John looked over his shoulder and couldn't help but smile. There decked out in all her makeup and elaborate costumes was the woman the WWE Universe had come to know as Jinx and the person John had recently gotten to know as Mallori. Their debut and subsequent in-ring appearances together had gotten off to a rocky start. For someone of his Superstar status, someone who had taken opportunity and worked hard with it, the situation had been frustrating. Even in the darkest of hours, it had never occurred to him to give up on her. John Hennigan was no quitter. With just about every odd imaginable stacked against him, he had somehow someway to everyone's amazement managed to turn it all around.

The woman to his left was barely unrecognizable. She was familiar in flesh but it was as if her spirit had been reborn. The uncertainty, the doubt, and the bundle of suffocating nerves had been replaced by a newfound confidence. It was written all over her face. The past few weeks their work had made them inseparable. They traveled together, wrestled together and trained together. When the few breaks in the work schedule allowed him to go home to L.A. and her back to Tampa, e-mails and text messages kept them connected. The hard work and determination had paid off in a series of recent Smackdown appearances but the ultimate test would be this night in Houston, Texas.

It was a crossover match where Smackdown's Morrison and Jinx would be teamed with RAW fan favorite Kofi Kingston to take on Maryse, The Big Show and The Miz, better known as ShowMiz. The six-way tag would have Intergender rules meaning the men and women could be in the ring at the same time and face each other. During a pre-show meeting, all members had joined in the Green Room to go over their matches for the evening. For Mallori it had been particularly exciting. It was her chance to show the world what she was really made of.

"You ready?" Kofi whispered in Mallori's ear as he joined John and her.

ShowMiz and Maryse were already making their way to the ring amid boos and hisses from the pumped out crowd as Mallori excitedly bounced around on her feet.

"I've never been more ready for anything in my life," she grinned up at him.

Kofi nodded and John as well as he had all the faith in her in the world. Their last couple of weeks together had shown him just exactly what she could do.

"Then let's do it," Kofi said as Morison's music cued.

Together they walked out, strolling down that long ramp like they owned it. For the first time Mallori felt like she belonged. She was ready. As they stopped by the front row while ShowMiz and Maryse taunted them from inside the ring, they grinned as Kofi's music began. His energy was untamed and after bumping fists, the three competitors slid into the ring.

The match progressed without a hitch. The entire script teased a Jinx and Maryse confrontation. Mallori had gone over every second of it in her head. She had been given some leeway on how to get the final pin due to her previous botched efforts but the finale was to win. From the outside she watched as Morrison and Kofi took turns wrestling The Miz and Show. The match was next to the main event and therefore they had been given more time. Once the commercial break was over, Mallori took a deep breath. It was time.

After a lengthy bout where Morrison got the best of The Miz, the heel backed into a corner and cowardly tagged in his female counterpart. An apprehensive Maryse slowly made her way through the rings sizing up her much more formidable opponent. A cocky grin spread across Morrison's face. His job was to love the ladies, not fight them. Backing away, he tagged in Jinx who received a surprising pop from the audience.

The two women locked up. After a minute or two of the standard slaps and hair pulling, Maryse took it up a notch, hitting Jinx with a devastating spinning side slam backbreaker. Mallori sold the move perfectly as Maryse capitalized with a succession of kicks and punches. Gloating for the fans gave Jinx time to recover and make it to her feet.

When Maryse went for her signature snap DDT known as the French Kiss, Jinx countered with a knee to the abdomen and followed it up with a leg drop. Seeing his partner succumbing, The Big Show stepped over the ropes to offer the assist.

Jinx let out a scream as she felt the massive hands lift her by her neck. Smirking as he manhandled her, he didn't see Morrison springboard from the second rope with a roundhouse kick. The giant dropped his prey and began to teeter and Morrison went on the offense launching a chain of aerial attacks that eventually took the big man off his feet and onto the outside of the ring.

Knowing the time for the match was running out, Mallori saw the subtle cue from Maryse knowing she had only seconds to finish. Maryse was a pro and know how to take a bump so Mallori went for it. It wasn't something she had discussed with Kofi or even John. Even a minute before it happened she would not have imagined she would go for it. On spontaneity alone, she headed for the ropes. Putting her hands on the top rope, she used her velocity to sweep her legs split wide apart atop the rope. In one sweeping motion, she hit a beautiful full twist before Moonsaulting perfectly onto Maryse's waiting body.

As Kofi kept an enraged Miz at bay, the referee smacked the mat for the three count. The bell rang and the arena went wild. Sheer jubilation pulsed through Mallori's entire body as the ref raised her, Kofi, and John's hands. She and Kofi shared a hug before she ran to the ropes and stood on the second tier happily engaging the estatic fans. Jumping down, she found herself face to face with the mentor who had brought her to that point.

He was thrilled and not just as John Morrison but also as John Hennigan. Mallori ran towards him and he hoisted her in the air for a hug of victory as her legs wrapped around them. They fell back into the corner, loving the crowd reaction and the moment in general. The trio celebrated all the way throughout the commercial break before finally heading back up the ramp and backstage.

"That was awesome," Kofi gave her another high five and hugged her.

It seemed like the whole locker room had been watching and had come out to congratulate her.

"You looked great out there."

Mallori looked up and was surprised to see Nattie Neidhart, another visiting Smackdown Superstar.

"Thanks," Mallori replied out of breath. "That means a lot."

"That was really impressive and I know you've been working hard. Maybe we'll get the chance to face each other again."

"About that," Mallori started. "My head was really messed up that first night. I was out of it and I let the nerves and the new environment distract me. I was intimidated and because of that, you almost got seriously hurt. I'm really sorry, Nattie."

Nattie smiled a real smile.

"It's okay. Things happen, right? This is wrestling, not ballet. Besides, I got beat up a lot worse in my grandfather's dungeon."

"Thank you."

"I'll see you around," the blonde winked, walking away.

Enjoying the moment, she felt something swoop her off the ground.

"You killed it out there," John proudly exclaimed.

"Oh John, it was so awesome!"

"I knew you could do it, I knew you could have a match like that. And the fans loved it."

"God, I hope so. I wasn't nervous this time. I mean, the butterflies were there but it was different. I felt totally focused and in control."

"It showed."

"Thanks to you."

"I can't take all the credit. Damn, you hit Starship Pain better than I did. What's up with that?"

She shrugged.

"I've been watching. Watching you in the ring, watching your tapes, watching other wrestlers. And the Parkour really helps. You were right. I've been working on my balance and now I feel like I have so much more control in the air. It's given me a lot of confidence. I didn't really plan it but tonight it just felt right."

"I'm proud of you."

Mallori breathed a huge sigh of relief. Acceptance from her peers had never felt so good.