Chapter 8 2/4ths – For the Love of Megan Elizabeth Gratton
She stirred in her sleep, letting the slightest moan escape her lips. She couldn't have been more vulnerable; it was taking everything in his power not to pull her close to him, to feel the warmth of her body against his skin. It was like heaven to him, to finally have what he coveted all these years. All that lay ahead of him was gaining her trust just a little more, he couldn't rush things, or he risked losing her. She was just the right kind of person to try something like this on. She was too trusting and so pure, until the rest of the ring rats and whores that waltz into this business, acting like they own the place. On top of that, her "daddy issues" left her with abandonment issues that run deep. All the things you would look for in a blackmailing victim. It was almost unfair of him to put her through this.
No, this was all her fault.
She was just a baby when she caught his eye, barely eighteen when she entered his territory in Ring of Honor. The wrestling business came easy to her, almost as if she had been specifically bred for it. Of course, this was all before even she knew of the McMahon blood that flowed through her veins. It was her love for the business that made him fall for the red-headed Diva. She lived for this business, taught herself the ins and outs of it before she even entered ROH, and even went as far as to teach some of the other Divas how to actually wrestle. Yet, despite her talent and knowledge, she was humble, always pushing the praise onto others around her.
Before he could make his move, she was gone. While she waited for her buddy Dee to graduate, she bounced from federation to federation, learning what she could from one place before moving onto the other. Before long, the girls were in the WWE and by the time their paths crossed again, she had her eyes on the big-nosed oaf himself. Fate had been a cruel mistress before, but now it was starting to smile on him. Triple H had his turn with her, now it was his time.
He was almost giddy with glee when the acting GM came to him with her plan to set up the girls. Vicki discovered the truth about Megan's past months ago, but luckily for him, she didn't have the brains to figure out what exactly she was sitting on. The person that held this type of information had the keys to the WWE City, so to speak, and all she carried about was getting her hands on Dee for some reason and, quite possibly, Meg's Championship Title. Women. All it took was getting under Dee's skin by setting up the Viper, then toying with the delicate psyche of the Diva's Champion. In the end, both parties got what they wanted, a win-win situation all around. Well, except on Dee's part, but who the hell cared?
"Hunter…"
"Sleep now, my darling." He softly whispered into her ear before gently brushing her hair from her cheek. He wanted to kiss her, to take her into him, but he thought better of it. "Soon…soon I will have you."
His hotel room was empty, almost cold without her. Noticeably quiet. On any other normal day, he would long for time like this. It was nothing against his fiancé…ex-fiancé it would seem…but she wasn't exactly known for being silent. It was always as if she had an unnatural fear of the quiet, like if she didn't fill that space with a story or funny quip, then something was going to get her. He loved that about her. The only time she wasn't talking was when she was sleeping, eating, and curled up somewhere, reading a comic. Even then, that was debatable, as she often spoke with her mouth full AND in her sleep. It never bothered him, however he now felt as if he had taken her 'noise' for granted.
The lunch date with Dee still rang fresh in his mind and he felt badly about it. It was easier to place the blame on someone else than it was to face the facts that she was gone. He didn't even want to speak her name allowed, because the pain was too much. It wasn't like he hadn't had his heart broken before; lord knows how much it killed him to look in Stephanie's general direction after all she put him through. But somehow, the way she treated him at the end of their relationship made it all hurt a little less when they finally split. This betrayal came out of left field, coupled with the fact that he still had no idea how or why this happened.
He wanted to call her, despite the hour, just to hear her voice. He wanted to flip open his phone and see her smiling face, one of the best pictures he had of her. He wanted to tear his way through the Nexus, bit by bit, asshole by asshole, but he knew he couldn't do it alone. Especially, not in the shape he was in. He could team up with Randy, he knew Randy hated Nexus almost as much as he did, but that might not be enough. Dee…would she even speak to him after the way he acted towards her? He would have to wait and see.
Caving to his own desires, he lunged for his cell and flipped it. Hair the color of a raging inferno, eyes like sapphires. While she herself and others might question her beauty, she was the best looking woman he has ever had the pleasure of laying his eyes on. It wasn't just her looks, it was more than that. She was generally a good person, always seeing the good in everyone. He loved her nerdiness, her sense of humor, her love of the business. He couldn't help but fall for her. It didn't matter to him that she was so much younger than him, nearly half his age, but it didn't matter. She was the only woman for him. He was going to fight for her; he was going to make her see what he saw. He knew that deep down inside her, she still loved him. There was a logical explanation for all of this.
No matter what happened or does happen….he would bring down the Nexus. One jobber at a time. CM Punk…your days are numbered.
"Shit snacks!"
With just days until the Rumble, Smackdown was buzzing with excitement and worry. The worry, however, was for the most part absent from the locker room shared by the members of the New Nexus, special guests of acting GM Vickie Guerrero. It was almost a flashback to the McMahon-Helmsely faction, a time thought lost among wrestling fans these days. Otunga, Harris, and Ryan sat on the circle of couches, stuffing their faces with the finger food that sat on the table in the middle of the couches and laughed, pointing at random super stars and gloating over their triumphs over them. At the center of it all was the "power couple", CM Punk and his Diva, sharing a small love seat.
On the monitor in front of them, Rey Mysterio was suffering a savage beating at the hands of Kane, leaving the boys of Nexus in stitches. The more Rey tried to fight back against the monster, the funnier they found it. Disgusted, Meg rose up, taking everyone's eyes with her.
"What is wrong with you guys? He's smaller than me and you think this is funny?" The boys stared at her blankly. "Whatever. I'm out of here."
The guys started to rise, but CM Punk raised his hand, stopping them dead in their tracks. Without saying a word, she pulled her iPod out of her bag and walked out the door. It wasn't their badly timed humor and obnoxious laughter that drove her out of that room, it was the over-whelming feeling of shame she felt if she was in their company for long periods of time. Looking at them brought back the images of Hunter being beaten at their hands, something she would never forgive them for. As soon as she had the chance to strike back, she was going to make them wish they never messed with a Diva!
"Holy shit, it's the turncoat herself!"
She reconized the voice right away. With a smile on her face for the first time in at least two weeks, she spun around.
"Adam!" He opened his arms and she went barreling into them. "What are you doing here?"
"Um…I'm the champion, I'm supposed to be here. The question is, what are YOU doing here?"
"Vicki invited Nexus over as her 'special guest' for some reason, so they drug me along. I guess the boys can't go anywhere without their eye candy."
"How's your other half, Dee?"
She looked at her feet. "I really don't know."
He grabbed her chin the way Hunter always did and forced her to look at him. "What are you doing, Meg? You are so much better than this!"
"It's just business."
"You think Paul believes it's 'just business'?"
She turned away. "You wouldn't understand…"
"Enlighten me."
"I can't…" She turned back around, her blue eyes pleading with him not to dive any further into it. "You know if there was any other way around this, I wouldn't be doing this. You know me better than that…right?"
"We went through a lot back in the day, you and I. Edge and his Diva." He laughed slightly. "Then Paul caught your eye and you've been his ever since. But in our time together, I got to know you quite well. Whatever he's got on you, it must be something juicy, 'cause you'd never get rid of him that easily."
"Can you do me a favor?"
"Anything for you, darling."
"Tell him I'm sorry." Her eyes glistened with tears. "I've got to go!"
"Gratton?" He paused, taking in what she asked of him. "GRATTON!"
She was long gone. Without thinking, she ran out of the door of the nearest exit, abandoning the Nexus, abandoning her problems, leaving everything behind. She contemplated just leaving all together; hoping on a red-eyed flight back to Philadelphia and hiding out at her childhood home in Northwood. Her mother would put this all right, she always made everything better.
Mom. That's it.
Without thinking, Meg grabbed her phone from her pocket and within moments, it was ringing.
"Mommy…I've done something terrible…"
