware of it first since it does pertain to you." Melissa nodded. "WWE is bringing a few of the guys up for the next season of NXT."
Melissa was genuinely excited. "Good for them! Who is it?"
"Terry, Tim, Hector, Rick, Joe, Derrick, and Chris."
Melissa tried hard to hide her smile. This meant that Tim would not be around much anymore. He would essentially have a babysitter that would help to keep him away from her on a daily basis. "That's great news. I'm guessing you're going to need me to make a few more shorts for each then?"
"Exactly. They're not going to start for another week. Is that enough time to make a few more?" Ben was always so appreciative of the work that Melissa did.
Melissa couldn't wait to get started. She felt like the quicker she finished them, the quicker Tim was out of her hair. "Yeah, I'll get started today. I'm pretty much caught up on everything here."
Ben smiled at Melissa's willingness. "I'll be sending out a list of the pros and rookies in a few, but I wanted to talk to you first. Also, Mel, I wanted to let you know that you're doing an excellent job here. Good work does not go unnoticed."
Melissa was elated. "Thanks, Ben. I really love working here. Everyone has just been so nice to me." It was then that Melissa realized what Stu's text message meant. The outlook e-mail alert message appeared on her computer screen. There it was: Pro: Wade Barrett, Rookie: Tim Drake.
Melissa jumped up and headed for the gym, her heels clicking hard against the concrete floor. Tim was leaning against the ropes watching Ryan scrimmage with Hector. Tim saw her coming over, but quickly averted his eyes back to the action in the ring.
"Can I talk to you?" Melissa demanded.
Tim didn't look down at her, but instead kept his eyes focused on the action in the ring. "I'm a little busy right now, Mel. Can this wait?"
"No. It can't." She was standing her ground. Tim had never seen her so adamant and angry before.
Tim hopped down and closed the space between them. "You left in a hurry Friday night."
Melissa shook her head. "That's not what this is about. What did you do?"
Tim smirked. "What do you mean, Mel?" Melissa folded her arms. "Oh, right, NXT. Shouldn't you be congratulating me? It's quite an accomplishment. I mean, I've only been here about a week." Melissa didn't budge. "Look, he asked for me."
"Bullshit. I don't believe you." Melissa's eyes filled up with tears. Tim sighed. Even he knew it was inappropriate to comfort her right now. "Please..." She caught herself and choked back her tears. "Please don't ruin this for me. Stu is the best thing that has ever happened to me."
"As far as I know he asked to mentor me." He shrugged. "That's what Ben said anyway"
She wiped the tears out from under her eyes. "You're lying."
Tim's tone became soft. "I'm not. Ask him."
She pushed her finger in to his chest. "This is low. Even for you."
'"Hey, we're all trying to get ahead here, right sweetheart? Isn't that why you're dating Stu in the first place?"
"Fuck you, Tim. You don't know the first thing about either of us." Melissa turned away and slowly walked back to her office trying to hide the tears that were reforming in her eyes.
Tim cut her off. "I know you both care about each other a great deal. But I also know the reason that you're crying is because he doesn't know what happened between you and I. And you know that you can't tell him now without losing him."
"Hey gorgeous," Stu yelled as he and Heath walked towards Melissa's car. She was standing at the back with the trunk open waiting for their flight to arrive. Her red polka dot dress blew in the breeze behind her.
"Hey boys," She kissed Stu. "How was Dallas?"
"Good. Good shows." Heath said. "Thank you for picking us up." Melissa shut the trunk and walked around to the driver side.
Melissa started the car and pulled away from Tampa International Airport. "Do you guys need coffee or anything?"
"No, I really just want to go home." Stu put his head down on her shoulder. "I missed you. When do you have to be to work?"
Melissa tipped her head down on his. "In about an hour."
"Good. Let's ditch this guy and go back to my place for a bit."
"I can hear you guys," Heath added. Stu and Melissa cracked up. "Anyway, big news, Mel! We're both going to be pro's on NXT next season."
"I heard. That is wonderful news. Who is your rookie?"
"I have Hector. I'm counting on you to give me inside information. Do you know anything about him?" Heath was hopeful that Melissa could shed some light on his rookie. "What are his strengths and weaknesses?"
"He's quiet. I don't really know what to tell you. He didn't say much when we were doing his shorts. I bet he's like a silent assassin though."
"I like a challenge," Heath added.
Stu turned around to the back seat and looked at him. "No, you don't. You'll give up on him by week three. You're incredibly lazy."
"Whatever man. I've got this. I'm going to be a better pro than you are."
Stu rolled his eyes. "No, you're not. Stop lying to yourself. It's annoying."
"You're just saying that because you hand picked the best rookie."
Stu smirked "Is he the best? I had no idea."
"You had inside information, man. Not fair."
"Stop bitching, Miller. You could've picked your rookie, too, you know."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Heath got out of the car. Melissa met him at the back.
"It'll be fine. Hector is a nice guy. You're going to be a great pro."
Stu yelled out the car window at Heath. "Tim is going to destroy Hector. Just you wait!"
"Shut up, Bennett!" Heath hollered back.
Melissa was laughing at their banter. "You really like getting under his skin, don't you?"
Stu laughed. "It's just so easy."
Melissa knew that she needed to approach this subject in a sensitive way, but she wasn't quite sure how. "I didn't think you even wanted to be a part of NXT. Why did you decide to do it?"
"Well, Vince asked me so I couldn't really say 'no'." Plus, Heath and I can really play up our upcoming angle. It works out well for everyone, I suppose. And, I'll be seeing you some more." He kissed her shoulder.
She need more information on how they were matched up. It would kill her if Tim was right and Stu had in fact picked him. "Did you guys really pick your own rookies?"
"I made a request. I asked for Tim because I feel like he has a lot of potential, just needs a little guidance is all. Plus, you two seem to be getting along famously."
Melissa dismissed his claims. "I wouldn't say that. I mean, I see him at work but that is it." Stu was silent. "You didn't pick him because of me, did you?"
"No. He talked to me for a bit at the party and he seems to have a great deal of respect for me, which is something that I plan on abusing to a great extent." Melissa smiled. She knew that Stu would drive him crazy. He was a perfectionist. Tim was not a hard worker at all. Watching their personalities clash on a daily basis would be enjoyable to say the least. "I also found it interesting that he followed you out to the balcony when you weren't feeling well at the party. So, I know that he is capable of feeling emotion on some level. Chris was such a positive mentor to me and look how far I've come. I should pay it back and help out someone else. They're already saying that Tim is going to be a big star in the company. At least, that is the rumor going around. Vince is high on him."
"Interesting. I think you've already pin pointed all of his weaknesses and you've only spent five minutes with him. Is this going to be a bigger commitment for you though?" Melissa would've done or said anything at that moment to get him to drop out of this new responsibility.
"Not really. We go live just before Smackdown. I'm also being rewarded rather handsomely for it." Stu put his hand on her knee and started rubbing her thigh. Melissa had been so tense through this conversation that she jumped at the touch. "Which is great for us."
He just said "us." Melissa thought. It was the first time that Stu had referred to them as being together. Even though they had never had the discussion she knew that they were a couple. "I missed you."
Stu put his arm around her. "I missed you too, love. Can you come up for a bit? There is something I want to discuss with you."
With trepidation, Melissa helped Stu carry his bags up to the apartment. She was absolutely blind sided by his need for a serious talk. He walked over to the couch and sat down. "Whats going on?" Melissa had never seen Stu so serious. Her heart and mind raced.
"My last relationship...," Stu hesitated for a second. "One of the reasons why last relationship ended was because my girlfriend thought I was cheating on her. Constantly"
"Okay," Melissa's heart jumped into her throat. He thinks I'm cheating on him
"I just need to say that I would never cheat on you...or anyone for that matter," he continued. "I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you. I care for you tremendously, Mel."
Melissa put her hand on his leg and smiled to help make whatever Stu was about to say easier for him. "I really like you, too."
It took him a few seconds to gather his next thought. "I'm just afraid that a few weeks or months from now you'll realize that this isn't the type of relationship you want."
She was confused. It seemed like Stu was trying to talk her out of being in a relationship with him. "What do you mean? I know how hectic your schedule is, babe."
"Right, but I'm gone for days, sometimes weeks. I'm on the road all the time. My schedule is unpredictable. I just don't want you to come to me in a few months and say...and say that you can't do this anymore." Stu had spent his flight home rehearsing what he was going to say to her. It was important to him to be upfront and honest about how he felt. The last thing he wanted was to be hurt by anyone again, especially Melissa. He looked over at her and could tell she was deep in thought. Stu started to worry in that moment that he was going to lose her.
Melissa felt bad. Stu was really concerned about history repeating itself. Melissa stared down at the carpet. She needed to choose her words carefully. "I can't promise you that yet." She bit her lower lip in thought. This was too much for her to take in at this moment. And if there was ever a time for her to be honest about her past with Tim, it was now. "This is all so new. I'm having a great time with you and I think you're absolutely wonderful. I also think that there is definitely something amazing between us." She leaned up against him and he instinctively put his arm around her. "We do need time to figure out what that is though. Right now I can tell you that I want to be with you and I want to get to know you more. Who knows? Maybe someday I'll get promoted and we'll be driving to cities together bickering with each other and will never be apart."
"Right. I would love that actually." Stu smiled. Melissa was offering him as much reassurance as she could at this point in their relationship.
She straddled his lap and took his face in her hands. "I don't want you to spend this time worrying about what is going to happen. Who knows? You might want nothing to do with me tomorrow. Can we deal with things as they come up?" She moved her hands to his shoulders.
Stu nodded. "Thank you."
"Now, I don't need to know about what's happened in the past. I'm sure we've both been burned before. I know I have. You and I are together now. That's what matters." As much as that was for Stu, Melissa was taking her own words to heart as well.
I really appreciate everyones comments on this. This is the first story I have written and I'm excited about the direction it's taken. Please feel free to share any comments that you have!
